Question for women out there: Are you looking for a job? Or a new career path?
We’ve got news for you: some industries, you may have never considered before are “HIRING”, and you’re exactly what they’re looking for. There’s even new recruiting campaigns to attract women to apply.
There may be no such thing as a “man’s world” for long!
Adrienne Donato is one ironworker who has made a successful career…for herself! She says she loves physical work.
You may find Donato 30 feet above the ground some days, welding and using a hand-held jack hammer. She even worked for the same company through two pregnancies.
Ironworkers are just one of many fields, now trying to recruit women. The industry just announced a new paid maternity benefit.
“They’re gonna make good money, but they’re gonna have great benefits to go along with it. So, they'll have that health insurance, and a pension plan,” said Vicki O’Leary, the District Representative Safety and Diversity for Ironworkers International.
And the trucking industry says there’s a shortage of drivers.
Driver Jodi Edwards and the “Women in Trucking Association” is trying to change that. They created a girl scout patch to show trucking isn’t just for men. And Edwards is now part of her company’s recruiting campaign.
“They are trying to tap what is potentially an untapped field of employees, and that's women. They can come and have a normal day job and they can go home at night,” she said.
The International Training Institute says the number of women in its sheet metal apprenticeship program has doubled in two years.
And the Automotive Women’s Alliance Foundation offers scholarships.
Why the push for women in these industries and companies?
“It’s good to be able to show that they have a diverse workforce whether that helps them to win business or show legitimacy in the markets that they're serving,” said Assistant Professor of Management, Beth K. Humberd, Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
She works at the Manning School of Business and is an associate at the school’s Center for Women & Work. Research shows gender diversity in the workplace can lead to higher profits and productivity.
Plus, Dr. Humberd says industries need to attract young people.
“We're seeing the retiring baby boomers that were perhaps a more prominent part of the work force in these trades, occupations, we're seeing them leaving that work force,” says Dr. Humberd.
Adrienne went to a four-year college and found, for her, “hands-on” was not working behind a desk. And she is now proud to lead the way for other women ironworkers.
“I like that it changes all the time. You're with different people all the time, so you know, you don't have that monotony of being in an office,” says Donato.
