• Posted: September 21, 2022
• Taylor Electric, Taylor Electric Cares

 

According to a 2021 Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, 9.5% of electrical contracting businesses are owned by women, 6.8% of electricians are Black, and only 2.4% of electrical workers are women.

In a field dominated by white workers, figures like these can make joining the unionized electrical industry intimidating for Black women — which is exactly why Taylor Electric Cares’ executive director Martha Taylor regularly invites minority women to learn from their peers through her contracting business.

“Today, we’re bringing 25 women from their pre-apprenticeship program to spend a day with an electrical contractor,” said Taylor. Through the Women Build Illinois program created and maintained by the Chicago Women In Trades (CWIT), contractors like Taylor are able to give hands-on training to women who might otherwise enter a job site without seeing an electrician who looks like them.

Throughout the program, students are taught about construction safety, blueprint reading and more in order to prepare for various types of field work. While the focus of the program is comparable to other courses in the electrical trades, many students appreciate that the Women Build Illinois program offers a learning environment that represents their unique position in the industry.

Vinkey LaJones, a student who participated in the program, was quick to agree. “Being here is so surreal,” she said. “It’s like, I’ve been to so many construction sites and unions, and I can’t take this skin off, so when people see me, I am who I am. And it can be intimidating when you don’t see people who look like you around. So being here is like I walked into my family home.”

“Coming here to Taylor Electric and spending a day with a contractor is important because representation matters,” said Taylor. “They get to see an African American contractor, a woman contractor, a minority contractor, and it’s nice to see that there’s a place for us in the industry.”