- Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development continues to highlight great examples across the Commonwealth that provide meaningful career pathways that encourage and empower women in today’s labor market. Among many highlights includes the success of Minuteman Technical Institute’s Pre-apprenticeship Carpentry Program. In collaboration with the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, MassHire (Metro North, South/West, and Central Career Centers) and funding awarded by Commonwealth Corporation, this pre-apprenticeship program was made possible through the Career Technical Initiative (CTI), a state program that seeks to address the persistent need for skilled labor in construction, trades, and manufacturing while placing jobseekers of all kinds set on a path for a career that will offer them a stable living wage with room to grow.
In celebration of Women’s History Month 2023, we gladly lift up a story first shared by Minuteman Technical Institute last year - after their second pre-apprenticeship graduation. We hope sharing this story encourages more women to pursue careers in the trades.
Some highlights:
- There is tremendous opportunity to increase diversity in the trades including greater representation among women and people of color.
- In 2021, the industry was represented by fewer than 11 percent female workers.
- Of the ten participants in the Minuteman Technical Institute cohort nine were women who completed a 15-week carpentry program for adult students in Minuteman Technical Institute, the adult learning division of Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School.
While the Career Technical Institute was such a new program not just for Minuteman but statewide, the impact was significant for these adult learners. To commemorate their program completion, each student signed symbolic letters of commitment to work in the carpentry and construction trades, creating a pipeline for future workers in the trades.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month in 2023, the Career Technical Initiative has awarded $16.5 million across 25 Career Technical Institutes statewide for training 800 unemployed and underemployed participants including many women as represented in Minuteman Technical Institute’s 2022 cohort. Recognizing the early success of this initiative, the Healey-Driscoll Administration proposed $17.9 million in the H1 budget proposal—a line item that is complemented by federal ARPA dollars dedicated to expanding career pathways via Career Technical Institutes.
Nearly two years ago, Isylah Haynes of Milton signed her certificate of commitment with her daughter and son, Ani and Kaii, twins age 11, and partner, Deric Quest, by her side, along with the support of her three other children, Raheed, 16, Najee, 26, and Kaysean, 28.
Upon reaching this milestone, Haynes shared that she “felt honored,” “strong,” and “truly empowered.” She further stated, “As a Black woman in this brand-new world of opportunity and financial freedom, I sat proudly amongst my sisters in the trades – my graduating classmates – and my hugely supportive family.”
In addition to Haynes, other students from this inaugural cohort included:
- Katus Brown of Medway, who has accepted employment with Retail Construction Specialties (RCS).
- Kim Cooper of Dorchester, who has accepted employment with Sweeney Drywall Finishes
- Christine Dunbar of Lowell, who has accepted employment with OWI Contractors
- Sophia Garcia of Dorchester, who has accepted employment with Chandler Architectural Products
- Janelle Marsh of Malden, who has accepted employment with Finish Installations of New England
- Kelly Monteiro of Randolph, who has accepted employment with Performance Contracting, Inc. (PCI)
- Alana Parkinson of Dorchester, who has accepted employment with FINE Install
- Kayla Raposo of Woburn, who has accepted employment with Sweeney Drywall Finishes
- Zherine Riley of Taunton, who has accepted employment with Central Ceilings
We need to advance more diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts as we scale and grow quality job training in regions across the Commonwealth. Thank you to the North Atlantic States Carpenters Training Fund, which helped these adult learners earn five industry-recognized credentials, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Construction Safety credential. Minuteman works closely with and uses instructors from the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, which is based in Dorchester, and several local business partners, including Central Ceilings, Chandler Architectural Products, FINE: Finish Installation of New England, Gold Guard Installations, OWI Contractors, RCS, PCI, Sunrise Erectors, Sweeney Drywall Finishes Corporation, and T.J. McCartney Construction.
Opportunities like Minuteman’s Carpentry Pre-Apprenticeship Program exemplify what career and technical education can do when paired with meaningful community partnerships. In addition to programs like Career Technical Initiative, our Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS) is also committed to advancing equity in the workforce in Registered Apprenticeship—another creative tool in the toolbox to create meaningful career pathways that combines technical training, on-the-job training, supervision and mentorship, with good wages and benefits. In the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s proposed H1 budget, Governor Healey proposes a 400% increase in registered apprenticeship to drive program delivery with a lens on affordability, equity, and competitiveness.
As the Administration celebrates career opportunities and success stories like Isylah Haynes, we hope future investments in workforce training will open more doors and create greater paths for employment especially for women to help attract more women back in the labor market.
Interested in learning more about Minuteman’s Pre-apprenticeship Carpentry Program? For more information, visit their website or call 781-861-7151. MassHire can also work with you! Check out mass.gov/futureskills for resources available to jobseekers, employers, training providers, and more.
Courtesy: Minuteman Technical Institute - Several Women Complete Build It! Carpentry Program
