TRADES

FROM PAGE 20

“ at’s pretty much why I chose Emily Gri th. ey’re exible,” Peralta said.

She’s also looking into internships through Emily Gri th. Peralta hopes to be in a management position by age 40 “and to learn the eld the best I can.” e May 9 event included a panel of three women who work in trades — one from the automotive repair program, another from the welding program and the third is an apprenticeship instructor at Emily Gri th. ey discussed why they entered these mostly-male elds.

“Our panelists were just fabulous,” Chalecki said. “ ey spoke about their journeys, why they came into nontraditional trades, why women should come into these elds — and the audience reacted positively to this.” e event also included demo stations where attendees could learn more about industries that Emily Gri th students are studying, and students showed o what they learned from their classes.

Demo stations included water quality management, welding, and health sciences programs. One woman demonstrated how HVAC works. Auto repair students had an auto body repair simulator, and also demonstrated how to paint cars.

“We (still) have a ways to go get more women” in these elds, Chalecki said, adding that getting the message out that they have support is important.

But “more people in general are understanding the value of a trades education,” Chalecki said. “ at will mean that more women will arrive as well.”