March marks Women in the Trades Month, a celebration of the growing number of women pursuing careers in traditionally male-dominated fields. Throughout the month, Questar III BOCES is spotlighting female Career and Technical Education (CTE) students who are building skills, breaking barriers, and paving the way for even more young women.
Women make up less than 5% of all skilled trade workers in the United States. But this number is rising, as more women attend career and technical education and trade schools. With the country facing a shortage of skilled trade workers, women are helping to fill the gap, bringing their talent, perspectives, and skills to the table.
Simone Beaumont is a senior in the Questar III BOCES Welding program at Donald R. Kline Technical School from Greenville Central School District.
Simone Beaumont is a senior in the Questar III BOCES Welding program at Donald R. Kline Technical School from Greenville Central School District. Welding wasn’t always definite for Simone; in fact, there was another Questar III program she was interested in in her sophomore year.
“My first pick for a while was cosmetology,” Simone shared. “When I came to look at courses here, it was welding and cosmetology. I started looking into welding more and saw more benefits. I also like routine, and in welding, once you know it and get called to a job site, you know what you’re going to do every time.”
Simone is one of four female welders in her class. When she first started the program, she was happy to know one young woman already.
“I already knew one girl, and we made friends with the other two,” Simone said. “Going into it, I was a little bit nervous, but I’ve always had guy friends. I was looking at it like, they’re going into this with similar thinking. I feel like a lot of people were just waiting for someone to speak up and have a conversation, and I’ll be the one to do that. But I don’t think I was at first. We do now, but they’re always short conversations. Our learning is in the booth, so if we’re talking, we’re not learning.”
Simone has already learned to torch cut, stick, and TIG weld, and is getting started on MIG welding. She’s also filing away her certifications, including OSHA 30, and National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) welding certifications. NOCTI exams serve as a bridge from high school to college or the workforce, showing that students have both the written knowledge and hands-on skills to be proficient in their field.
Simeone Beaumont welds while at Peckham Industries where she participates in the Youth Apprenticeship Program.
Simone had the opportunity to work on her skills last summer and learn some new ones when she was matched with Peckham Industries through our Youth Apprenticeship Program. This program gives students a minimum of 200 hours of paid, on-the-job training and first-hand experience of what it’s like to work in that field. By a stroke of luck, Simone was partnered with Elise Maland, a 2025 graduate of our welding program who also worked at Peckham Industries when she was in the program, and stayed working there after graduation.
“She was an awesome mentor,” Simone said. “I don’t think I could have found a better place to have an apprenticeship. The work setting was great, the people were great, and I made friends with everyone in the shop. I expanded my knowledge of machinery as well. I welded, but also did oil changes on the big trucks. I now have knowledge in other places that aren’t welding, but will help me later in life. It was a very cool experience, and the people working there made it even better.”
With her senior year winding down, Simone still has one main goal ahead of her – to continue learning and growing as a welder. She will be attending Alfred State College next year to earn an Associate Degree in welding.
“My main goal is to perfect as much as I can now,” Simone said. “Questar is a good platform for me as I head to college. My whole reason for going from welding school to welding school is to be the best at it, to perfect my skills in all areas of welding. Whether that be fabrication, blueprints, or anything else that goes into being a good welder and fabricator, I want to be the best at it.”
Oftentimes, CTE students who continue their studies in college can take advantage of an articulation agreement or skip entry level courses for the program, since they already have a foundation in the field. Simone, however, doesn’t want to take advantage of those opportunities, to continue finding new ways to learn.
“I love already knowing how to do something and then getting walked through it again with somebody else, a new teacher,” explained Simone. “I don’t want to change the amount of time I will be there, so I want to go and do the whole thing. As I said, my main goal is to perfect as much as I can.”
After college, Simone is keeping her options open. She is considering the differing benefits of owning her own mobile welding business, joining a union, becoming a weld inspector, or entering an apprenticeship. She is thankful for her family, especially her father and brother, for the impact they have made on her work ethic and future planning.
Simone offered a bit of advice for young girls who weren’t sure if welding could be in their future:
“Don’t be afraid that because it’s a man’s workforce, that a women can’t succeed. You have more ground to stand on than you think.”
View this post on Instagram