[MCN] YWCA GRIT Program hosts trades exploration workshop

[Becky Margolis]

By 2024, employers will need to fill more than 2 million middle-skill jobs-those requiring more than a high school diploma but less than a bachelor's degree-- in advanced manufacturing, information technology, and transportation, distribution and logistics. Good middle-skill jobs can offer employment with sustainable income, but the vast majority of these jobs are occupied by men. The YWCA GRIT Program aims to change this. GRIT empowers women and non-binary and gender diverse individuals to explore a potential career in trade and skill-related fields, from which they are often excluded.

GRIT is excited to partner with Missoula College Department of Industrial Technology and Career Training Institute in Helena to host an Exploratory Skilled Trades Workshop, open to women and non-binary and gender-diverse people who are aged 14+, including adults. The workshop will be held on Friday, February 8th, 8:30 AM- 2:30 PM, at Missoula College's West Campus (2795 37th Ave).  The workshop is free but registration is required<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdrmawuh46yvTA1vQgTR2UKHZBGdZbAj9u-dhAsvx_f5xqdgg/viewform>. Free lunch will also be provided.

The event will begin with a panel of trade representatives who will speak about different trades and the avenues to entering each respective workforce. We will also hear from female panelists who will speak on their experience in these male-dominated fields. From there, participants will break into groups and rotate through five hands-on exploratory stations: welding, construction, diesel technology, machining, and HEO (heavy equipment operation). Each station will involve a description of what working in the field is like, the opportunity to get a few minutes of hands-on experience, and the chance to talk to a professional in that field. Employers and representatives from all the skilled trades will be present to talk about career opportunities.

This workshop is funded through a "Women in Apprenticeships and Non-Traditional Occupations" (WANTO) grant from Career Training Institute, as well as support from the Women's Foundation of Montana, Charlotte Martin Foundation, Cadeau Foundation, Arbonne Charitable Foundation, and local businesses.

For more information on the upcoming workshop or other GRIT programs, contact Sam Duncan at YWCA Missoula at 543-6691 or sduncan at ywcaofmissoula.org<mailto:sduncan at ywcaofmissoula.org>.



Becky Margolis
Communications Coordinator
(pronouns: she/her/hers)
YWCA Missoula
1130 W. Broadway
Missoula, MT 59802
P: (406) 543-6691  F: (406) 543-6777
ywcaofmissoula.org

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