BY: AMARA TENESSEE AND AKIL BEKTEMBA
(Black, Indigenous and People of Color) BIPOC women have historically held the position as the backbone of the U.S. workforce and the global family for centuries and are justified in demanding equal access to high-skill, high-wage careers, with opportunities for advancement.
As we delve into this subject more thoroughly, we must first recognize the contributions of BIPOC women in the workforce. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, “Among the largest racial and ethnic groups, Black women aged 16 and older had the highest national workforce participation rate in 2014 at 59.2 percent”. BIPOC women in every state in the US earn less than men and the gender earnings ratio vary a considerable amount. “The disparity ranges from 87.6 percent in New York, the best state, to 66.7 percent in Louisiana, the worst state.”
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that women’s increased labor force participation represents a significant change in the U.S. economy since 1950. In 2019, the unemployment rate for women was 3.6 percent, down 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier. The rate for men was 3.7 percent in 2019, also down 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier. Women’s unemployment rates varied considerably by race and ethnicity. In 2019, Asian women had the lowest rate (2.7 percent), followed by White women (3.2 percent). Unemployment rates for Hispanic or Latino women and Black or African American women were higher, at 4.7 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively. Men’s unemployment rates exhibit a similar pattern. The rates for Asian men (2.7 percent) and White men (3.3 percent) were below those for Hispanic men (4.0 percent) and Black men (6.6 percent).
Achieving equity involves recognizing the disparity in earnings and wages between men and women in the workforce. The discrepancy in earnings extends to a difference between racial identities and socioeconomic status as well.
Apprenticeship. Simply stated, create more opportunities for more BIPOC women to ensure equity in our workforce.
We’ve found that the most effective approaches to accessing careers in the most popular industry sectors are to:
- Connect directly with employers from industry sectors that offer long-term careers opportunities.
- Enroll in higher education or technical schools.
- Gain credentials through Registered Apprenticeship Programs.
We’re all witnessing the rapidly evolving workplace and how work is getting done. Apprenticeship is in step with these changes as it’s an innovative and effective workforce solution tailored to address the shortage of skilled workers in a variety of industries ranging from traditional careers like construction work and linemen to newer occupations in fields like data science and cybersecurity. Apprenticeships produce job opportunities as diverse as the women filling the positions.
How do we get there?
Registered Apprenticeship Programs: The National Center for Women’s Equity in Apprenticeship and Employment has created a list of ideas and resources to help support women’s retention, advancement in the trades, and leadership development.
- Increase the number of women in the nontraditional apprenticeship and employment workforce pipeline.
- Prepare skilled, qualified, and ready women to meet industry demand.
- Achieve updated Equal Employment Opportunity (29 CFR 30) requirements
Attain recruitment, retention, and advancement goals for women. - Increase leadership development and capacity-building of tradeswomen and tradeswomen networks as resources for local employers and registered apprenticeships.
The U.S has seen 70% growth in new apprentices since 2011; resulting in nearly 2 million apprentices. In the last five years, 350,000 participants have completed an apprenticeship program as a part of one of over 13,500 new apprenticeship programs (DOL RAP National Results Fiscal Year 2020).
Equity will not be achieved overnight or alone. In order to support equity in the establishment and expansion of registered apprenticeships contact our team to help you get started!
Women, The Future of Apprenticeships in a Remote-Learning Era (a success story):
Rosie is another fantastic example of the power of apprenticeships for young women. She says she pursued computing at school because “a guy said that because I’m a girl, I wouldn’t be able to do it.” Determined to prove him wrong she took the course and fell in love with programming. She was approached by Cisco at her school’s career fair to apply for an apprenticeship. She went on to become Cisco’s youngest employee globally and achieved a degree debt-free by the time she was 19. Rosie says that one of the biggest benefits of an apprenticeship is that she’s “always learning and building a network of people around me.” (https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/02/women-tech-science-apprenticeships-stem/)
Join us to create Equity in Apprenticeship:
Workforce Impact Network works with businesses, educational institutions, government agencies, re-entry programs, and a host of small and large minority serving community organizations. We are your doorway to the apprenticeship world.
Come check us out at: www.workforceimpactnetwork.com or www.vcgllcadvance.com
For more information on apprenticeship programs: https://discovernetamerica.com