Pathway to Nontraditional Careers Workshops: Recruiting Women into High-Paying Nontraditional Careers

Speaker:

Geri Pohlkamp
Career Projects Coordinator
Central Lakes College
501 W. College Drive
Brainerd, MN 56401
218-855-8018
218-855-8220
gpohlkam@gwmail.clc.mnscu.edu

Kim Pilgrim
Associate Director
Displaced Homemaker Program
1830 Airport Road
Staples, MN 56479
218-894-5132
218-894-5185
kpilgrim@gwmail.clc.mnscu.edu

For the last three years, the presenter has successfully conducted hands-on workshops for women who are interested in going to college to pursue a high-paying career in a field that is nontraditional for their gender. The program has been successful due to partnerships with local Women Work! agencies and the Department of Economic Security regional offices. Presentations and company tours by business and industry partners are part of the workshop. To help the women complete their education, support services are continued while they are students and while they pursue employment opportunities. This project is important to RCCA conference attendees because it gives a specific project to recruit rural, economically depressed clients into potentially high paying careers. Emphasis is also put on support services while attending college. The workshops are easy to replicate for the conference participants. This project encompasses recruitment, retention and student success in addition to workforce training and partnerships with local agencies.
 
 
Presentation