Women at Work

The smiles said it all. Ten newly-minted tradeswomen graduated last Friday night, proudly making up the first class of the reinstated Washington Area Women in the Trades (WAWIT) pre-apprenticeship training program. The low-income women -- many of whom are ex-offenders - all faced significant challenges finding jobs where they could earn living wages and benefits. Graduating on Friday were Angelia Bowen, Kathleen Bryant, Chasittie Burton, Lillian V. Campbell, Tamika Gueory, CeTenia Howard, Debre McCrea, Sharan Mitchell, and Antoinette Tunstall. The apprenticeship program helped them brush up on math and reading comprehension, learn about financial responsibility and work on their GED's. The students - two of whom had perfect attendance and one of whom bicycled from a halfway house in Alexandria every morning at 5A to catch the Metro to class - also worked daily on building upper body strength and learning computer skills. They spent four weeks at the Joint Carpentry Apprenticeship Committee School, where they earned certificates in scaffolding and completed the OSHA 10 training, and 3 weeks with the Sheet Metal Workers Local 100 Training Center, where they learned about blueprint reading, measuring and working with power tools and various metal products. The graduates will receive 18 months of post-graduation support including job search assistance, help getting into apprenticeship programs, assistance connecting with union-signatory employers, and mentoring.  A new class with 40 women begins June 18.Sarah Reynolds, one of few female mechanics at METRO, and a long time member of ATU 689, was the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony, which was attended by family and friends of the graduates, representatives of funders, and Jos Williams, Kathleen McKirchy and Jackie Barnes representing CSA. The WAWIT program is sponsored by the YWCA, Wider Opportunities for Women and the Community Services Agency of the Metro Washington AFL-CIO, and is funded by an array of sponsoring businesses and foundations. To contribute to the program, email kmckirch@dclaborarchives.org. Sharan Mitchell (left in photo) and Tamika Gueory, photo by Mina Ponchick