Are you a woman or girl who wants to take your future career in an unusual-for-a-woman direction?
If so, you could probably use a little help.
Enter the YWCA of Greater Kansas City, which is working with the Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor to offer a free program to help women and middle school and older girls find their way into “nontraditional” careers. That’s all those jobs in which women make up 25 percent or less of the work force — chefs, dentists, truck drivers, engineers, carpenters and firefighters, to name just a few. These jobs often offer higher salaries and more opportunities for advancement than more traditional jobs for women such as child-care worker or cosmetologist.
The new program — called YWomen CAN (Career Action Network) — is just getting started, which presents a career-changing opportunity for those who jump in right away.
Program manager Cris Siebenlist is excited about the potential and eager to make connections for women across the metro. Since late last year, she has been rounding up mentors, e-mentors, employer sponsors and apprenticeship options.
Siebenlist has found many employers are interested in finding women who can do these jobs. For example, she said, consider that utilities and railroads have not had to recruit much for well-paid positions such as power line workers or train engineers. But now that baby boomers are retiring, jobs are opening up and must be filled.
“Why not with women?” she asks.
There’s a good reason why not — and it has nothing to do with discrimination.
“We don’t do a good job exposing girls to these jobs,” Siebenlist said. “Women don’t picture themselves in these careers.”
Working with a $6,500 grant, the retired educator hopes to change that in Kansas City.
Siebenlist next week will presents a workshop for women interested in exploring a wide range of nontraditional careers. Her goal is to tailor YWomen CAN to the needs of those who raise their hands and ask for help. Among the possibilities:
•Presentations from women in nontraditional careers.
•Tours of businesses hiring women in nontraditional jobs.
•Tours of training facilities.
•Job shadowing with women in nontraditional jobs.
•One-on-one mentoring.
•Information about community job fairs, career seminars and other programs.
•Referrals to agencies providing career counseling, training, apprenticeships and financial aid.
The workshop is scheduled for March 13, with sessions from 10 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 6 p.m., at the YWCA, 1017 N. Sixth St., Kansas City, Kan. To make a reservation, call Jennifer at 913-371-1105.
If you’re interested, don’t miss it. If you’re interested and can’t attend, call Jennifer anyway to get more information.
Women in management
New research from Hudson Critical Thinking points out some sobering statistics:
•77 percent of female middle managers aspire to senior-level positions in their companies, but fewer than a quarter ever achieve that goal.
•89 percent of women age 25-34 aspire to top positions in their companies, but these aspirations decline with age — 58 percent of women age 45-55 share the same goal.
•More than half of women age 25-34 believe they can achieve their career goals, a figure that drops to 35 percent for women age 45-54.
If you want to learn more, download Hudson’s three related white papers at us.hudson.com/node.asp?kwd=white-papers.
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