Wanted

Natalie Bell was thinking about a career in art after college when a welding class and a delivery of four pizzas changed her career trajectory.

“So making sure that they are increasing representation of qualified workers from underrepresented groups in the construction trades, which includes women.” Gruberg said some of the construction work on semiconductor facilities and highways and transportation could qualify. “I was taking a delivery out to a construction site and I met an ironworker who I was taking the delivery to,” said Bell, who lives in Columbus, Ohio. With one child in need of occupational and speech therapies, Palomar said she needed to make more than the $8 an hour she had earned as a preschool teacher. He said that there are also more opportunities for people starting a career in construction to possibly become project managers, estimators, entrepreneurs, educators, or labor leaders than when he began doing this work 33 years ago. Joy Merryman, a plumber and pipefitter who lives in Pickerington, Ohio, and works in Columbus, said she enjoys knowing that her labor will benefit the community, including her work on recreation centers. But to receive federal subsidies the law requires companies to ensure that the workers they hire, including construction workers building the plants, [have access to affordable and high-quality child care](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/28/business/economy/chips-act-childcare.html). And she’s so happy with her career choice that she now does outreach — planning events, job fairs and school visits — for the Central Ohio Women in the Trades. The success of that effort will depend on the federal policies now being put in place and changes to an industry that’s not known for being welcoming to women. Women lost jobs in education and in the service industry during the pandemic and as they returned to work many shifted to new occupations that reflect changing market conditions, according to their analysis. “While child care is important for women, it is equally important to note that construction as an industry risks losing more male workers due to childcare conflicts. Over the next decade, the administration wants to add a