Chesco & Delco Lawmakers Back Funding Women’s Electronic Training

HARRISBURG, PA — State Reps. Jennifer O’Mara and Melissa Shusterman today announced Apprentice Training for the Electrical Industry was awarded $394,383 for a program introducing young women to the electrical trade.

The program provides electical training for women in the public-school districts in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.

“This program is a great way to give the young women in Southeastern Pennsylvania hands-on training in a career field once dominated by men,” said Shusterman, a Chester County Democrat.

“I applaud the effort by Apprentice Training for the Electrical Industry to recruit women into the trades workforce,” Shusterman continued. “I am happy to see the state invest in a program that will help give young women more professional opportunities.”

The program, “Rosie’s Girls,” is designed to familiarize young women with safety, tools, theoretical basics of electrical and telecommunications installation, and jobsite conditions, as well as an introduction to other career paths in the building and construction trades.

“More women are entering the electrical trade than ever before,” O’Mara, a Delaware County Democrat, said. “Having more women learn this important trade will help break down old, incorrect stereotypes.”

The grants were provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry as part of the PA statewide movement for accountability, readiness and training -- or PAsmart.

The job training program was created in anticipation of increased employment opportunities within the building and construction trades as a result of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law by President Biden in November 2021.