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see /hear also:
radio documentary
program brochure
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BACKGROUND
The idea for a women in construction project on the Gulf Coast originated with Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW)--a national organization committed to increasing the number of women involved in nontraditional occupations and helping women attain economic self-sufficiency. WOW saw a unique opportunity on the MS Gulf Coast for low-income women to increase their earning potential by helping to meet the demand for skilled workers rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.
WOW identified Moore to tackle the challenge of developing construction training and associated social and workplace supports for women entering this nontraditional field. With a planning grant from Oxfam, MCH surveyed needs and resources, meeting with overwhelmingly positive responses to the project. A start-up grant from the Women's Fund in Jackson propelled the pilot training session in January 2008
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Now my kids can look
up to me and say
'mama did this!'
Monica Conelly, HBI
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TRAINING
Nationally, women represent only 4 percent of the building trade workforce,. So no one expected that it would be easy to incorporate women into the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast, .But the wave of female faces on Coast construction sites has opened the door for other women to enter the field.
MCH actively recruits participants for its WinC project. Construction training is provided through a partnership with the Hope Community Development Agency, a nonprofit that rebuilds homes in east Biloxi. Through this partnership, our students serve as construction workers for Hope and get on-the-job training ,while together they rebuild homes in the community!
WinC complements traditional training with stipends for child care and transportation; support groups; mentoring, resiliency coaching, job placement assistance, and supplemental classes designed to breach barriers that have historically prevented women from participating in construction trades
For more information, please contact
Julie Kuklinksi, Program Director
julie.womeninconstruction@gmail.com
tel: 228-228-297-0965
And see our program brochure for details..
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