Colorado women finding success with jobs in trade organizations
According to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, around 37,000 women work in the construction industry. Around 4,000 of them work in hand-on construction and extraction jobs. That represents 0.3% of the state's entire craft industry. Nationally, women make up an average 0.5% of the craft industry workforce.
On National Apprenticeship Day, the Emily Griffith Foundation will be holding it's 3rd annual Celebration of Women in Trades luncheon. The event allows industry leaders, educational partners, donors and supporters to hear directly from women working in the trades, see trades showcases, and taste featured cuisine. This year, the Women in Trades panel discussion will include Lily Fleener, who does automotive service; Ashlinn Mast, who is a sheet metal apprentice; and Daesha Ottem, who is a licensed electrical journeyman.
Ashlinn Mast is in the second year of her apprenticeship with RK Mechanical.
"I hang a lot of the bigger duct work for airflow," she explained. "It gives you the experience, and they help guide you and teach you while you basically get paid for it."
Mast found her apprenticeship through a month long program, called The Master's Apprentice, which introduced her to a variety of companies and allowed her to test different trades. In the end, she chose sheet metal work and RK Mechanical.
"I had no idea what I was going to do when I got out of high school, so RK giving me this opportunity to even be here is amazing," Mast told me.
After four-years on the job and in the classroom, she'll graduate to be a journeyman sheet metal worker. Then she'll be eligible to take the test to be licensed in the state. She says after not knowing what she was going to do with her future, she's pretty proud of where she ended up and the work that she's doing.
"It's given me a lot of confidence with different things, I mean, I stand up for myself when I need to, especially in a male-dominated field," Mast told CBS News Colorado.
Daesha Ottem also works in the male-dominated world of electricians.
"I've had it where guys just don't like women in construction. They think we don't belong there; and I love to prove them wrong," Ottem said with a laugh.
Ottem recently graduated from her apprenticeship/classroom program. She did four years of work in the field building conduit, bending and cutting pipe, using big power tools, pulling wire, putting in boxes and outlets and light fixtures. Upon graduation, she passed her test to become a licensed electrical journeyman. She also got a promotion at Greiner Electric. Now she's project manager and helps design commercial electrical plans.
"I did really well in the field. I did love it, but I felt like I could have more of a use behind the scenes in helping the field go better," she explained. "We help put out all the fires that are burning while you're building a project."
Ottem is a self-described math geek, so she chose her career path because of the math and science involved in working with electricity. She also says there is some artistry to the way you wire a project.
"The idea of getting paid and having a skill that will last you forever just really appealed, and the money is very good in construction," Ottem said.
While women are still the minority in the trades, they offer women jobs that are well paying and can provide a good work/life balance.
LINK: A Celebration of Women in Trades
The Emily Griffith Foundation's Celebration of Women in Trades luncheon is Wednesday, April 30, 2025. The event is sold out.
