Kim Miller had worked at a Village Inn restaurant for 30 years and a few years ago, she decided she wanted something more out of her work life.
She enrolled in classes at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC) and graduated from the diesel technology program. Soon after that, she became an automotive technology instructor at the college.
When she told her restaurant customers about her new career path, Ms. Miller didn’t exactly get encouragement. “They told me that’s a man’s job. But I proved them wrong,” she added.
Now Ms. Miller and many others are offering encouragement and advice to women who want to get into careers in automotive technology, manufacturing, truck driving, welding, engineering technology and other positions that were once called “a man’s job.” Those careers are still largely male-dominated, but more women are entering those fields — and there’s room for a lot more women in those jobs, according to leaders at EICC.
Dynamic field with predicted growth
“Manufacturing is an incredibly dynamic field with numerous opportunities for growth and advancement. … We want to break the stereotypes and show that manufacturing is not only a viable career option for women, but also a rewarding one,” said Taylor Reth, EICC’s Advanced Manufacturing Program facilitator.
Ms. Reth, along with other EICC instructors, presented a “Women in Manufacturing” career exploration event on Wednesday, Aug. 7, to showcase manufacturing jobs and encourage more women to consider careers in the industry. The event, which attracted about 30 area women interested in the manufacturing careers, was held at the Blong Technology Center, 8500 Hillandale Road, Davenport. The day’s events showcased information on EICC classes that could help kickstart those new careers, and offered advice from those who have worked in manufacturing and those who teach the trades.
“For the longest time, we have been telling women they can do this work. … We want you. We need you, and you are capable. It’s not going to be easy work. It never is, but you can do it,” Liang Chee Wee, the college district’s interim chancellor, told the event’s participants.
Also, part of the encouragement centered on showing the projected growth of manufacturing industries. Some of that growth, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, includes:
There will be about 42,600 openings for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers each year in the coming decade.
About 241,200 openings for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are projected each year over the decade.
There will be a 7% growth rate for machinists through 2030.
Women can be and should be part of that growth. That’s the message from Shannon Ross, lead commercial driving (CDL) trainer at EICC. When Ms. Ross took the CDL course at the college several years ago, there were few women in the field. That is beginning to change.
“Even though there still aren’t many women in the field, there are more and more women getting into trucking all the time. … I’m seeing it,” she said.
One Quad Cities area woman thinking about starting a driving career is Asia Skriver. The Davenport woman was among those attending the recent Women in Manufacturing event, and said she showed up because she is interested in taking CDL classes to improve her life.
In an interview with the QCBJ, Ms. Skriver said she had a substance abuse problem, but is now about five months sober. As part of her personal comeback story, she has completed her high school equivalency and is now looking for a career.
“I’m really trying to figure out my next steps and the direction I want to take,” she said.
Other women exploring new careers at the Women in Manufacturing event had their own stories, interests and motivating factors for searching for new work.
Friends Martha Perez and Katherina Medina, both from Muscatine, Iowa, were there exploring some options so they might get better jobs with better pay.
“I’ve worked in a factory for 19 years. I’m just looking for a step up,” said Ms.
Medina.
Ms. Perez said her main goal for attending the event was to get information on various careers.
Others in attendance are just starting their work careers. One of those potentially eyeing a manufacturing career was Grace Friedrichsen, 17, who will be a senior this fall at Erie (Illinois) High School.
Ms. Friedrichsen listened to several educational presentations and got the chance to operate a welding simulator machine at the Blong Technology Center. She thinks welding might be her career after high school, but is leaving the door open to other interesting jobs.
“I want to make welding my passion. … But I also want to try new things. Life is too short not to try all these things they’ve been talking about,” she added.
