Course To Prepare Women For Male-Dominated Careers

An upcoming course offered by the Institute for Extended Learning will help women transition into technology and trade-based careers.

Paths to Technology for Women, a four-week training course, will be offered at the American Indian Center starting this month. The free class explores what it takes for women to move into careers traditionally viewed as male-dominated, such as electrical wiring or automotive technology.

The course is open to all women.

What makes the class unique, said facilitator Suzanne Bettinger, is its holistic approach. Women in the class visit various businesses and meet women currently employed in technology-based careers. The curriculum also looks at financing for college, strategies for math success and goal setting and self-esteem.

After the basics of this class, women are ready to go on to courses in their chosen field, said Bettinger.

“It’s a good class for any woman if she’s in a career search,” she said. “It’s a good place to find out what’s out there.”

The program came together six years ago, when state money was set aside to further women’s roles in the workplace. The funds came just in time, said Bettinger.

“We were finding that we needed to expose our women to liveable wages,” she said.

In addition to the free training, the program provides supplies, books, off-site childcare, even transportation costs.

“We do everything but pick them up at the door,” she said.

For more information, call Suzanne Bettinger at 533-3131.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Course schedule Paths to Technology for Women will run from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, Oct. 20 through Nov. 12 at the American Indian Center, 905 E. Third.