{"id":1263,"date":"2019-02-28T10:55:56","date_gmt":"2019-02-28T15:55:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/?p=1263"},"modified":"2022-06-06T18:08:29","modified_gmt":"2022-06-06T22:08:29","slug":"women-in-welding-an-interview-with-industry-pioneer-sue-silverstein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/women-in-welding-an-interview-with-industry-pioneer-sue-silverstein\/","title":{"rendered":"Women in Welding: An Interview with Industry Pioneer Sue Silverstein"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"m-entry__feedback\"><div class=\"m-feedback-prompt\">\n\t\t  <h4 class=\"m-feedback-prompt__header\">Was this article helpful?<\/h4>\n\t\t  <a href=\"#\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__button m-feedback-prompt__social m-feedback-prompt__social_thumbsup yes\" data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:yes\">\n\t\t    <i class=\"fa fa-thumbs-up\">&nbsp;<\/i>\n\t\t  <\/a>\n\t\t  <a href=\"#\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__button m-feedback-prompt_form no\" data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:no\">\n\t\t    <i class=\"fa fa-thumbs-down\">&nbsp;<\/i>\n\t\t  <\/a><br>\n\t\t  <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__display m-feedback-prompt__social yes\">\n\t\t    <p class=\"m-feedback-prompt__text\">Awesome, share it:<\/p>\n\t\t    <a class=\"m-feedback-prompt__social--button p-button-social has-icon facebook fa fa-facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/women-in-welding-an-interview-with-industry-pioneer-sue-silverstein\/\" onclick=\"javascript:window.open(this.href,\n  '', 'menubar=no,toolbar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes,height=600,width=600');return false;\">\n\t\t      <span class=\"p-button-social__social-text\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t    <\/a>\n\t\t    <a class=\"m-feedback-prompt__social--button p-button-social has-icon twitter fa fa-twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/women-in-welding-an-interview-with-industry-pioneer-sue-silverstein\/&text=Women in Welding: An Interview with Industry Pioneer Sue Silverstein\" onclick=\"javascript:window.open(this.href,\n  '', 'menubar=no,toolbar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes,height=600,width=600');return false;\">\n\t\t      <span class=\"p-button-social__social-text\">Tweet<\/span>\n\t\t    <\/a>\n\t\t    <a class=\"m-feedback-prompt__social--button p-button-social has-icon googleplus fa fa-google-plus\" href=\"https:\/\/plus.google.com\/share?url=http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/women-in-welding-an-interview-with-industry-pioneer-sue-silverstein\/\" onclick=\"javascript:window.open(this.href,\n  '', 'menubar=no,toolbar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes,height=600,width=600');return false;\">\n\t\t      <span class=\"p-button-social__social-text\">Google Plus<\/span>\n\t\t    <\/a>\n\t\t    <a class=\"m-feedback-prompt__social--button p-button-social has-icon linkedin fa fa-linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&url=http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/women-in-welding-an-interview-with-industry-pioneer-sue-silverstein\/&title=Women in Welding: An Interview with Industry Pioneer Sue Silverstein\" onclick=\"javascript:window.open(this.href,\n  '', 'menubar=no,toolbar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes,height=600,width=600');return false;\">\n\t\t      <span class=\"p-button-social__social-text\">LinkedIn<\/span>\n\t\t    <\/a>\n\t\t  <\/div>\n\t\t  \t<div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__display m-feedback-prompt__form no\">\n\t\t  \t<div class=\"thanks feedback-nodisplayall\"><h2>Thanks!<h2><div class=\"m-contact\"><p>Thanks for getting in touch with us.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t    <form id=\"contact-form\" class=\"new_support_request\" action=\"\" accept-charset=\"UTF-8\" method=\"post\">\n\t\t    <input type=\"hidden\" id=\"authenticity_token\" name=\"authenticity_token\" value=\"d0ca8ab6f5\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1263\" \/>\n\t\t      <input value=\"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/women-in-welding-an-interview-with-industry-pioneer-sue-silverstein\/\" type=\"hidden\" name=\"currenturl\" id=\"currenturl\">\n\t\t      <input value=\"Women in Welding: An Interview with Industry Pioneer Sue Silverstein\" type=\"hidden\" name=\"currenttitle\" id=\"currenttitle\">\n\t\t      <label class=\"is-required\">Help us improve. Give us your feedback:<\/label>\n\t\t      <textarea class=\"p-input__textarea\" name=\"feedbackmessage\" id=\"feedbackmessage\"><\/textarea>\n\t\t      <label class=\"is-required\">Your Full Name:<\/label>\n\t\t      <input class=\"p-input__text\" type=\"text\" name=\"feedbackfullname\" id=\"feedbackfullname\">\n\t\t      <label class=\"is-required\">Your email address:<\/label>\n\t\t      <input class=\"p-input__text\" type=\"text\" name=\"mailinglistemail\" id=\"mailinglistemail\">\n\t\t      <div class=\"feedback-message\" id=\"feedback-message\"><\/div>\n\t\t      <div class=\"__submit\">\n\t\t        <input type=\"submit\" name=\"commit\" value=\"Submit\" class=\"p-button\" id=\"submit-contact-form\" data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:submit\">\n\t\t      <\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/form>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>When you think of a welder, do you first think of a woman\nwielding a torch? Likely, you envision a man, which makes sense, given that\nmetal fabrication has historically been a male-dominated profession. According\nto the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/cps\/cpsaat11.htm\">Bureau of Labor\nStatistics<\/a> (2017), as few as 4.5 percent of welders are women. The last\ntime women made up a considerable percentage of the welding workforce was\nduring WWII, when women made up 25 percent of the welder workforce. At that\ntime, women stepped in to welding jobs that had been left behind by men who\nwere sent off to war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fast forward to today and the deficit in skilled trade\nworkers continues to grow. Not because men and women are called off to war, but\nbecause interest in trade occupations in general is down, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/business\/archive\/2018\/08\/theres-a-shortage-of-welders-will-more-women-fill-the-gap\/567434\/\">welding\nbeing hit particularly hard<\/a> (2018). Some leaders in welding education see\nwomen as a potential solution to help fill the skills gap once again. But will\nthey answer the call this time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Sue Silverstein, a welder striving to drive\nchange in the field, women absolutely should consider careers in welding, as there\nis ample opportunity and room for advancement. Silverstein is a welding\ninstructor at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) and spends her spare time\norganizing events for Girl Scouts to build young girls\u2019 interest in welding and recruiting women into the Welding\nDiploma and Welding Technology Associate in Applied Science programs at MATC. Here,\nSilverstein talks about her passion and discusses how she believes women\ncan help fill the gap:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>Why should women weld? