More women seeking field service careers, honing skills through apprenticeships

Category: Electrical

One Arizona woman who works as an electrician recently told the Star Phoenix that she, like many other field service professionals, learned her craft through apprenticeships with seasoned electricians.

"I was very impacted by the electricians I worked with," Farrah Fox told the news source. "It's very hands-on training. There are only eight weeks a year in school training so you work very closely with other electricians and they are basically your teachers. I worked with some very good electricians and they helped me a lot and I learned a lot from them."

Fox's success as career electrician is part of a trend that has seen numerous women enter field service work in recent years.

Jenna Brochu, a welding inspector, says she was able to hone her skills through a trades course for women and by completing an apprenticeship program. Brochu tells the news source she thinks more men and women will pursue trade careers because the struggling economy has forced many individuals to look for high-paying and direct entry opportunities.

In Maine, Governor Paul LePage recently made the apprenticeship process more efficient, signing into law a new bill that will enable state electricians to supervise two apprentices instead of one, The Associated Press reported. The governor is introducing the bill to encourage young people to seek out field service careers.