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Program:	Women Ventures Project	Initial Posting:	Feb 22, 2005
Agency:	Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County

Purpose

The Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County established the Women Ventures Project to provide low-income women with training and placement in non-traditional jobs.

Description

The Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County (CAB) developed the Women Ventures Project (WVP) to provide training and placement assistance to low-income women interested in non-traditional occupations (NTO’s) in the building trades, transportation, and public safety fields. The goal of WVP is to provide women with the information, skills, and support they need to enter into living wage jobs such as Carpenter, Electrician or Plumber, Driver or Heavy Equipment Operator, Security or Public Works, etc.

WVP is a 4-week pre-apprentice training program accompanied by intensive case management - sample class schedule. Program graduates may then move into apprenticeship positions, entry-level jobs, or further training (i.e. truck driver school). The program is targeted for unemployed, low-income women including welfare-to-work participants (approximately 75% lack prior related experience).

Program recruitment is developed through contacts with Dept. of Social Services Employment Specialists, mailings to TANF recipients, employment offices, programs serving women, media coverage, word of mouth, mothers/daughters/friends, and the women’s jail facility. WVP is funded through local government, private foundation grants and private donations.

There are five (5) components to WVP:

Orientation for Potential WVP Participants
- Introduction to NTO’s
- WVP Information – + and application process
Intake and Preliminary Individual Planning Session
- Income Eligibility and Documentation
- Family Development Matrix
- Assessment of Employment Barriers
- Organizational Skills
- Preliminary Goal Setting
Occupational Skills and Job Readiness Training (up to 10 applicants are enrolled in each session with 3-4 sessions held each year)
- Career Exploration
- Hands-On Technical Training based on the curriculum model developed by the STEP UP for Women Project of Vermont Works for Women and conducted under contract with a skilled tradesperson (also see Related Resources)
- Physical Conditioning
- Safety Training
- Math Skills (tutors assist if needed)
- Communication Skills
- Case Management and Individual Planning (goals, career ladders)
- Test and Interview Preparation
- Graduation and Certificate of Completion
Referral and Placement Assistance that could include:
- On-the-Job Training
- Union Apprenticeships
- Public & Private Employers
- Training Programs (i.e. Community College, ESL, GED, Other)
Retention
Follow-Up Case Management (quarterly and as needed)
On-Going Support Services (as needed)
Continuing Interface with Employer/Placement (as needed)

WVP staff includes a Program Director, Job Developer/Training Coordinator, part-time bilingual Case Manager, and Contract Trainers (e.g. allowing 6-hours per day that includes 2-hours for preparation and 4-hours in class). An Advisory Board meets quarterly to offer guidance on program operations and to promote community interaction with WVP.

Several organizations that provide information and materials related to NTO’s for women include:

Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) that works to achieve economic independence and equality of opportunity for women and girls (WOW has also developed the Six Strategies for Family Economic Self-Sufficiency initiative with specific information on self-sufficiency standards for most states)
Women in Nontraditional Occupations and Apprenticeships (WANTO) supporting technical assistance and development of resource materials that can be used to enhance opportunities for women in NTO’s
Work4Women that offers extensive information and tools on training for NTO’s and a resource clearinghouse
Tradeswomen, Inc. that promotes recruitment and retention of women in the trades and also has developed a list of links to other organizations with interests related to women in NTO’s

Outcomes

WVP has achieved the following results over the five-year period from 1999 – December 2004:

Total Graduates 127

Overall Initial Placement 73%

Non-Traditional (NTO) Placement 73%

Traditional (TO) Placement 27%

Add’l Education (inc. GED) 8%

Placement Wages

Avg. NTO Placement Wage $13.11

Avg. TO Placement Wage $9.64

Difference Bet. NTO/TO Wages 26%

Demographics

Mothers 71%

Single Mothers 88%

Welfare-to-Work 43%

No HS Diploma or GED 25%

Ex-Offender est. 33%

Average Age 35

Contact

Name:	Helen Ewan-Storey, Program Director - Women's Venture Project
Phone:	831.724.0206