Manuelita Ybarra, Program Analyst, WB, Region 10, OR State Commissioner, Labor and Industries, Brad Avakian, and Oregon Women in the Trades Director, Connie Ashbrook.

Women’s Bureau, Region 10, participated in the 2009 Women in Trades Career Fair in Portland, OR, on May 14 - 16. This year’s theme - GOING GREEN! The Fair showcased how industries are contributing to the fight against global warming with efforts to save the environment through green building, clean energy, energy efficiency and alternative energy.

It was organized so that 1,200 middle and high schools students and their teachers could get hands on experience with the tools of the various trades and ask questions of union members and employers about each of the trades demonstrated at the event. There were waiting lines to climb poles and to ride up to the top of poles in an electrical-type buckets where they could have a good view as electrical workers have when they work on constructing or repairing electrical wires. On Saturday, Careers for Women Day was attended by 500 women and their families.

On Saturday, there was a Father and Daughter Breakfast program where fathers and daughters shared stories of both being in the trades’ careers. Brad Avakian, Oregon State Commissioner for the Bureau of Labor and Industries, spoke about his father’s and grandfather’s work experience in construction. It was a touching experience for all in attendance.

Commissioner Avakian commended Connie Ashbrook, Director of Oregon Women in Trades, Inc., for her years of hard work in organizing, introducing, and training women in the building and skilled trades in Oregon. She has garnered the respect of the unions and employers alike in the Portland area. The Women’s Bureau is proud of being a supporter of Oregon Women in the Trades from its inception; they are a recipient of a joint Women’s Bureau and the Employment and Training Administration’s Women in Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Occupations’ grant.