Women in Apprenticeship Act (WANTO) Grant - March 30, 2010, 30 days to apply

The Women’s Bureau (WB) and the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) Office ofApprenticeship (OA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announce the availability of Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Act (WANTO) grant funds of approximately $1,800,000 to assist employers and labor management organizations in the placement and retention of women in apprenticeship and nontraditional occupations. This year’s WANTO Request for Proposals (RFP) was published in the March 30, 2010, Federal Register. This solicitation for grant applications (SGA) will close 30 days after publication of the Federal Register Notice with grants expected to be awarded in June 2010. Based upon a competitive SGA, the grantees will be funded incrementally for two years, using DOL’s FY 2009 and FY 2010 appropriations.

The WB and OA co-administer the WANTO program and to that end, plan to disburse PY 2009 and 2010 WANTO grant funds to six community-based organizations (CBOs)/Registered Apprenticeship Program(RAP) consortia. The grantees are expected to conduct innovative projects that will improve outreach, recruitment, hiring, training, employment, and retention of women in apprenticeships in the nontraditional occupations. Unlike recent WANTO SGAs, which were limited to the construction industry, this SGA expands the focus to include a broader range of industries including advanced manufacturing, transportation, and construction, and “green” jobs in industries related to these three industries.

Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor,
Employment and Training Administration, Division of Federal Assistance, Attention:
Mamie Williams, Grants Management Specialist, Reference SGA/DFA PY 09-03, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW. Room N-4716, Washington, DC 20210.

For complete
“Application and Submission Information,” please refer to the March 30, 2010 Federal Register (Vol. 79, pages 15728-15736).

http://www.dol.gov/wb/federalregister3-30-2010.htm

Hilda Solis Host Women in Trades Roundtable Discussion on March 24, 2010

At the Table: WB and Solis Host Women in Trades

On Wednesday, Secretary Solis and Sara Manzano-Diaz, director of the Women’s Bureau, hosted a roundtable with women in trades to enhance communication and share useful strategies and ideas on women’s entrance and advancement in trade occupations. The conversation included issues related to recruitment, training and on-the-job issues, and barriers to retention. As Solis and Manzano-Diaz voiced during the discussion, this was the first of many discussions with the long-term goal of increasing participation of women in these high-growth, high-wage fields.

• View the Slideshow

Photo Gallery: Secretary Solis and Sara Manzano-Diaz, Director of the Women’s Bureau, host a roundtable with women in trades.
(March 24, 2010)

http://www.dol.gov/dol/media/photos/slideshows/20100324-women.htm

Chicago Apprenticeship Town Hall Meeting Revealed

A Woman's Perspective: March 24, 2010 Office of Apprenticeship Town Hall Meeting

As some of you may have heard, on March 1st, the Illinois Department of Labor released its findings under the State Construction Minority and Female Building Trades Act, Public Act 96-0037 in their annual report of apprentices in the construction industry. Sad to say, the findings over all showed a dismal decline in female participation in the industry since its boom in the late seventies. In summary, women make up a mere 3%of all apprentices and African Americans a close second in lack of participation by proportion at 8.7%. If that isn’t enough of an eye opener, let’s delve a little further into what this report doesn’t say. The report doesn’t provide data by trade affiliation. In other words, women are three percent of all apprentices in a survey that included nineteen separate trade programs, 98% of which are union programs, but we aren’t told the numbers per trade. What it also doesn’t do is separate the data into more specific groups. For instance, what is the overlap regarding African-American women, who are counted twice according to this survey?

State of Illinois Department of Labor STATE CONSTRUCTION MINORITY AND FEMALE BUILDING TRADES ANNUAL REPORT March 1, 2010

http://www.state.il.us/agency/idol/forms/pdfs/appreport.pdf

Needless to say, a lot of questions are left unanswered, but under the direction of the current Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, efforts are being made to bridge this gap. Through a series of town hall styled meetings, there is an ongoing compilation of input from leaders and participants in the construction industry. Today, March 24th, marked the second one to hit the windy city area and concerned parties filled the room at The University Center on 525 S. State St. to have their voices heard.

