Right or wrong, there are a lot of preconceived notions about “men’s work” and “women’s work.” There are still plenty of industries that are dominated by one gender or the other.
But if you’re qualified for the work, your sex, age, religion, etc. shouldn’t matter. That’s why we love to see our FastForward graduates going against the grain and diving into the fields THEY care about.
Our FastForward Career Coaches have seen plenty of our graduates take the road less traveled.
- Brooke Shehan from Dabney S. Lancaster Community College is seeing women buckling up to earn their CDL-As (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as referenced in this CNBC profile, women make up only 6.2 percent of the trucking industry). If you haven’t already, check out our video about Andrea, who earned her CDL-A through FastForward in 2016.
- Lisa, pictured above, is the only woman who has gone through the powerline worker training down at Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC). Pam Taylor with SVCC says Lisa is employed by Dominion Energy and that SVCC and local employers would love to see more women entering the field.
- In the Richmond area, LaToya Harvey-Harrington with Community College Workforce Alliance is seeing more women getting trained in manufacturing and welding careers (women represent just 29 percent of the workforce in this industry according to Census data).
- Our data shows that there are a number of career switchers in Hampton Roads. Alejandra Diaz-Rangel from Tidewater Community College is seeing both men and women entering the medical field with no previous healthcare experience.
- Matt Newman at Mountain Empire Community College has assisted senior citizens who were going through FastForward training – some had never completed high school or earned a GED. Newman believes that it’s never too late to start something new.
If you’re looking to take the leap and start a new career, learn more about advancing in your current field, or just doing something different in an effort to improve your work/life balance then reach out to your local FastForward Career Coach. They’ve seen it all, and you’ll be in good hands talking about your career goals.