Factors affecting young women's decisions to enter blue collar, non-traditional post-secondary training programs

Nineteen young women, aged 14 through 24, who were enrolled in Drafting, Electronic Communications and TV, Machine Shop, Radio and Industrial Electronics, Truck Driving and Welding training programs at a Tennessee State Area Vocational School on July 30, 1979, were interviewed. An Interview Guide was used which was designed to collect descriptive information regarding family, school and community backgrounds and post-secondary life experiences of the students. Each interview was taped and transcribed. The data were analyzed by means of simple statistical analysis (frequency counts and percents) and Kurt Lewin's Field of Forces concepts.

This population of young women was found to divide into two sub-groups. The group of drafting students was more traditional than the other Trades and Industrial students interviewed, who were more like women apprentices or women already employed in blue collar, female non-traditional occupations. Drafting appears to be a Trades and Industrial training program that is losing its female nontraditional status.

All the young women appeared remarkably self-confident. In addition, the young women in the shop courses described themselves as "different," from which it can be concluded that young women who choose non-traditional blue collar training programs will generally have positive views of self in which it is appropriate to view self as different, or to be viewed so by others.

The young women saw high school education as an end in itself— graduation. From the high school educational experiences these young women described, it can be concluded that high school guidance services offered few opportunities for self awareness, career awareness and career exploration that would have aided them in selecting courses of study which would have lead to meaningful employment or related postsecondary education upon graduation.

Those young women with few family responsibilities, continuing parental financial and emotional support, and feelings of dissatisfaction with present employment possibilities were apt to enter a non-traditional Trades and Industrial training program within a few months of high school graduation. The young women who assumed responsibilities for self and others after ending secondary school education were apt to delay entry into a non-traditional training program several years. When family responsibilities were reduced through divorce and relinquishing custody of child(ren) and financial aid for education was provided by state or federal agencies, the young women were able to apply for admittance.