An estimated 1,500 girls from 86 schools attended Oregon Tradeswomen’s annual career fair May 17, intended to show them that there are careers for them in traditional male trades. Altogether about 100 employers and apprenticeship organizations set up inside and out of the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center on NE Airport Way, Portland, and most of them offered fun demonstrations of their skills.
UA Local 290 offered “sewing with fire” using welding torches to decorate a steel plate. Skanska had a birdhouse building station. Students also got to operate an excavator, go up in a bucket lift, and operate a remote controlled sewer camera.
