McKenna Randall has grown up in a “family of fixer-uppers.” Randall said her parents and grandfather are adept at creative tasks, household repairs and carpentry and construction projects.
“I’ve always been around really creative people doing a lot of really interesting things and trying to fix things,” Randall said. “It’s always been a focal point in my life.”
Randall, 19, is now making her own mark with her handiwork. She’s enrolled in the carpentry program at Moore Norman Technology Center.
She said she’s enjoying hands-on projects and the knowledge she’s gaining from instructors and fellow students.
“We work together to learn together,” she said.
Randall also represents a growing number of women who are entering the trades industry. March is Women in Trade Month, which aims to raise awareness about women’s contributions to the trades and encourage young women to pursue careers in the trades industry.
In 2023, the number of women working in the trades reached the highest level ever, with 363,651 working in construction and extraction occupations, according to information from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
While women are still underrepresented in the trades, nationwide efforts are under way to raise awareness about job opportunities available. For example, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced last year the “Million Women in Construction Community Pledge” to bring more women into the construction workforce.
Lee Dow, director of aerospace, transportation and welding at Moore Norman Technology Center, said he has seen an increase in women entering the center’s trades programs. And students who are skilled in the trades, women and men alike, are in high demand in trade and industrial fields.
“These industries are really banging the door down to get first dibs on our graduates,” Dow said.
Dow said the technology center works to equip students with not only instruction and training but also opportunities to interact with industry professionals.
Randall said she appreciates the training she is receiving and the other services the center offers, such as help with resumes and job interviews. She also enjoys the variety of projects and assignments she’s worked on in the program, which have varied from cutting boards to cabinets.
Students in the carpentry program learn how to work on residential and commercial construction, including estimating, framing, roofing, interior finishing and cabinetmaking.
Randall said she feels welcomed and supported in the program and, while she knows there are times when there will be people “that I’m going to have to prove myself to,” she believes in her abilities and ambition.
She encourages other women who want to pursue a trades career to give it a go.
“Be brave enough to step out into the unknown,” Randall said. “Because at the end of the day, it could be one of the greatest opportunities you have and all you have to do is say yes.
“That’s what Moore Norman Technology Center has been for me. It was my yes.”
For more information about the trades programs at Moore Norman Technology Center, visit mntc.edu.– SMS
By Sharla Bardin