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Sue Silverstein: <em>A\ncareer in welding offers women the opportunity to advance into positions of\nleadership in a field that is interesting, demanding and in-demand. Women who\nchoose this career path are rewarded with good pay and benefits that help them maintain\nfinancial independence. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Welding requires great\ndexterity and focus, which are skills many women may have already obtained\nthrough work in more traditionally female fields or hobbies. I think it\u2019s\nimportant for young women considering careers in the trades to find confidence\nin their previous experiences, because there could be more overlap than they\nthink. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Welding is also an\nopportunity for women to establish themselves in scientific careers, since being\na welder requires a thorough understanding of the chemical processes behind\nwelding. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>Have you found a community with other female welders? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>There is a great sense\nof camaraderie among women in welding today, and it is important to nurture\nthese networks to ensure a future with more females in the trades and to fuel\ncontinued growth. I followed a different path that lead me to a career in\nwelding and I found other women along the way that have become great friends.\nIt is a small, but really good, circle of friends, and any women joining us\nwill have this same built-in support system.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>What were some obstacles you faced when first starting your career as a welder?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>I almost hate to say\nit because it gives credence to a female stereotype, but one of the biggest\nobstacles was in regard to welding clothes. I was incredibly limited with the\ntypes of Personal Protective Equipment available and I found it hard to find\nsteel-toe boots and hard hats that were small enough for my build. Luckily,\naccess to the right equipment has improved over the course of my career.&nbsp; <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>There is a misconception that manufacturing and labor trades can be monotonous. Is that true for welding?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The work itself is\nactually quite exhilarating. In fact, welding is a demanding and stimulating\nprofession that offers its practitioners the opportunity to master a wide\nvariety of skills. There is a lot to learn in a trade, which is great because\nwho wants to be bored? A welder is continuously learning to master skills and\ngrow in the profession.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>A career in welding also\nputs you in the middle of the action. This action is what pulled me in. At\nfirst, I thought I wanted to be an engineer but later realized I wanted to be\ninvolved in manufacturing in a more hands-on way: I realized I didn\u2019t want to just\ndraw it. I wanted to physically make it. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The materials welders create\nare deeply interrelated with many other industries. Metal becomes a part of everything\nand can become anything. The end product goes into an office, someone\u2019s home, a\ncity\u2019s skyline and the roads we travel and can even be launched into space. To\nhave a hand in that is actually quite cool. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>What can help break the stigma some women may believe about working in industrial settings?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Honestly, it\u2019s all\nabout exposure and perception. I became comfortable with workshops and factory\nenvironments from an early age. My father used to bring me into the auto plant\nwhere he worked on Saturdays so I could see a factory from the inside and it\nwas fascinating to me. The thought of working with my hands and doing a physical job was never\nscary or intimidating. In fact, this familiarity is what helped empower me to\nseek an alternative path that was different from that of my peers and it drives\nme to provide the same perspective to younger generations of female welders. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>In 2000, after 15\nyears as a welder, I shifted my focus to education. After my apprenticeship, I\nthought to myself, \u201cI am learning so much, and as a physically small woman, I\nam learning new ways to do things.\u201d It made me want to teach others. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>What are the benefits of career exploration? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Career exploration is\nmore about confidence building for those girls who maybe have not been\nencouraged to use tools, or maybe don\u2019t have a parent in the trades. This will\ngive them the exposure I had as a child and maybe, somewhere down the line,\nthey will think about the trades as potential employment opportunities. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4><strong>What lessons would you want a beginning welder to take from your example?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>My legacy will be to have a bunch of successful students who have become successful welders who can earn a great, family-supporting wage so they can fulfill their dreams for the future.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4>Interested in women&#8217;s role in the future of welding? Don&#8217;t leave without checking out this related article:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-wordpress wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-airgas-thinks\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttp:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/ready-for-change-women-welding-the-construction-industry\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Was this article helpful? &nbsp; &nbsp; Awesome, share it: Share Tweet Google Plus LinkedIn Thanks! 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