Women In Sustainable Employment (WISE) Pathways is a career exploration program designed for women to learn about in-demand careers such as those in Manufacturing, Supply Chain & Logistics, Information Technology (IT), and Construction. These are high wage occupations that can provide stability for women and their families.
The program covers the realities of the featured careers, what to expect and how to be competitive in a hiring process, and where to get needed education and training.
Program participants can engage in career exploration with women who have work experience in these industries, which will help them find interesting options for themselves.
Please note that Ohio wage data has been cited across this website; however, the industry highlights and skills information are nationally relevant. We are looking forward to providing information about other states and regions in the future. If you are interested in learning more, please contact us at info@hhwohio.org.
WISE Pathways combines two proven techniques to engage women and raise awareness of in-demand careers in their community that provide a family-sustaining wage: 1) Career Exploration and Coaching with engaged industry and education partners, 2) Trained Role Model Speakers with significant experience working in the featured industry sectors.
Through its leadership of Ohio TechNet*, launched in 2014 with a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) TAACCCT grant, Lorain County Community College (LCCC) worked with SkillsCommons and subject matter experts from targeted industries to create or enhance many “Grab and Go” resources for utilization in launching a WISE Pathways pilot. To support engagement of women in the Ohio Manufacturing Workforce Consortium, supported by a USDOL Scaling Apprenticeship grant, LCCC and partners from the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association are assisting regions in the launch of WISE Pathways pilot programs. The enhanced WISE Pathways resources are free to use and customizable for any region; examples include a county court system partnering with education, workforce, and industry to offer WISE Pathways as a diversion program for women who are first time, non-violent offenders; an Appalachian community offering WISE Pathways to those completing drug rehab; an urban neighborhood hosting WISE Pathways in a community training center which has a computer lab and childcare options; and a small rural college opting to offer WISE as two week-long summer camps, one for young women after their junior year in high school and one session for un/underemployed women ages 18 – 50+.
