CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Not only can they cook, they can swing a hammer and wire a house.
The ladies in the West Virginia Step-Up for Women program sold hot meals in downtown Charleston Friday. All the money goes toward funding the program that trains women to enter the construction field.
Becky Fowler, of Mammoth, is in the program. She said she was looking for a new life.
“I recently lost my job and I had no real skills to speak of other than office skills,” explained Fowler. “I did not want to work in an office setting ever again!”
That’s when she found out about Step-Up for Women. Now she has the skills to go out and find a job in construction.
Misty Mayville who heads the Step-Up program said the 11-week course can turn lives around by helping women start over.
“If she’s just tired of being in a dead end job, we’re going to bring her in and give her the skills that she needs to be able to get out there and try to earn for herself,” Mayville said.
The cost for the non-profit program? Not a penny. Fundraisers like the one Friday, plus money from state agencies and local businesses, pay for it all.
“We provide everything: tools, books, steel-toed boots. They get different licenses, different certifications,” Mayville said.
At the end of the training, they get something even more valuable — a foot in the door. Mayville never promises any of the women jobs, but she stresses they have the skills at their fingertips.
“What we’re looking for is to try and get them in the door so they can earn and learn at the same time,” Mayville said. “We have ladies that are in unions. We have ladies in commercial work, residential work. We have ladies trying to start their own businesses.”
Fowler says she feels prepared to go out and conquer the construction world. But if you know of any jobs….”I’m an electrician’s apprentice right now. So if anyone’s hiring, call me up!”
For more information on the program, log on to www.wvwomenwork.org.