More Women in Talent Pipeline for a Busy Decade of Greater Cleveland Construction Projects
It’s a great time to have an interest in the construction trades. Recent news reporting in Northeast Ohio is identifying plenty of opportunities. News 5 Anchor Katie Ussin reported on how Canton City Schools is exposing female students to male-dominated careers like construction. Now, she’s meeting the women in Greater Cleveland who are already hard at work.
Nineteen-year-old Lauren Johnson is a second-year apprentice through Pipefitters Local 120. She loves it. “I’m learning things left and right,” she said.
While it’s not easy work, it is worth it. “At one job we’re welding on a roof so that’s pretty darn cold all the time," Johnson said. "And then at my other job, I’m in a boiler room piping boilers so, that’s pretty warm!”
Tuition for this 5-year apprenticeship is free, paid through the union’s training fund. Johnson will graduate as a Journey Level Pipefitter at 23, with no student loan debt. And she gets to earn while she learns. Right now, she makes $23 per hour. And when she graduates? “Right now, they’re at about $45…But I’m sure it’ll increase as time goes on,” she told Katie. “Good pay, good benefits, love it!”