As a part of the 3rd National Apprenticeship Week, Oregon Tradeswomen has named Thursday, November 16, 2017, Women in Apprenticeship Day, with support from Oregon Governor, Kate Brown, and Portland Mayor, Ted Wheeler, who signed proclamations dedicating November 16 for this purpose.
First created during President Obama’s administration in 2015, National Apprenticeship Week centers on a call to action to increase the use of Registered Apprenticeship to develop the nation’s trade workers and expand the talent pipeline available to U.S. industries.
Oregon Tradeswomen’s work has made Oregon a leading state for the inclusion of women in apprenticeships. Nationally, only 3.2 percent of all skilled trade apprentices are women. Oregon has double the national average inclusion rate at 6.9 percent female apprentices. The registered apprenticeship programs in the Portland metropolitan region, with which OTI partners, include nearly 10 percent women on average.
You can take part in Women in Apprenticeship day by spreading the word on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter on Thursday, November 16, 2017. For more information on how to spread the word, download the 2017 Women in Apprenticeship Day Social Media Guide. Here are a few ideas:
- Include a photo or a video of yourself on a job site or doing trades work
- Make a brief statement about your experience in apprenticeship
- Tag the Oregon Tradeswomen, Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association (OSEIA), Energy Trust of Oregon, and your employer so they can repost your message
- Use these hashtags to get the word out more broadly:
#Tradeswomen
#WomeninApprenticeship
#SolarJobs
#SolarEmpowersDiversity
#OregonSolar