Women's Bureau Initiatives

Better Jobs! Better Earnings! Better Living!

Today's Department of Labor (DOL) represents the workforce of the 21st Century. The Women's Bureau (WB), through its Initiatives – Better Jobs! Better Earnings! Better Living! and Value-Added Supporters, will continue to prepare women for tomorrow’s jobs. The Bureau promotes an environment that is responsive to the demands and challenges of the 21st Century workforce. More than ever, it is vital to ensure opportunities for American women to achieve their potential in the workplace.

Better Jobs!

Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations

The Women’s Bureau (WB) and the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) Office of Apprenticeship (OA) jointly administer the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grant program. The purpose of the WANTO program is to increase the number of women entering and remaining in apprenticeships associated with non-traditional occupations. This purpose is achieved by providing grant funds to eligible community-based organizations that, in turn, provide technical assistance to help employers and labor unions place and retain women in apprenticeships that are in non-traditional occupations. In the last two years, the Department has emphasized training women for jobs in the construction industry.

Grants Awarded June 2007 (Ending June 2009)

• Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Employment for Women (ANEW) and Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI) (A Pacific Northwest Consortium), Renton, Washington
• Hard-Hatted Women (HHW), Cleveland, Ohio
• Playa Vista Job Opportunities and Business Services (PV Jobs), Los Angeles, California

Grants Awarded June 2008 (Ending June 2010)

• Women in Non-Traditional Employment Roles (WINTER), Long Beach, California
• Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. (ABCD), Boston, Massachusetts
• Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW), Washington, District of Columbia

For general information on the WANTO program, contact Suzanne Burnette (Women’s Bureau, 202-693-6710) or Franchella Kendall (Office of Apprenticeship, 202-693-3798).

Preparing Women for the 21st Century Workplace

Preparing Women for the 21st Century Workplace is a Women’s Bureau project that is implemented by Women Work! The National Network for Women’s Employment. The project provides innovative training and technical assistance to local service providers, including workforce development organizations who serve women in economic and employment transition. The tools and services provided include electronic resources, hard copy materials, as well as distance learning and in-person training opportunities. The goals of this project are to improve women’s ability to increase earnings, find employment, and enter a degree or post-secondary education certification program. This project is committed to making economic security a reality for women workers from a wide variety of backgrounds, including single mothers, older women, women of color, women veterans, incarcerated women, and women ex-offenders. For more information on the resources and programming please visit http://www.womenwork.org/wb/home.htm.

Contact : Tiffany Boiman, (Women Work!, tboiman@womenwork.org) and/or Cynthia Dawkins, National Office (Washington DC, 202-693-6710).

Native American Project

Under the Women’s Bureau mission of improving the status of wage-earning women, improving their working conditions, and advancing their opportunities for profitable employment, the Women’s Bureau created a spin-off of its previous Working Women in Transition project, focusing on Native American women.

In Region IX, the project is training Native American women in Northern Arizona to become entrepreneurs and sell their traditional Native arts and crafts online.

In Region X, the project helps Native American women in the Yakama Nation in Washington State transition to better jobs/career opportunities. This project provides mentoring/coaching and financial literacy and other life skills training to help women become self-sufficient throughout their lives. Mentors and coaches are Tribal members who have successfully transitioned into careers and can be role models for women who are in employment training or educational programs.

Contact : Jenny Erwin, Region IX (San Francisco, CA, 415-625-2638) and/or Betty Lock, Region X (Seattle, WA, 206-553-1534).

Better Earnings!

Wi$eUp

Wi$eUp is a financial education project targeted to Generation X and Y women. The centerpiece of the program is an eight-module curriculum offered online, as well as in a classroom setting, in educational institutions and other organizations in all ten Women’s Bureau regions. In the online program, the curriculum is complemented by an “Ask the Experts” feature, which permits participants to send questions by e-mail to volunteers with financial expertise. Another feature available to participants in both the online and classroom-based versions is a series of bi-monthly, free one-hour teleconference calls with featured speakers and a question and answer session. Participants and experts are recruited by local organizations who collaborate with the Women’s Bureau. Please visit the Wi$eUp Web site at: www.wiseupwomen.org.

Contact: Beverly Lyle, Region VI (Dallas, TX, 972-850-4700) and/or Jane Walstedt, National Office (Washington, DC, 202-693-6710).

Better Living!

Flex-Options

The goal of the Flex-Options project is to help businesses create or expand workplace flexibility policies and programs for their workforces. The project brings together corporate executives and employers who volunteer to mentor business owners interested in developing flexible workplace policies and programs. When employers redesign work and implement flexible work options, employees are better able to manage work and life responsibilities. Business owners realize positive bottom line impacts as well. The Women’s Bureau also conducts free bi-monthly teleconferences featuring workplace flexibility experts and business owners who share their knowledge and experiences on important flexible work arrangement issues, such as workplace flexibility trends and best practices, challenges to implementing flexible work arrangements, and legal issues. All ten Women's Bureau regions participate in the project. Additional information is available on the Flex-Options Web site at: www.flexoptions.org.

Contact: Frances E. Jefferson, Region VIII (Denver, CO, 303-844-1286) and/or Michael Williams, National Office (Washington, DC, 202-693-6710).

Value-Added Supporters!

Replications

The Women’s Bureau aims to expand successful projects through replication. Project replication allows more women to benefit from Women’s Bureau project models. These models are effectively designed to prepare women for better job opportunities, generate better earnings potential, and promote better living. In 2008, about 25 supporters served more than 2,200 participants by replicating or expanding Women’s Bureau projects.

Contact: Karen Hornstein, National Office (Washington, DC, 202-693-6710).

Previous Projects