Have you entered the construction trades by way of apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship in the state of Oregon?

Share your journey. Inspire others to pursue a career in construction.

Get your story included on this website!

If you entered the construction trades by way of apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship in the state of Oregon, we’d love to include your story on this website!
It doesn’t matter how much or how little experience you may have as an apprentice or accomplished journeyman or woman.Your story may inspire others to choose a career path in construction!

How to submit your story

To submit your story, please provide us with some information about your apprentice experience in the form below. Include details about what your apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship was like for you, and information about what you’re doing now, if you have already completed a program. Someone will be in touch within the next 30 business days to follow up on your story submission.

• Attach yourself to a journey-worker on the job site and learn from them
• Focus to get ahead if you want to stay in the field
• Don’t take anything personally
• Be good at your job
• Work up your physical strength
• Realize that there are no short-cuts
• Enjoy the experience
• Make friends with everyone
• Go with the flow
• Have a thick skin
• Know who you are
• Employ good time-management skills and good listening skills
• Have a good learning attitude
• Know that you are the competition
• Don’t give up
• Study hard at school
• Be ready for a lot of work
• Listen to what the foreman is saying
• Learn how to take orders well
• Learn how to take initiative
• Be detail-oriented but do the job fast at the same time
• Maintain good communication and ask questions
• Know your stuff!
• Be physical, work out
• Work harder than everybody else, don’t talk a lot, pay attention, show up on time, be dependable and don't phone in sick unless you absolutely need to!
• Have fun!!

• Biased or discriminatory hiring practices
• Stereotypical perceptions of women's abilities
• Isolation of women in male-dominated worksites
• Unequal pay for women performing similar jobs as male co-workers
• Various forms of harassment (CLMPC, 1990; SPR Associates, 2002A; Grzetic, 1998;)
• There is a lack of diversity training among co-workers, including clarity around the issue of employment equity. (WITT-NN, 1999)
• Social isolation
• Lack of education and fundamental skills
• Lack of informal mentors to develop an interest in the trades
• Lack of management / supervisor leadership in setting an appropriate tone in terms of acceptance of women in male-dominated workplaces. WITT-Alberta, 2000)
• Physical Strength Limitations
• Stereotypes / Sexism / Perception of women on job site
• Lack of information available about trades as a career option
• Lack of daycare/difficulty with work / life balance

• Recognize the friendly faces at your jobsite
• Dress appropriately for the trade
• Identify something your company does a lot of and get good at it
• Use common sense
• Find a mentor
• Become good at job hunting
• Network