Training in the trades

Education programs support women pursuing welding, aviation, fire fighting and more

By Kathleen Murphy

Across the nation, companies that hire trade workers are experiencing trouble finding qualified workers. The Northland is not immune to this trend. With several large projects on the books, such the “can of worms” reconstruction and the expansion of both Essentia and St. Luke’s health facilities, the lack of workers is projected to be an issue.

Yet these skilled trade jobs have traditionally been overlooked by half the population. Less than 5% of skilled trade jobs are occupied by women.

“There has never been a better time for women to enter the profession,” said Lyndsay Barrett, a welder at Altec. Barrett went through the welding program offered at Lake Superior College and found a job immediately upon graduating. But she does remember how intimidating it felt to enter the classroom for the first time. “People were so shocked when I told them I was going into welding,” Barrett said. “I wasn’t sure what to expect because I knew the field was mostly men.”

It occurred to Barrett that women weren’t entering the field because of that uncertainty, and she wanted to do something about it. Three years ago, she taught the first “Fired Up For Welding” class at Denfeld, an afterschool event for girls. Her goal was to spend eight weeks showing girls some of the basics of the trade in a nonintimidating environment. At the end of the program, the high school girls could attend a ceremony where they were awarded their welding jacket, hood, and welpers — a type of plier used by welders.

The first year, Barrett had three participants. In 2018, she had 11. The growth is exciting for Barrett, but it means she could use an extra pair of experienced hands. “Welding is fun,” said Lily O’hara, Barrett’s stepdaughter and new trainee to be a student teacher and mentor in the program. “Even if I end up working another job, I think this is a great skill to have. Girls shouldn’t be afraid to try it.”

Abbigayle Lindberg, a senior at East High School, took welding classes as a PSEO student at Lake Superior College. “Fired Up For Welding gave me such a valuable experience,” she said. “I could try different forms of welding and get exposure, so by the time I was able to enter classes at LSC, I knew what I wanted to do for a career.”

Barrett’s efforts are appreciated in the community. Deanna Oswald, who works in human resources at Altec, a company that provides products and services to the electric utility and contractor markets, admires the work done to encourage more women to enter skilled trade programs. “Lyndsay (Barrett) has been great in bridging the gender gap,” Oswald said. “Like most industries, we are always striving to increase our diversity.”

Women who are interested in either welding or another trade job have several options open to them at Lake Superior College and other local community colleges. The LSC Downtown Center hosted a career night this past spring for their integrated manufacturing career programs, such as machinists, welders and CAD designers. Oswald was present at the career night, representing Altec. “I am definitely noticing more women at these events, which is great.”

Nicole Okstad, an integrated manufacturing assistant at LSC, notices a definite trend in industries looking to diversify and wants to see more women take advantage of this trend. “It can still be intimidating for women to go into some of these fields,” Okstad said, “but I want women to know that the mindset is changing, so it’s a good time for women to consider these career paths.”

Okstad goes into area high schools to discuss the trade programs available at LSC. She has found that female students rarely show as much initial interest as their male counterparts, but once they are able to access the same one-to-one time, that can change.

To help students obtain that time, she points interested high school and middle school students towards summer camps at LSC that allow participants to try out the fields they find interesting. Most are co-ed, such as Scrubs Camp (health-care oriented), GenCyber camp (computers), and Firefighting Academy, but they hold a Women in Aviation Academy for young women who want to find out more about the field of aviation — another traditionally male-dominated field.

Women are underrepresented in several other skilled trades jobs as well, such as electricians, plumbers, carpentry and mechanics. All of these trades have training programs in the Twin Ports area. Program lengths vary, from short, 14-credit certificate programs that can get graduates in the door at a company, to full two-year training programs that earn an associate’s degree in addition to the skilled training.

Even if a high school student has a goal of earning a fouryear degree, they shouldn’t discount the trades programs, said Abbigayle Lindberg. She recommends finding out what these careers entail, such as with Fired Up For Welding or one of the summer LSC camps, then completing a program at one of the local community colleges. “Think of how much pressure would be taken off if you could be earning a good wage while going to college.”

With the strong jobs outlook in Duluth, and companies that are eager to hire a more diverse workforce, there might never be a better time for women to break into the trade fields. D