(8 Mar 2019) VOICE OVER SCRIPT:
NATS ( apprentice Janna Rojas at work)
3RD YEAR PLUMBING APPRENTICE JANNA ROJAS LEFT A JOB IN SOCIAL WORK IN SEARCH OF BETTER PAY AND CAREER ADVANCEMENT.
ROJAS IS JOINING A GROWING NUMBER OF WOMEN IN THE CONSTRUCTION TRADES BOLSTERING THE RANKS TRADITIONALLY HELD BY MEN.
SOUNDBITE (English) Janna Rojas, 3rd year plumbing apprentice:
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“I was looking for some kind of security. Also, a skill that I could take anywhere AND That’s very useful, very important, just in life.”
ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, WOMEN HOLD 3.4 PERCENT OF ALL CONSTRUCTION JOBS.
THAT’S ROUGHLY 285,000 WOMEN OUT OF 8.3 MILLION CONSTRUCTION WORKERS NATIONWIDE.
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION ROSE BY ABOUT 31 PERCENT OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS.
SOUNDBITE (English) Kathleen Culhane, president N.E.W Nontraditional Employment for Women:
“We’ve had a real shift in terms of really working with the unions as partners in our work because they recognize that the need for a diverse workforce, a workforce that represents the population of New York City and beyond.”
NATS (apprentice on the job)
THE BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL OF GREATER NEW YORK IS WORKING WITH THE NONPROFIT GROUP NONTRADITIONAL EMPLOYMENT FOR WOMEN TO RECRUIT WOMEN FOR APPRENTICE PROGRAMS.
SOUNDBITE (English) Philip LoMonaco. Job site foreman:
“The women that I have here , no they work, they’ll do anything I could do, they could probably pick up the pipe and run with me or whatever. Chop a hole, core drill do whatever has to be done. They’ll get it done.”
ROJAS WENT THROUGH N.E.W.’S PROGRAM.
SHE’S NOW LEARNING ON THE JOB ALONGSIDE HER MALE COUNTERPARTS.
SOUNDBITE (English) Janna Rojas, 3rd year plumbing apprentice:
“This was something that is spelled out for you on how you advance in the first couple of years. And then once you complete the program, you are the exact same pay as a ten-year veteran.”
NATS (graduation)
IN CHICAGO, A GROUP OF WOMEN RECENTLY GRADUATED FROM A SIMILAR PRE-APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM THROUGH AN ORGANIZATION CALLED, CHICAGO WOMEN IN TRADES.
THE NONPROFIT OFFERS GRADUATES ACCESS TO MENTORING AND TUTORING FROM SEASONED TRADESWOMEN.
SOUNDBITE (English) Zakiyyah Askia, apprentice plumber:
“People might say that it’s a man’s job because it’s dominated by men, because women has been frozen out of this industry for so long. And now that the opportunities are presenting themselves, then it’s time for us as women to seize this opportunity.”
THE TRADESWOMEN SAY THE MALE-ONLY CULTURE ON JOB SITES, OFTEN LACED WITH SEXUAL INNUENDO, IS CHANGING.
SOUNDBITE (English) Janna Rojas, 3rd year apprentice:
“Any comments that might have affected me before doesn’t now, you know, you grow a thick skin. It’s not a problem at all.”
ANOTHER CHANGE, JOBS SITES HAVE STARTED ACCOMMODATING THE NEEDS OF TRADESWOMEN.
SOUNDBITE (English) Kathleen Culhane, president N.E.W Nontraditional Employment for Women:
“Do they have access to restrooms? Do they have safety gear and clothing that fits them? And we’ve seen real progress in those areas and real work in our partnership with the apprenticeship programs and the unionized construction programs to ensure safety security and opportunity and real advancement for women in the trades.”
THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IS PREDICTING A 12-PERCENT GROWTH IN JOBS OVER THE NEXT SIX YEARS.
AND WOMEN PLAN TO BE PART OF THAT GROWTH, EQUIPPED WITH THE RIGHT TOOLS, AS IT HAPPENS.
JOSEPH FREDERICK, ASSOCIATED PRESS, NEW YORK
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