Earlier this year, after a decade working in the retail industry, Carmen Vivanco thought it was time to make a career change. For her next job, she wanted to be challenged like never before.
It didn't take long for Carmen to find such a career path. Her brother-in-law is a Journeyman Ironworker and inspired her to explore his line of work. What Carmen did not know at the time is that women account for only 2% of the ironworker labor force. If a challenge was indeed what Carmen was looking for, she certainly found it.
She enrolled for the Ironworkers Apprenticeship, but before she could even start the program, Carmen found an open position at the Project. Her brother-in-law helped her find the number for L.A. Steel, and Carmen lucked out when she made the call. Only a few weeks later, in August of this year, she started her very first construction job as an Ironworker Apprentice Level 1 (Local 416). SSW Jobs Coordinator Veronica Manzo works with companies like L.A. Steel to actively recruit and support women in the construction trades. SSW and their subcontractors are striving to meet the national goal of 6.9% female participation on federally funded projects.
Carmen grew up in Los Angeles, spent a lot of time downtown, and knew the original Sixth Street bridge very well. "It's historic," she says. Which is why Carmen is so humbled and proud to contribute to a new piece of the city's history. And she's shocked at how quickly the opportunity came along.
Carmen has immediately been gaining valuable experience in her new field. L.A. Steel assigned Carmen the task of tying rebar on the Project, including rebar at the knuckle region described above. As pictured, she regularly has to lift and carry lengths of steel rebar, which can sometimes weigh up to 75 lbs.
"I'm definitely out of my comfort zone," Carmen says about ironworking. This is a far different atmosphere than she's used to from her years at Nordstrom. For one, she is the only female ironworker currently on the Project. But Carmen says that she feels honored-- a word that comes up often when she talks about what she does--to be one of the women working there.
Carmen encourages other women to consider the construction industry. She would advise them to ask plenty of questions and be ready to learn. There has been a lot of terminology and tools for Carmen to get to know, and her colleagues have been helpful teaching her and the other apprentices new skills. She would also tell potential applicants about the surprising amount of manual labor involved in ironworking. For all of the impressive machines and technological advancements at modern construction sites, sometimes there is no substitute for using your hands.
Carmen is excited to learn more about her trade and continue the apprenticeship program. This was exactly the kind of challenge she was looking for, even if it requires an exhausting amount of physical exertion. Fortunately, Carmen is used to working out five days a week, so she was in excellent shape when she became an ironworker.
Needless to say, she doesn't need to go the gym nearly as much anymore.
