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Women’s Pathways to the Green Economy. CAMILLE CORMIER Wider Opportunities for Women September 13, 2010 ccormier@wowonline.org. The Boost From Construction Wages. Single mother with one preschooler needs $24,139 to make ends meet, WOW’s national median Self-Sufficiency Standard in 2007.
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Women’s Pathways to the Green Economy CAMILLE CORMIER Wider Opportunities for Women September 13, 2010 ccormier@wowonline.org
The Boost From Construction Wages • Single mother with one preschooler needs • $24,139 to make ends meet, WOW’s national median Self-Sufficiency Standard in 2007. • 60% of such women had income below the national median. • 2007 BLS average annual construction salaries: • Laborers -- $30,950 • HVAC - Refrigeration, Mechanics and Installers -- $40,630 • Insulation workers -- $41,480 • Plumbers, Pipefitters, Steamfitters -- $48, 442 • Electricians -- $48,100
WOW DC area construction training Washington Area Women in the Trades: 2007 – 2009 • WOW/YWCA/LOCAL AFL-CIO; basic pre-apprenticeship training Building Futures: 2009 – 2011 • WOW/Local AFL-CIO/Covenant House; co-ed; 6-wk basic pre-apprenticeship training; hourly training stipend pipeline to union RAPs, contractors • Same ARRA/DOT funding stream as DHS/USCG mega-project • Green job placements: summer school retrofitters; Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority • Fitness training, case management support to women
Building Futures Challenges • Economic Downturn – Many skilled workers “on the bench,” new job creation still lags • Not a Union Town – 20% of area contractors are union; • Disconnect among DC/Suburban Maryland and Virginia; • Disconnected workforce/economic development systems; • Uneven local compliance monitoring: First Source Local Hiring Stipulation, RAPs, PLAs, WIA Training Vendors • High entrance requirementsfor urban women: High school diploma/GED, strong math skills, drivers’ license, childcare
WOW/Building Futures Opportunities DC Green Building Act of 2006/Clean & Affordable Energy Act of 2008 • Requires environmental retrofits to all commercial/public buildings by December 2012 • LEED standards for new construction in 2008-2009 • Annual benchmarks of energy use posted online • Amends Green Bldg. Act, $4 Billion potential revenue for energy retrofits in certain major US metro areas; includes DC (Jigar Shah, Carbon War Room) DC to pilot Sustainable Energy Utility • (contractor/training provider hub for contracts, hiring, training and innovation green energy practices)
Best Practices in Green/NTO Training for Women Invest in Good Job Developers Offer Training Stipends Support Groups (“Saving Our Sisters”) Individual post-graduation mentoring Arrange “hands-on” green training • volunteer rehabs, internships, supported employment Green career education/exposure for women and girls • (WOW’s “Connections to Careers,” DCMASSC Calculator www.dcmassc.org – green careers under construction)