March is Women in the Trades Month, and Questar III BOCES is spotlighting the young women in our Career and Technical Education programs who are developing the technical skills to succeed in male-dominated fields. While women may continue to be underrepresented in fields such as automotive, construction, welding, or aviation, these students prove that talent and passion are what truly define success.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in 2024, women make up 6.2% or less of the workforce in roles such as firefighters, construction equipment operators, construction and maintenance workers, auto service technicians/mechanics, welders, and more. Every day, female CTE students help to break the mold as they develop skills to be successful in their careers. Throughout March, we’ll be sharing a few of their stories and celebrating all women along the way.
Elise Maland is a Questar III BOCES Welding student at Donald R. Kline Technical School from Greenville Central School District. She is a senior in the program and one of three females in her class. After exposure to welding through a motorsports technology class in her home district, she was inspired to learn the skills to make it a career.
“I didn’t hesitate to join the program,” Elise said. “My aunt was in the program a couple of years ago, my dad was a welder, and my stepdad also welds. I’ve always been around it.”
Welding students learn the hands-on skills required to stick, tig, and mig weld, along with torch and plasma cutting, and more. Additionally, students take math and science in their junior year and English in their senior year. The math and science classes relate to welding and English focuses on career readiness.
“Lately, we’ve been working on our portfolios in English,” shared Elise. “We’re also learning how to write a resume, prepare reference letters, and fill out a job application. Classes here are more hands-on, instead of sitting at a desk, working on a computer.”
Elise began developing career readiness skills in her junior year when she applied for the Youth Apprenticeship Program. Following the application process, she participated in interviews and job shadowing before being matched with Peckham Industries, Inc.
“I spent a lot of time welding on the big tractor trailers,” Elise said. “I also watched and learned how to work on the big trucks. The experience gave me more hands-on experience, and I learned things I hadn’t learned at school. I learned how to mig weld over the summer, and we just learned how to do that here, so it put me ahead of my classmates.”
At the end of her apprenticeship, Elise spoke with her manager about staying there to work part-time during the school year, and they agreed. She works most days after school, averaging 8-10 hours a week. While they don’t have a lot of welding work for her this time of year, she’s been working with their mechanics to expand her skillset, learning how to work on their tractor trailers.
Elise pondered whether being outnumbered in the classroom and workplace was intimidating, but ultimately said it wasn’t a big deal because, ultimately, everyone was welcoming. After landing her job at Peckham Industries, she noticed more respect and compliments on her work.
“I feel like a lot of females don’t want to do a program like this because there’s a lot of guys, they don’t want to be the only one,” shared Elise. “But it’s really not that bad! We’ve been here for two years, you’re with them every day, you start to become friends – we hang out all the time!”
After graduation, Elise hopes to continue working at Peckham Industries. When asked about what her career goal or dream job is, her answer was simple:
“Whatever job is the most paying… except underwater welding.”
