PHOENIX, AZ, Sept. 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — According to Career School Now, girls make up lower than 10% of the nation’s expert trades workforce. As staff with abilities and credentials in the trades proceed to be in sturdy demand, Fresh Start Women’s Foundation joins forces with StrataTech Education Group to supply $100,000 in tuition scholarships in a continued effort to supply entry and assets that assist girls obtain self-sufficiency and use their power to thrive.
The scholarships present Fresh Start purchasers with profession coaching at The Refrigeration School, Inc. (RSI) in Phoenix in the areas of HVAC & refrigeration, electrical purposes, and welding. Exploring a profession in the expert trades permits girls who may be incomes minimal wage the power to extend their revenue upon securing employment after program completion in their chosen commerce, all whereas propelling them towards extra sustainable careers.
“Growing up, I saw my mother face similar obstacles to those of Fresh Start’s clients, so I understand first-hand how education can change a woman’s life and give her the life-long skills for employment stability, growth opportunities, flexibility, and financial stability,” mentioned StrataTech Education Group CEO Mary Kelly. “Both our organizations are committed to providing wrap-around services to help the people we serve succeed. As a result, Fresh Start scholarship recipients will have access to various support services, including industry-aligned training, resume, interview, and career support, along with employer connections during and after graduation.”
For over 30 years, Fresh Start Women’s Foundation has supported greater than 50,000 at-risk girls with important, complete providers, assets, training, and coaching. The majority of Fresh Start’s purchasers are single moms who’re underneath or unemployed and face many boundaries, comparable to poverty, home violence, homelessness, and restricted entry to training and job coaching.
“These generous StrataTech scholarships directly support Fresh Start’s commitment to expand opportunities for women in nontraditional well-paying occupations, such as technology and the skilled trades,” said Kim McWaters, CEO of Fresh Start. “We know that you can lift a woman up by giving her access to education and job skills that will allow her to earn self-sufficient wages and support her family. That shift changes her life, her children, and generations to come. We are so grateful for the support and partnership with StrataTech and RSI in this life-changing work.”
RSI graduate and Chas Roberts Air Conditioning technician Jenna Yost embodies the difference industry-aligned skills training can make in a woman’s life.
“I was a preschool teacher for 10 years and made minimum wage, which made making every month’s bills very stressful as I was living paycheck to paycheck,” Yost explains. “Now, I’m more financially stable than I’ve ever been, and it is a relief to be able to put extra money in the bank. I also really like my job. It’s fun to surprise people when a woman shows up to fix their air conditioner.”
Sissie Shank, CEO at Chas Roberts and employment partner with RSI, started working in air conditioning with her dad when she was just 14 years old.
“Back then, the guys in the shop were not very open minded about a woman in the business,” Shank said. “But times have changed, and women technicians can be empathetic with our customers and sometimes better at explaining technical issues than men, especially to women customers. I’m excited about teaming up with Fresh Start and RSI in support of more women entering the air conditioning industry and coming to work at Chas Roberts.”
Recently, Fresh Start was one of five organizations nationwide to receive a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to expand and expedite support to women pursuing sustainable careers in non-traditional fields, such as technology and the trades.
For more information on how to apply for a StrataTech Education scholarship at RSI through Fresh Start Women’s Foundation contact: Trinka Jones, Client Support Specialist, at [email protected] or 602.261.7144.
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About Fresh Start Women’s Foundation
Fresh Start is celebrating 30 years of supporting girls in Arizona. It’s our mission to supply entry and assets that assist girls obtain self-sufficiency and use their power to thrive. Our final imaginative and prescient is to create limitless alternatives for girls. Fresh Start serves over 3,000 girls yearly who’re 18 years and older. 86% are moms, 60% are single moms and 64% are girls of coloration. These girls face quite a lot of boundaries hindering their capability to be personally or financially self-sufficient, together with home violence, generational poverty, and unemployment. Fresh Start provides targeted applications, providers, entry to coaching and training, in addition to employment and profession providers to assist girls attain their private {and professional} targets by way of our Impact Program. For extra data, go to www.freshstartwomen.org or join with us on Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.
About StrataTech Education Group
StrataTech Education Group focuses on the training, progress and growth of specialised profession training colleges, notably skilled-trade applications designed to deal with the nation’s rising infrastructure wants. Holding an A+ ranking by the Better Business Bureau, StrataTech Education Group’s portfolio contains The Refrigeration School, Inc. (RSI) (Phoenix, AZ), Tulsa Welding School (TWS) in Tulsa, OK and Jacksonville, FL, and Tulsa Welding School & Technology Center (Houston, TX). For extra data, go to stratatech.com.
About The Refrigeration School, Inc.
The Refrigeration School, Inc. (RSI) was based in Phoenix in 1965 and has been coaching college students for sustainable careers for greater than 55 years. Offering hands-on training with a robust emphasis on the extremely sought-after abilities employers search, RSI’s applications embody coaching in Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating Technologies, Electro-Mechanical Technologies (HVAC-R), Mechanical Maintenance Engineering, and Welding. RSI is an ACCSC accredited college and licensed by the Arizona State Board for Private Post-Secondary Education. For extra data, go to http://www.rsi.edu or comply with alongside on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter.
About Chas Roberts
Family-owned and operated for 4 generations, Chas Roberts continues to serve Arizona with a real and reliable strategy to the Valley’s A/C, heating, and plumbing wants. For greater than 75 years, and as one of many largest HVAC suppliers in Arizona, Chas Roberts serves each the Metro Phoenix and Tucson areas. Every Chas Roberts technician is licensed and has efficiently accomplished the rigorous Chas Roberts Customer Service Training Program on high of being licensed, bonded, and insured. This mixture of experience and household values evokes each side of the corporate’s service, from staff to prospects to the group. For extra data go to www.chasroberts.com.
- Female Welding Students at The Refrigeration School, Inc. in Phoenix
- Students Training at The Refrigeration School, Inc. in Phoenix