Some of the highlights: Dr. Trimmer, Chair of the UCM Jobs Task Force, gave an estimate of approximately 137,444 African Americans are missing from the construction industry, based on population percentages, and that “if goals aren’t being met, then not enough is being done” as far as enforcement; Troy Buchanan, representative of Transportation Equity Network (TEN), who referred to the good faith efforts policy as the good “fake” effort, said that on average only 10% of participants who complete extraneous programs are ever placed into union programs and holding the unions responsible would effect more change; Tony Lawler, representing the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, inspired hope in those of us union carpenters in the room when he shared the steps taken in his region to ensure diversity within our brothers and sisters there, touching on our own belief that “contractors contact with the minority workforce” is necessary to encourage the increase in our numbers on the job, and it is necessary to have multiple points of entry into an apprenticeship program to ensure fairness and diversity; Ella Jones, retired Local 281 Sprinkler Fitter, shared her experiences and mentioned the 2.8% African Americans in her local, with only three women in her local to date.

In addition, knowledgeable insight was given by Lauren Sugerman, iconic former board president at Chicago Women in Trades, who was there representing Tradeswoman Now and Tomorrow. A few of her suggestions include: a regional advisor to oversee apprentice programs’ efforts; more pre-apprenticeship training programs targeting women; a federal task force to monitor the numbers and enforce lack of progress. Speaking for CWIT, Pamela Berryhill reiterated these sentiments, also asserting that annual reviews needed to be done. This sentiment seemed to be supported by the room, with Terri Burgess Sandu, Executive Director of Hard Hatted Women, maintaining that the data compiled in such reviews should be accessible by the public. Before the floor was opened to unregistered comments, Robert Barnett, Senior Program Manager for The Chicago Urban League, alluded to the outdated demographics and their negative impact on effective participation percentages.

Nieko Malcom, member of Carpenter’s Local 1 and five year co-chair of the Chicago Regional Council Sisters in the Brotherhood Steering Committee, made a valid point by highlighting the exclusion of white women on public jobs as contractors are eager for the double minority credit received for hiring black women, usually at the tail end of a project. I, myself, spoke on the double standard with minority/female targeted pre-apprenticeship programs requiring up to ten times the hours, with Job Corps capping out at nine to ten months as opposed to nine weeks. Seems to me that the playing field would be instantly leveled if ALL applicants seeking apprenticeship had to meet these same requirements.

Though it has been my experience, and the numbers support, that our union here in Chicago has a dismal track record as far as retention and advancement of females and minorities, many of the heavy hitters, including Lauren Sugerman and Terri Burgess, seemed to believe that OUR union should be the model and leader of the efforts to increase the numbers. Maybe it’s just me, but in my fifteen years as a member of the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters, I’ve never felt any support or encouragement to stick around. Nevertheless, I was out of the room when our region’s representatives took the floor, so I am not privy to what was said by the leaders of our Chicago Regional Council, including Jeff Isaacson, who were there. In summation, from this woman’s perspective, what our union says they are doing and what the majority of sisters in this region experience in the Carpenter’s Union can be likened to the picture above. We both say that advancement and retention of women in The Chicago Regional Council is a necessary goal, and steps should be taken to accomplish this. Yet for some reason, the female membership and regional leadership are unable to meet in the middle. This divergence of direction needs to be addressed by our leadership if we are ever to thrive as the PROUD UNION CARPENTERS we are.

　　

Stephannie DuBose

Carpenter’s Local 434

REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP TOWN HALL MEETINGS

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Regulations

April 7, 2010

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET

Webinar on http://www.workforce3one.org

Submit Feedback, Suggestions, and Comments

• Must be received on or before April 16, 2010
• Online at www.regulations.gov -use Docket Identification Number "ETA 2010-0001"
• Follow the web site instructions for submitting comments
• All information will be publicly available on the web site.

Other Ways to Provide Your Input

Individuals may submit written suggestions and feedback on the current regulations to the Employment and Training Administration, Office of Apprenticeship, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room N5311, Washington, DC 20210, Attention: Mr. John V. Ladd, or on-line through Regulations.gov.

Additional Information

A Federal Register Notice announcing these meetings, the webinar, and details for submitting feedback via Regulations.gov will be published shortly, and posted on OA’s Web site: http://www.doleta.gov/oa

Current 29 CFR part 30 available on home page of OA's web site: http://www.doleta.gov/oa

2010 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference, May 4-6 in Washington, D.C

The 2010 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference, May 4-6 in Washington, D.C. at the Washington Hilton, is the nation’s leading forum for transforming our ideas into action and building a green economy that creates good jobs, reduces global warming and preserves America’s environmental and economic security.

