"some of the girls will see their interests and talents could be put to use in some of these careers . . . " - Carol Gibbons

why young women should consider careers in nontraditional trades

Carol Gibbons is no stranger to preparing young women for fields where they are underrepresented. As an assistant professor of mathematics at Salve Regina University for the past 19 years, she certainly knows her way around a classroom.

But lately she's expanded those skills beyond the classroom.

Gibbons recently came up with the idea to create a Girls Nontraditional Trades Forum that highlights skills and careers in trades like construction, electrical, roofing, masonry and carpentry.

A full day event held March 15, which the YWCA Northern Rhode Island and a number of other partners offered to middle school and high school girls throughout the state.

Gibbons said she got the idea for the forum after watching the movie "North Country." In the movie Charlize Theron's character becomes a coal miner to support her family and faces several obstacles, especially from male coworkers who don't want her there.

"I was just thinking about women who don't want or can't go to college," she said. "What opportunities exist for them? It's very hard in Rhode Island. A majority of women are poor . . . mainly because of the childcare situation and low paying jobs."

Gibbons identified skilled trades like construction as higher paying than traditional women-oriented professions and wondered why there wasn't more encouragement and recruitment of young women into those trades.

"I don't even think [young women] are aware of the opportunities that are there," she said, adding that representatives from several local unions provided information on apprenticeship programs at the forum.

In addition, attendees got to see women already in the trades, speak about their experiences, and they are not "big, burly muscular women," Gibbons said. "You don't need a lot of what you think of as super strength."

Trade jobs require skill – some technical skills, some math and measurement skills – and some level of physical fitness.

And contrary to the way the female coal miner was treated in "North Country" many of the women in today's trades said they've had positive experiences with male coworkers and lots of job satisfaction, Gibbons said.

In her own life, Gibbons said she's found a lot of job satisfaction as well. Though she is a teacher, a traditional profession for women, she teaches math, which is less dominated by women.

Gibbons has a bachelors in mathematics from Merrimack College and a masters and PhD in mathematics from the University of Rhode Island.

Part of what inspired her to pursue mathematics was the encouragement of her male teachers, she said, so Gibbons understands the power of encouragement from adult peers.

Big Sisters of Rhode Island participated in the forum, she said. Many brought their "little sisters" so they can see the kind of opportunities that exists.

Gibbons is also a mother of six children, five of which are girls. She said she's always encouraged them to pursue careers in any field they wanted.

At the end of the forum, Gibbons said, her hope is that "some of the girls will see their interests and talents could be put to use in some of these careers . . . that they see how they can go about preparing themselves."

Gibbons is also an appointee of the Rhode Island Commission on Women, which has the mission to advance women toward full equity and promote rights and opportunities for women across all arenas, including jobs, which Gibbons said is a huge inequitable area.

Appointed by Governor Donald L. Carcieri four years ago, Gibbons has been helping the commission work toward that goal.

The Rhode Island Commission on Women played a huge role in organizing the all-day forum for girls, she said.

The event's goal, to inspire and encourage girls to pursue a career in nontraditional trades, which pay more than retail, food service, etc. jobs and with more job satisfaction.

Natalie Myers is a reporter for MarketingSherpa in Warren, where she writes best practice case studies and how to's for marketers. She formerly worked at Providence Business News for two years where she covered small business and the creative economy. She has won two awards, one for a Small Business Journalist of the Year award from the local Small Business Administration, and the other a Michael P. Metcalf Media award for a series on Latino entrepreneurs.

photo of Myers by Reza Corinne Clifton

photo of Gibbons by Agapao Productions