With skilled employees retiring from 暖通空调 (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) and more 预计退休 over the next 10 years, employer demand for 暖通空调 skills remains strong and is growing. That’s in part because positions are going unfilled due to fewer people entering the trades but also because of the retirement tsunami. The only way to meet demand is to make these careers more welcoming to women. Right now, just 2% of 暖通空调 employees are female, according to the 劳工统计局. In 焊接, women fill 5% of the jobs.
But that doesn’t mean 暖通空调 or 焊接 careers aren’t for women. It may be challenging to enter a male-dominated industry, but women can succeed and even go on to lead. The US has a deep history of women in the skilled trades with 37%的劳动力 二战期间由女性组成. Now is a great time to embark on a skilled trade career.
不足为奇的是, women are drawn to careers in the trades because of the wages and job stability, 根据… 2021年的报告 by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR). But women struggle to learn about their options because guidance counselors and others don’t typically steer them towards these careers. For women who do enter the skilled trade fields, some face obstacles on the job. 这并不容易, but if you can cut through the stereotypes, 暖通空调 and 焊接 can be meaningful careers.
To find a skilled workforce, the 暖通空调 industry is recruiting and training women to meet that need. 暖通空调 companies are attending job fairs, creating recruitment drives and scholarships for women. Be on the look-out for these opportunities.
状态s are also recognizing the need to recruit into the trades and have created initiatives to attract young people. 在佛罗里达州，它被称为 Get T在这里: 佛罗里达’s Workforce Education Initiative, designed to raise awareness of career and technical training available to residents. 阿肯色州有一个 运动 to educate people about skilled workforce career options. Other states working to change perceptions of trade careers include 印第安纳州, 田纳西州, 南卡罗莱纳. Find out what your state offers and if t在这里 may be scholarships available for career training.
You can also explore professional organizations geared just for women. They offer professional support to women working in different trades. 妇女在制冷 provides mentorship and lists scholarships for students pursuing 暖通空调 training through a technical college or trade school. Women-only 焊接 organizations tend to be regional but check them out for inspiration: 拉丁焊接协会, 焊接的女人, 芝加哥商界女性.
If you’d like to learn more about 制冷 or 焊接 at Fortis, click 在这里 有关制冷的更多信息或 在这里 for information on our 焊接 program, or call 1-855-436-7847 to speak with an advisor today.