Oregon Tradeswomen Inc.

I have mixed feelings about this place. I took the course because I had recently moved to Portland, Oregon so I was temporarily unemployed and wanted to see what opportunities were available to me.
Pros:
— It’s FREE! You just have to turn in the application with transcripts, letters of recommendation, and go through a short interview process.
— It exposes women to different trades with hands on experience and field trips. I got to try a MIG welder, use construction tools such as circular saw, jig saw, etc, pour concrete, climb an electrical pole, and many other things!
— Dawn and Amy are great! They are very knowledgeable and friendly. I got to meet some inspiring women and I made some good friends. The Lineworker who came and spoke to us was so inspiring. She was smart, womanly, and a badass!
— Projects you work on help the community. I helped assemble a jungle gym for a women’s shelter and helped build information signs for a community garden.
Cons:
–For a place that is «all about women» and «empowerment of women», I did not like some of the derogatory remarks I experienced. The word «girly» was thrown around like it was a negative thing. Since when did «being a girl» become so negative? Just because I wear makeup doesn’t mean I can’t use a power drill! I understand that as a woman in the «construction industry» you constantly have to prove yourself to men that you are capable of doing the job, but if you change who you are as a woman, you are just adding to the stereotypes that you have to be «masculine» to make it in the trades! Also, when filling out the forms, they said my boyfriend’s income didn’t count because he was «just a boyfriend». Like if he was just «some guy» and I was just a «floozy» living with some dude. At the time, we had been together for 6 years, me met in college! We have now been together for 8 years and we are now engaged! The old fashioned attitude of needing to be married for a relationship to be serious, is disgusting and sad. How can you «empower women» when you make these kind of remarks?!
–During our field trips, I met a woman at one of the sites who was very interested in giving me a job. She had an opening for an environmental position, and with my BS in Biology and the trades experience I was receiving, she said I was a good fit. We had been emailing each other, I sent her my resume, cover letter, and references. As soon as our field trip leader from Oregon Tradeswomen found out, she ruined it for me! This woman from Oregon Tradeswomen knew nothing about me or my work history! Who knows what in the world this idiot woman said about me, but they were no longer interested! Funny how that happened.
— Oregon Tradeswomen keeps track of you after you have finished the program, you get a call 6 months after, and then once a year after that I believe for 3 years, I am not exactly sure how long. I recently had an email from them checking up on me, and it has been about 2 years since I did the program. I received my first call about 6 months after the program, asking me if I was employed, if it was a trades job, and how much money was I making. After I gave them this info, I had a call the next day asking me for money to donate to them since they knew my income! Talk about tacky!
Overall, I did not go into the trades, I ended up working as an Account Analyst for a healthcare company. I am glad I got the experience. I really can’t complain too much because it was free, and since it is free, you will just have to take the good with the bad and make the most of your experience. Good luck!