Take Advantage of Early Bird Registration and register now for this extraordinary event by visiting www.greenjobsconference.org. By registering as an Early Bird, registration is just $125. But hurry, this only lasts until March 15, 2010!

The 2010 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference, will bring together thousands of union members, environmentalists, business leaders, elected and administration officials together for three days of exiting keynotes, plenaries and workshops dedicated to building a green economy that creates good jobs, reduces global warming and preserves America's economic and environmental security.

This year's Conference will also feature the 2010 Green Jobs Expo, which will showcase the companies, products, services and career opportunities in the green economy. Participating in the Expo provides companies and organizations exposure to more than 4,000 attendees of the Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference who come from all facets of industry, academia, government and the non-profit sector, as well as thousands of students from colleges and universities and trade schools in the area. You can register for a booth at the Green Jobs Expo by visiting www.greenjobsconference.org.

Take a moment to visit www.greenjobsconference.org and register for the 2010 Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference and Green Jobs Expo. Be part of the effort to invest, innovate and take action to build a new, green economy today.

2010 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference

The goals of the 2010 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference are to:

• Provide a forum for labor, environment and businesses to turn ideas into action and build a revitalized, green economy in the United States;
• Demonstrate the diversity of the coalition supporting the creation of good, green jobs;
• Showcase the successes of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the ideas and strategies that have already been implemented;
• Underscore the breadth of private-sector green investment and job creation;
• Identify additional federal and state policy tools to accelerate the growth of the green economy and the creation of clean energy jobs;
• Highlight strategies for rebuilding the middle class and creating opportunities for underserved and underemployed communities with clean energy investments; and
• Model partnerships between federal agencies, the private sector and local interests.

You can join us by becoming a Conference Convener today. As a Convener, your organization will join the growing number of voices calling for a new, green economy across the country.

INVESTMENT, INNOVATION, ACTION
May 4-6, 2010 in Washington, D.C.

UBC Women's Conference to give Women Carpenters a Voice in 2010

Women’s Conference to Celebrate ‘Breaking New Ground’. All female UBC members are invited to the 2010 Sisters in the Brotherhood conference, June 17 – 20, at the International Training Center in Las Vegas. www.UBCsisters.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PR Log (Press Release) – Mar 09, 2010 – Members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters are gathering at the International Training Center in Las Vegas, Nevada June 17 – 20, 2010. All women carpenters are urged to request sponsorship from their local unions to attend. The last day to register is April 30, 2010.

This conference is a siren call for women to get more involved in their local union. Conference workshops will include strategies to increase women’s voices in local and national politics. It will be the third conference for women carpenters organized by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, in effort to organize, educate, and provide Union Leadership Workshops to Sister Members. It is critical that women carpenters attend to have an impact on the future of women in the union, and to put forth recommendations to the United Brotherhood of Carpenters International Convention scheduled for later this year.

DOWNLOAD THE REGISTRATION FORM ON http://ubcsisters.org/

To contact the International UBC Women’s Steering Committee, visithttp://ubcsisters.org/contact/

Link to Sisters In The Brotherhood websites fromwww.sistersinthebrotherhood.info

Sisters In The Brotherhood is an intergral part of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. UBCsisters.org is the official website for the UBC Women’s Conference. sistersinthebrotherhood.ning.com is the Professional Network for women members, www.sistersinthebrotherhood.com is the website for SIB fundraising, charity, and volunteer activities.

http://prlog.org/10565553

American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) Webinar for Federal and Federally-Assisted Construction Contractors

Please join the U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) – as it presents information on the equal employment opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action (AA) provisions of Federal contracts involving American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funds. Construction federal contractors are required to take specific affirmative action steps – 16 to be exact. In this webinar, Federal and federally-assisted construction contractors and subcontractors will learn about these 16 steps and what to expect during a construction compliance evaluation. This webinar is approximately 1.5 hours long that include 30 minutes of Q&A opportunities. We invite you to e-mail us your questions in advance of the webinar.

Register for a session now by clicking a date below: Tue, Mar 16, 2010 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM EDT Tue, Mar 30, 2010 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM EDT

Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration with information you need to join the Webinar.

System Requirements PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP, 2003 Server or 2000

Macintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer If you have questions about the U.S. Department of Labor's programs or services, please e-mail dolncc@dol.gov for assistance. Visit us on the web at www.dol.gov.

