Women Who Weld®: Lighting the Way Out of Poverty
This Detroit-based nonprofit organization is teaching in-need women how to weld and find employment By Katie Pacheco, associate editor of the Welding Journal. Reprinted with permission: The AWS Welding Journal. Once described as the poorest major city in the United States, Detroit, Mich., is home to more than 200,000 people living below the poverty line (Refs. 1, 2). According to the Detroit Free Press, it currently ranks number five in a study of impoverished communities (Ref. 3). Contributing to the poverty crisis is the city’s high unemployment rate. Despite its gaunt financial health, and the decline of its automotive industry, the Motor City still enjoys a burgeoning manufacturing industry, with more than 6200 skilled trade jobs expected to be available each year through 2022 (Ref. 4). However, in spite of growing job opportunities, many Detroiters don’t have the skill set required to secure those jobs. One organization is stepping up to the plate by tackling both the poverty crisis and the skills shortage: Women Who Weld®. Women Who Weld is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that teaches women sought-after welding skills and helps them attain gainful employment in the industry. “The automotive, aerospace, defense, energy, construction, and transportation industries still have a major presence in and around Detroit, and they have a dire need for welders,” explained Samantha Farr, Women Who Weld founder and lead instructor. “It is therefore extremely important to train women to weld and become a part of the industrial workforce, otherwise women will miss out on well-paying opportunities.” The following details how this Detroit-based organization is using welding to lead women out of poverty and bolster the welding industry. Providing Training Options for Diverse Needs Women Who Weld knows that not all women have the same needs. To meet the varied financial demands and professional goals of its diverse population, Women Who Weld offers three training modes: the six-week course, the week-long class, and the single-day workshop. Six-Week Intensive Training Course The six-week option offers a subsidized training program for unemployed or underemployed women from 18 to 40 years of age to help them establish a career in welding and advanced manufacturing, free of charge. “The majority of the participants in the subsidized training program are single mothers in their twenties who reside in Detroit — some in temporary shelters — and have difficulty finding or maintaining part-time employment and rely on public assistance,” said Farr. “Some were formally incarcerated and have few family or friends to turn to for guidance.”
Offered once a year, this course is funded entirely through donations and grants, and requires participants to undergo a two-part interview process to determine their dedication to pursing a career in welding. With a maximum capacity of ten participants, the program provides hands-on training in gas metal arc welding, which is a high-demand process in Detroit. So they’re ready for entry- or intermediate-level jobs, the women are further instructed on how to weld different metals in various positions; operate multiple metalworking tools and machines; read blueprints; and use angle finders and measuring tapes. The women are also taught safety and welding terminology, as well as the makeup and properties of different metals, materials, and gases.
To help graduates lead successful professional and financial lives, students are offered résumé and interview preparation, financial literacy and home-buying workshops, tours of off-site production facilities, and opportunities to meet hiring employers. In some cases, food, transportation, and child care have been provided to eliminate barriers to success.
Week-Long Intensive Training Class
The week-long option is a low-cost training class for any-aged woman interested in learning how to perform gas metal, gas tungsten, and shielded metal arc welding. According to Farr, this class mostly serves underemployed women who possess the means to pay for training. Held throughout the year, it has a maximum capacity of six participants. Like the six-week course, the week-long class also provides résumé and interview preparation to facilitate students’ transition into full-time jobs.
Single-Day Introductory Workshop
The single-day workshops provide basic training in gas metal arc welding for 15 participants while informing them about opportunities in the industry. Primarily held in Michigan, the single-day workshops have also been offered in other states, and recently in southern California, with great success.
“The workshops are always really fun and filled with a mix of women who hold different occupations, such as architects, waitresses, teachers, students, doctors, artists, engineers, retirees, etc.,” said Farr.
Funds from both the week-long classes and the single-day workshops are used to subsidize the cost of the six-week training course.
Unveiling New Possibilities
Those involved with Women Who Weld report that the organization helps unfold a new life.
Ashley Manska was “unhappy” before learning to weld. As a bartender, she wasn’t making ends meet and felt dissatisfied, but she didn’t know how to change her situation. Although there are welders in her family, she hadn’t considered it as a career path until a customer showed her a Women Who Weld news clipping.
“A lot of people from my generation were told to go straight to college and not get their hands dirty,” explained Manska.
Manska completed the course in July 2017, and describes having a proud sense of accomplishment as well as a positive outlook for the future.
“I never graduated from anything before. I felt like I was starting a brand-new life, and I had a lot more confidence,” she said. “I was in the program with a lot of women from the shelter, and we were in a bad place in life. Samantha gave us the opportunity to turn our lives around and change all aspects of our lives; it wasn’t just a new career.”
Today, Manska is a welder for W International, Madison Heights, Mich., a full-service manufacturer of large complex metal fabrications to serve the aerospace, automotive, commercial, defense, and energy markets. She’s excited about new endeavors, and recently became certified to weld government projects.
“Before I was living paycheck to paycheck, and now things are better,” she said. “I love what I do, and it makes me happy.”
Former Women Who Weld coinstructor Tylah Fortson also describes seizing new opportunities after working with the organization for three months in 2017. As a coinstructor, she expanded her knowledge base and experience by performing a range of tasks she had never done before, such as helping to secure donations; scouting different manufacturing businesses and welding jobs in the area; working with Farr to create a class syllabus, daily schedules, blueprints, and practical and written tests; training participants how to prep their workpieces using various tools; conducting lectures; and fostering a team-oriented workspace.
“It gave me the opportunity to learn, not just how to teach, but how to combat the participant’s negative perception of welding,” she said. “I have a better understanding of how to talk to women to help them overcome their fears of the machinery and the space, and just give it a try.”
