Central OC Times

Assemblymember Diane Dixon presented House Resolution 17 on Monday to honor women in carpentry during Women’s History Month. The resolution highlights the Southwest Mountain States Carpenters Training Fund's program, Bridging Outstanding Opportunities with Tradeswomen Skills (B.O.O.T.S.), which is a four-week pre-apprenticeship initiative aimed at empowering women interested in becoming union carpenters.

The B.O.O.T.S. program provides an introduction to various aspects of carpentry, including safety, math, framing, and concrete form building. Despite women making up only 2.6 percent of apprentices across California's programs, the B.O.O.T.S. initiative has enrolled 376 women, with 74 percent securing employment with signatory contractors.

"Nationally, women comprise only three to four percent of the building trade’s workforce," Assemblymember Dixon stated. "The BOOTS program is blazing a trail and encouraging more women to train with our trades in California." She expressed hope that more women would join to learn these specialized skills.

Assistant Director Paula Resa from the Southwest Mountain States Training Fund and Sierra Killey, a recent graduate of the B.O.O.T.S. program and constituent of AD 72, were present on the Assembly Floor to accept the resolution alongside Assemblymember Dixon.

"I am proud to honor such an incredible program and a new graduate with HR 17," Dixon added. "Encouraging women to join the trades paves one more pathway to financial stability and future success."