International Women’s Day, March 8, 2010: Time to Recommit to Equal Rights -AFL-CIO

by James Parks, Mar 7, 2010

Women make up more than half the American workforce and are approaching half of union members. On International Women’s Day, March 8, the AFL-CIO is recommitting itself to continue the struggle for equal rights, dignity and respect for all working women.

This past week, the AFL-CIO Executive Council pointed out that much needs to be done for women workers to gain equal footing. For example, the council cites a United Nations report, which shows the majority of the world’s 1.3 billion absolute poor are women. On average, women receive between 30 percent and 40 percent less pay than men earn for the same work. Women also continue to be victims of violence, with rape and domestic violence listed as significant causes of disability and death among women worldwide.

Noting that International Women’s Day began a century ago when women workers in New York City marched for better wages, the council said in a statement:

Just like women 100 years ago, women in America-and around the world-are fighting back. On this year’s anniversary of International Women’s Day, we recommit ourselves to continue to the struggle for equal rights, dignity and respect for all working women while paying close attention to women’s concerns in our fight to create jobs.

Click here to read the council statement.

Here’s some of what’s going on in conjunction with International Women’s Day:

• In a survey, women members of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) pointed to times when they felt a lack of respect on the job because of their gender. You can read some of the comments here.
• Some of the nation’s entertainment unions will unite on International Women’s Day to give voice to the women of Afghanistan with a presentation of “Out of Silence: Readings from The Afghan Women’s Writing Project,” in Los Angeles. This will be an evening of dramatic readings of selected essays and poems written by emerging Afghan women writers who often face estrangement, beatings, and even death for creatively expressing themselves through the written word. Presenting the readings are members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), Screen Actors (SAG), Writers Guild of America, West with Producers Guild of America and the Women In Film International Committee.
• LabourStart, the global labor news service and PSI, the global union federation for public-sector workers, have launched a campaign to free Seher Tümer, a Turkish public-sector union leader. She has been in prison for her union activities for more than a year. You can join the effort to free this brave union leader by clicking here.

Working Women

http://www.aflcio.org/issues/jobseconomy/women/

‘Writing Trades Women into History’ March 9 -DULUTH, MN

UMD hosts ‘Writing Trades Women into History’ March 9

By Larry Sillanpa

28 February 2010

DULUTH - This is the 30th Anniversary of celebrating March as Women’s History Month. To honor the occasion, the University of Minnesota-Duluth Women’s Studies Department will host a presentation by author Jane LaTour.

