HARRISBURG, July 15 – State Reps. Jennifer O’Mara and Melissa Shusterman recently announced Apprentice Training for the Electrical Industry was awarded $394,383 for a program introducing young women to the electrical trade.
“More women are entering the electrical trade than ever before,” O’Mara said. “It can be a great career path, and I am pleased we were able to help secure this important funding. Having more women learn this important trade will help break down old, incorrect stereotypes.”
The program, “Rosie’s Girls,” is designed to familiarize young women with safety, tools, theoretical basics of electrical and telecommunications installation, and job site conditions, as well as an introduction to other career paths in the building and construction trades.
This is a partnership with ATEI and the public school districts in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties.
“This program is a great way to give the young women in Southeastern Pennsylvania hands-on training in a career field once dominated by men,” Shusterman said. “I applaud the effort by Apprentice Training for the Electrical Industry to recruit women into the trades workforce. I am happy to see the state invest in a program that will help give young women more professional opportunities.”
The grants, offered through the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s Apprenticeship and Training Office, are part of the PA statewide movement for accountability, readiness, and training — or PAsmart – framework, which was created in anticipation of increased employment opportunities within the building and construction trades as a result of the $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law by President Biden in November 2021.
