It is a pleasure to be able to participate in this dialogue on equity
issues
that females are facing today in the area of school to careers.
Currently, I work as the coordinator of Project ACE - Achieving Career
Equity in Nontraditional Occupations at Finger Lakes Community College.
This
program is funded through a Perkins III-VTEA grant.
The overall goal of this project is to provide a comprehensive experience
that supplements the academic curriculum with work-related activities that
lead to a high level of employability in nontraditional careers (those
career areas and occupations where individuals employed comprise 25% or
less
of one gender). My objectives focus on recruitment, retention and
successful employment of individuals who are pursuing skilled,
nontraditional careers. The focus is on:
*promoting increased enrollment in and completion of vocational
programs that are nontraditional
*developing a network of employers and role models to facilitate
increased job placement success
*providing individuals with strong experiences and an understanding
of all aspects of an industry
*link secondary career education and post-secondary
vocational/technical education
*provide services and activities that are of sufficient size, scope,
and quality to be effective (I'm still working on a way to measure this
one!)
Women's under-representation, particularly in the technical fields and
trades derives in part from attitudes and experiences formed by childhood
socialization, family and school influences, and employment practices that
encourage sex-segrated occupational activities.
With the development of equity organizations, education, and federal and
local resources, steps are being taken toward the goal of communication,
collaboration and equity in that we are:
*working to educate women in the diverse opportunities available to
them
*guiding them toward nontraditional, higher skilled, higher paying
careers, and
*opening new avenues of opportunity and independence for them in
order to assure that everyone is self-supporting, independent, and able to
reach their fullest potential
We all know and understand the monetary, social, and personal benefits to
females working in nontraditional occupations.
How can we continue pursuing the goal of communication, collaboration, and
equity while connecting our resources and providing awareness and
opportunity for females? And are awareness and opportunity enough?
Some of the avenues toward this goal that have been proposed include:
*Assure effective implementation of strategies for overcoming social,
education, and on-the-job barriers inhibiting entry of females into
nontraditional occupations (non-support or negative attitudes, lack of
confidence/expertise, discrimination, and sexual harassment)
*Continue to develop education/industry partnerships that foster
supportive female role models and mentors as well as opportunities to
develop career exploration, experience, confidence, and employment
opportunities
*Offer scholarships, awards, incentives, and financial assistance for
students pursuing NTOs
*Outreach and visibility - include representations of females in NTO
in all recruitment, promotional and marketing materials
*Open places of employment, education and community resources for
role models, mentors, site visits, job shadowing and guidance and support
in the choice of a nontraditional career.
The Project ACE acronym not only represents Achieving Career Equity in
nontraditional occupations, but also is intended to encourage those
involved in choosing nontraditional careers to: Access your potential,
Concentrate on your goals, and Explore your resources to overcome
obstacles.
I hope that putting forth these ideas today will generate a productive
dialogue on your thoughts and experiences in these areas and move us toward
a goal of communication and collaboration in an effort to address these and
other challenging issues facing young women today preparing to enter the
world of work.
Laura Ann Rakoczy
Project ACE - Achieving Career Equity in Nontraditional Occupations
Finger Lakes Community College
716-394-3500 ext. 7637
rakoczla@flcc.edu
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