“Writing Trades Women into History,” will be given Tuesday, March 9, at 7 p.m. inMontague Hall 80 on the UMD campus (across the corridor from the Marshall Performing Arts Center). LaTour is the author of “Sisters In The Brotherhoods,” which chronicles the fight for women trying to gain employment in blue-collar jobs in New York City in the 1970s. It is an oral history of women who broke the gender barrier in the presumed liberal NYC, and its strong union tradition, against considerable odds. This undated photo shows some of the “Sisters” having a good time at a New York City march. United Trades Women photo The women LaTour chronicled became ironworkers, plumbers, stationary engineers, elevator mechanics, carpenters, electricians, and firefighters among other occupations. Her interviews started in 1989 as a simple idea for a brochure and went through 2006 after she realized she had actually created a much larger project. Her book was published in 2008 but she says it is a work in progress. This isn’t just a story about New York City, it’s a story about America that is still being lived. Battles for equality are far from over throughout the United States. Remember the National AFL-CIO itself did not have a woman in a leadership role until 1995, when a special position of executive vice president was created to get Linda Chavez-Thompson in the door. The AFL-CIO killed two birds in that election in that she was also the first Hispanic allowed into the inner circle. Employed now by AFSCME District Council 37, the largest municipal union in New York City, LaTour said “Sisters” is not only a history book but a cause. “For three decades women fought to get out of low-wage jobs but their numbers are still small,” she said of women gaining employment in blue collar jobs that pay well. “They have to fight just to keep the doors open.” LaTour said she goes beyond her book in her presentations, mixes the good with the bad, and addresses issues still facing women. “We need to answer why it matters as we talk about the economics of women and their jobs,” she said. Laura Stolle Schmidt, an AFSCME Local 3801 member in UMD’s Women’s Studies Department, said the department is thrilled LaTour will be here for the 30th Anniversary of the National Women’s History Project with its theme of “Writing Women into History.” “It is so nice to have her coming to Duluth with our strong history of women working in World War II war industry and in the mines,” said Stolle Schmidt. “Soldiers came back from that war, displaced many of those women, and their struggles continued into the 1970s and 80s.” In her preface, LaTour wrote, “Younger people may take it for granted, but one of the most striking urban contrasts between today and 1964– when the word ‘sex’ was included in the Civil Rights Act– is all of the women working in jobs their mothers never could have held.” But, she continued, “Many blue-collar arenas remain contested terrain for females. Women still struggle to get training, to get jobs, and to secure a harassment-free workplace.” That resonates in this area as well with the lawsuit brought by women iron ore miners on the Iron Range. Their struggles were depicted in the movie “North County,” a fictionalized account of the first major successful class-action sexual harassment case in the U.S. – Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines, where a woman who endured a range of abuse while working as a miner filed and won the landmark 1984 lawsuit. Jane LaTour LaTour got the start for her project from working blue collar in factories and warehouses until she was able to get serious about her education. She became a union educator. She wrote that it was 1976 before she first heard about “Rosie the Riveter” and stories about women in World War II production. A few years later, she was working nights in a United Parcel Service warehouse talking to one of the few women who drove the 18-wheelers that brought in the cargo. They were Teamsters and LaTour’s wheels were turning. LaTour is a journalist and labor activist who lives in New York City and knows the ground she covered. She has written for various publications and managed the Women’s Project of the Association for Union Democracy. She is a two-time winner of the Mary Heaton Vorse Award, the top labor journalism award in New York City. Unions and their leaders were incredibly slow, actually unwilling, at recognizing the role women could play on the job and in unions. Any number of reasons accounted for that, including, backward thinking of what constituted “women’s work,” fears that women would take all the easy jobs that old timers had waited for or the less capable needed, a widespread fear and hatred of rising feminism, and basic sexism in union ranks. But it was a time when the traditional family unit was changing and women needed good jobs too in spite of many men still believing a woman’s place was in the home. Many homes started having fewer men in them as the number of single mothers rose and women were heads of households, needing jobs that paid well. In a review for Z Magazine, Andy Piascik wrote, “Sisters in the Brotherhoods is a gem of a book. With it, LaTour has given us important documentation of an inspiring piece of history that is too little known. Some of the women profiled are still pushing forward, either in their fields or in vital movement organizations. Wherever they are, newer generations of activists can stand securely on their shoulders as we reach for higher ground.” “Sisters” ends with an epilogue that chronicles where two dozen of the barrier crashing women ended up. The book covers over three decades and many of the women had retired or moved on to other things by the time the book was published. When you attend LaTour’s presentation Tuesday evening March 9, bring some cash. You’re going to want to buy a signed copy of her book. You can learn more at www.anglicanexaminer.com/Jane LaTour.html Larry Sillanpa edits the Labor World, the official publication of the Duluth AFL-CIO Central Labor Body. http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_4381

EEO Regulations REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP TOWN HALL MEETINGS March 2010

REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP TOWN HALL MEETINGS

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Regulations

What: The Office of Apprenticeship (OA) is hosting three town hall meetings and a Web listening session to provide Apprenticeship Stakeholders and the public an opportunity to inform OA of possible revisions necessary to update and improve Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 30. These efforts represent a critical part of the Department’s process for drafting a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to update and strengthen Apprenticeship’s regulatory framework.

Who: All interested parties are invited to attend the town hall meetings and the webinar.

Why: OA will use these sessions to document stakeholders’ concerns, feedback, and ideas on the effectiveness of the current apprenticeship EEO regulations, and suggestions and recommendations regarding revisions to the regulations.

When and Where:

March 18, 2010

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

The Washington Court Hotel,

525 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001

March 23, 2010

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

The James Irvine Conference Center,

Plaza A, 353 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, California 94612

March 25, 2010

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

University Center

525 S. State Street, Chicago, Illinois 60605.

April 7, 2010

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET

Webinar on http://www.workforce3one.org

How: Stakeholders are invited to provide comments, suggestions and feedback on the current regulations.

To sign-up to make a statement, please contact Carol Johnson, Coffey Consulting, LLC.

Members of the public wishing to offer an oral statement during the town hall meeting should forward their requests as soon as possible but no later than

March 15, 2010, for the Washington, DC meeting;

March 19, 2010, for the Oakland meeting; and

March 22, 2010, for the Chicago meeting.

