Adult Programs | NEW Pathways
In December, HHW offered the pilot of a new program, aptly named NEW (Nontraditional Employment for Women) Pathways program. NEW Pathways is a 40 hour, three week program with curriculum that focuses on high wage, high demand nontraditional occupation that show great prospects for hiring and nurturing a growing female workforce. The curriculum features in-depth informational sessions in the fields of construction, manufacturing, green jobs, and utilities. Participants have the chance to visit work sites and learn about tool and equipment safety.
Planning is currently under way for future session in 2010. Watch this website for more information about future NEW Pathways Orientations!
NEW Pathways Career Exploration Workshop Report
HHW successfully piloted a the NEW Pathways Career Exploration Workshop in December. The program's inaugural class consisted for 26 women who graduated from the program more informed and enthused about opportunities in non-traditional occupations (NTO's).
Our first session saw participants actively engaged in a range of "getting to know you" exercises, as well as discussions on national and local trends regarding women's participation in NTO's. We ended our first session on a tone that would color the entire workshop, as women were encouraged to express their career or workshop goals using crafts and construction paper. What we saw from this exercise is a group of women committed to improving not only their finances, but also their lives.
With this in mind, we successfully progressed through our construction session with a discussion from a panel populated by industry partners from RTA, Constructor's Employers Association and the Contractor's Assistance Association. The women were also excited and inspired by presentations from four amazing tradeswomen who shared their experiences and stories.
Similar formats dictated the programming of our green jobs, manufacturing and utilities sessions, with women hearing from industry partners representing Great Lakes Trucking, Alcoa, UAW, Lubrizol, Tri-C, HzW Environmental Consultants, MwH, USW/Blue-Green Alliance and Ohio Cooperative Solar.
The workshop also included two Saturday projects which women were encouraged to engage in active learning activities. On our first Saturday, women built toolboxes with the help of Rocky Hwasta, Kim Petro, Gail Olesky and Connie Kincaid. These four tradeswomen helped facilitate one of the most exciting session in NEW Pathways. As women left the session with smiling faces, many of them admitted that was the first time they had ever built something with their hands. The smiling faces were indeed a testament to the success of the day.
Our second hands-on activity was facilitated by two staff members of the Institute for Creative Leadership. Activities took place at the beautiful Canalway Center in the Ohio Erie Canal Reservation. The weather was perfect for outdoor team-building and conflict resolution exercises. Women were given scenarios for which team work was essential. Again, we saw growth and and surprise as the women realized what they were capable of as a team.
Both Saturday sessions were crucial pieces in our curriculum, as they combine two invaluable lessons for our participants- not only learning to work in a teams, but also recognizing their own potential in the workplace. The completion of the workshop was celebrated at a graduation ceremony, which took place at the Laborer's Local 310 union hall. Family, friends, and community partners were in attendance for a truly pleasant celebration.
As an organization, HHW can also celebrate the fact that 68% of the women assessed achieved a significant increase in self-esteem, and evaluations of the program were overwhelmingly positive with the only consistent complaint being that the participants wanted more sessions!
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