Fortson is currently pursuing a bachelor’s in welding engineering at The Ohio State University. She is also an intern for General Electric’s aviation division in Cincinnati, Ohio. She credits her time with the organization for giving her an academic advantage.
“My experience with Women Who Weld helped me land the internship, and it’s helping me while I’m there as well,” Fortson said.
Spurring life-changing opportunities is what motivates Farr to reach more women and continue to grow the organization.
“Every time I receive a text, email, or phone call from a graduate telling me they’ve been promoted or have become certified in a new position, or that they credit Women Who Weld with saving their lives, it makes me smile,” said Farr. “Knowing that all these women have this skill, a job they enjoy going to every day, and confidence in their ability to positively impact their career path makes it all worth it.”
Building a Strong Workforce
Graduates of the six-week course and the week-long class receive a certification of completion to share with hiring companies. According to Farr, these graduates possess the skills required by industry to fulfill full-time or apprenticeship positions right away. To date, the organization has trained more than 100 women through a combination of its three training models, of whom 15 completed its intensive training programs and obtained full-time jobs in the industry.
“Women Who Weld has a 100% program completion rate and a 100% program-to-employment rate,” said Farr. “All graduates of the six-week and week-long intensive training programs in 2017 obtained full-time jobs as a welder within several weeks of completing the program.”
She states that the average starting salary for its graduates is $15 an hour, with many promoted to more than $20 an hour within the first year.
Producing female welders doesn’t just benefit the individual, it also bolsters the industry, which predicts that thousands of welding jobs will remain unfilled due to a shortage in skilled workers.
“It was looked down upon to get into the skilled trades, and now there’s no one to fill these empty spots, so there’s a lot of openings,” said Manska.
The shortage in welders hurts the profit margins of local businesses that risk losing contracts due to slow outputs. This problem can encourage businesses to leave Detroit.
“I want to see talent flourish in Detroit and for it to remain competitive and retain businesses and jobs for its residents,” said Farr. “The women occupying these positions have helped these businesses improve their output, diversify their workforce, and develop a culture and environment that is inviting to women and men alike.”
Due to the high quality of welders the program has produced, hiring employers and recruiters often contact the organization when they have open positions to fill.
Creating a Support Network
Graduates of the six-week course leave the program with a strong support system ready to guide them as they traverse the unfamiliar terrain of the welding workplace. When advice is needed or questions arise, Farr is only a call away.
“These women are entering a male-dominated industry, and it can be intimidating to some,” said Farr. “They know they can reach out to me any time to discuss issues they might be facing on the job.”
Graduates also have each other. According to Manska, a special bond is formed between the women who complete the six-week course.
“We were really tight afterward, and I still keep in contact with most of them,” she said. “It’s really comforting because in this industry you can struggle with being a woman in the field, and it’s nice being able to call a classmate and talk about that experience and know that they understand.”
To show her support of the program’s future students, Manska returned to Women Who Weld for one day to offer advice.
“It’s motivational for women to meet other women who are in the field, so I wanted to talk to them and give them pointers,” she said.
Growing to Expand its Reach
There are several changes on the horizon for Women Who Weld. Soon, the organization will be opening its own training facility in Detroit. Currently, it operates remotely in private businesses, community colleges, and maker spaces. According to Farr, having a dedicated space will make it easier for participants who rely on public transportation to attend. The facility will be equipped with welding machines donated by Fronius.
In the future, Farr plans to offer more classes and workshops in cities across the country, expand its six-week subsidized course to twice annually, and hire another instructor to meet the growing demand. These plans will “help more women break out of their cycle of poverty and achieve economic security through a career in welding,” explained Farr.
The organization expects to train nearly 300 women in 2018 and beyond. However, to accomplish its aim and further its reach, the organization also hopes to secure more donations.
According to Farr, it costs the organization $6000 per person to run the six-week subsidized course, which amounts to $60,000 for a full class of ten students.
“The cost per student covers all pre- and postoperations, ongoing supportive services, and costs associated with welding equipment, consumables, electricity, gas, materials, and PPE [personal protective equipment],” said Farr.
She also hopes to secure donations in the form of welding tables, helmets, screens, metalworking tools, welding wire, and welding materials.
“A donation of funds or supplies will enable Women Who Weld to continue our welding training programs, as well as grow and scale our operations to reach and train more women to weld and obtain living-wage jobs in our industry,” explained Farr.
To help women feel more comfortable working in the welding industry, Farr also dreams of playing a role in the design of welding jackets and gloves that better fit women’s bodies.
Conclusion
For many women in Detroit, Mich., hope comes in the shape of a welding torch. Through its three training modes, Women Who Weld is creating future generations of female welders and empowering them with skills that lead to good-paying jobs, thus helping them to escape poverty. In a world where thousands of high-paying welding jobs are going unfilled, it’s important to provide women opportunities to end their poverty and the welder shortage.
For more information about Women Who Weld, visit its website at womenwhoweld.org or contact Samantha Farr at info@womenwhoweld.org. To see what the organization is up to, follow it on Instagram.
References
- Bouffard, Karen. 2015. Census bureau: Detroit is poorest big city in U.S. detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/09/16/census-us-uninsured-drops-income-stagnates/32499231/.
- Census Reporter. censusreporter. org/ profiles/16000US2622000-detroit-mi/.
- Witsil, Frank. 2018. Metro Detroit’s poverty gets worse despite city’s comeback. freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2018/04/26/detroit-poverty-getting-worse/553439002/.
- Anders, Melissa. 2017. Help wanted: Closing Michigan’s skilled trades gap. detroitchamber.com/help-wanted-closing-michigans-skilled-trades-gap/.