Contact Information

To help plan for the three in-person town hall meetings, OA requests that you submit no later than three business days prior to a particular meeting, a notice of intention to attend if you wish to participate or observe a town hall meeting. Please contact OA through our support contractor, Carol Johnson, Coffey Consulting, LLC, to let us know if you will attend. Ms. Johnson can be reached via email: cjohnson@coffeyconsultingllc.com or telephone: (301) 907-0900.

Other Ways to Provide Your Input

Individuals may submit written suggestions and feedback on the current regulations to the Employment and Training Administration, Office of Apprenticeship, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room N5311, Washington, DC 20210, Attention: Mr. John V. Ladd, or on-line through Regulations.gov.

Additional Information

A Federal Register Notice announcing these meetings, the webinar, and details for submitting feedback via Regulations.gov will be published shortly, and posted on OA’s Web site: http://www.doleta.gov/oa.

This announcement was prepared and posted on February 26, 2010.

http://www.doleta.gov/OA/pdf/Apprenticeship_Town_Hall_Meetings.pdf

The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum is seeking apprentice interviews until March 19, 2010

The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum is seeking apprentices who would be willing to be profiled on their website in order to encourage young people to become apprentices and to provide them with information on ways in which to find an employer/sponsor. We sent you an email last week and we have made some important changes. We will be profiling 15 – 20 apprentices and will be distributing a $50 honorarium for selected participants. Interviews will be conducted until Friday, March 19, 2010. We are flexible to interview during evenings and weekends as well as during daytime hours.

Attached is an invitation to participate. We would appreciate it if you could pass it on to apprentices who you feel might be interested. As well, if you could post it on the bulletin board of your local’s office and/or training centre, as well as distribute it on your mailing list that would be very much appreciated.

Thank you for your help. If you have any questions, please call Paul Bakker, 1-877-469-9954 x226.

Best Regards,

Jennifer Logan

Cathexis Consulting Inc.

124 Merton St., Suite 502
Toronto, Ontario M4S 2Z2

**********************************************************************

En Français:

Madame/Monsieur,

Le Forum canadien sur l’apprentissage est à la recherche d’apprentis qui accepteraient d’avoir leur portrait publié sur son site Web afin d’encourager les jeunes à devenir des apprentis et de leur fournir des informations sur la manière de trouver un employeur parrain. Nous vous avons envoyé un courriel la semaine dernière et nous avons fait des changements importants. Nous souhaitons faire le portrait de 15 à 20 apprentis et nous distribuerons une rétribution de 50$ aux candidats sélectionnés. Les entretiens auront lieu jusqu’au vendredi 19 mars 2010. Nous sommes flexibles sur les horaires et sommes prêts à interviewer le soir, le week-end ou dans la journée.

Vous trouverez ci-joint une invitation pour participer à cette initiative. Vous serait-il possible de la distribuer à des apprentis qui vous semblent intéressés par cette initiative ? Nous apprécierions si vous pouviez aussi afficher cette invitation sur le tableau d’affichage de votre bureau local et/ou du centre de formation ainsi que de le distribuer dans votre liste de diffusion courriel.

D’avance, je vous remercie pour votre aide. Si vous avez des questions, n’hésitez pas à contacter Sandra Moreau au 1-877-469-9954 x300

Cordialement,

Jennifer Logan

Cathexis Consulting Inc.

124 Merton St., Suite 502

Toronto, ON M4S 2Z2

Are You Interested in Being Profiled on the

Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF) Website?

The CAF is looking for apprentices who have been successful in

finding an employer sponsor.

We want to hear about:

What influenced you to apprentice in your trade?

How you went about finding an employer?

What challenges you faced?

How you addressed those challenges?

What advice would you give young people on how to find an

employer sponsor?

We are looking for people from across Canada in any of the Red

Seal trades. We also want the profiles to cover the full range of

diversity including women, visible minorities, Aboriginal people

and people with disabilities. If selected for an interview, you will

receive a $50 honorarium. We will be conducting interviews until

Friday, March 19, 2010.

If you are willing to tell your story and have it profiled on the CAF-FCA website along

with sending us a photo of yourself, please call or email Paul Bakker with your

preferred time for an interview (evening, weekend, lunch hour, etc.).

Telephone: 1-877-469-9954 x226

Email: paul@cathexisconsulting.ca