Has Nontraditional Training Worked for Women? Essay -- Women Workforce

Has Nontraditional Training Worked for Women? The Best of Intentions... In the 1970s, the imbalance in gender distribution across occupations came to be recognized as a socioeconomic problem, and federal legislation aimed at education, training, and employment began to address the issue over the next 2 decades. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Executive Order 11246 in 1978 prohibited discrimination by schools and contractors receiving federal funds. The Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act and its successive reauthorizations established state equity coordinators and set aside program funds specifically for gender equity and single parents/displaced homemakers (SP/DH). The Nontraditional Employment for Women Act of 1991 amended the Job Training Partnership Act to require employment goals for women in NTOs, and the 1992 Women in Apprenticeship Occupations and Nontraditional Occupations Act (WANTO) provided technical assistance to employers and unions for integrating women into NTOs. In 1994, the School-to-Work Opportunities Act was inte nded to increase opportunities for people to prepare for careers not traditional for their race, gender, or disability (Ohio State University 1996; Olson 1999; Wider Opportunities for Women 1993). Over the last 2 decades, have these combined efforts made a difference? According to the Department of Labor's most recent statistics (Women's Bureau 1998), a handful of NTOs are now 20-25% female, but many others remain at less than 10%, including firefighters (2.5%), heating/air conditioning mechanics (1.5%), and tool and die makers (0.2%). Despite the 1978 goal that the construction work force of 2000 would be one-quarter female, today's reality is about 2.7%, the same leve... ...Strategies for Increasing Women's Participation in Technical and Skilled Trades Training." [digital publication] Victoria, British Columbia: Pine Tree Publishing, 1995. <http://www.islandnet.com/~haturner/edtech/edtech1.htm> Wider Opportunities for Women. Training, Placing and Retaining Women in Nontraditional Jobs. Washington, DC: WOW, 1993. (ED 362 788) Women's Bureau. Women Workers: Outlook to 2005. Washington, DC: Women's Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, 1992. (ED 356 171) <www.all-biz.com/outlook.html> Women's Bureau. Nontraditional Occupations for Women in 1998. Washington, DC: Women's Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, 1998. <http://www.dol.gov/wb/public/wb_pubs/nontra98.htm> Zhao, P., and Fadale, L. New York State New Ventures Program Model. Albany: Two-Year College Development Center, State University of New York, 1996. (ED 404 467)