By Laura Raines

For AJC Jobs

Natoshia Anderson is a mechanical engineer and drafting instructor at DeKalb Technical College. As an engineer, she always loved designing projects and seeing them come to reality.

“That’s a high like I’ve never known,” Anderson said. “But when I tell people that I’m an engineer, they often look at me like I’m an alien being. What I’d like is for them to do is just nod yes.”

Anderson also would like to see more women train and enter nontraditional jobs that involve science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). So would DeKalb Technical College.

On Oct. 19-21, the college will sponsor a three-day Nontraditional Career Workshop for Women. The event is aimed at low-income, underemployed or unemployed women in metro Atlanta.

“Previously, Roslyn Bogle [special populations/equity coordinator] and I had been going into the high schools to tell girls about careers in science and technology,” Anderson said. “It was a successful initiative, but we were operating on a shoestring budget.”

Thanks to a $7,000 grant from the Atlanta Women’s Foundation, Anderson and Bogle will design a nontraditional career program for adult women.

The workshop will allow about 50 Atlanta women to learn about degree programs and industries with well-paying jobs that are looking for women workers. Participants will learn about careers in welding, automotive technology, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) technology, computer graphics and design, engineering technology, criminal justice and computer information systems.

“The first day is an information awareness day. We’ll give participants an overview of the college’s many programs and tell them about support services, financial aid assistance and other resources that can help them go to school,” Anderson said.

On Oct. 20 participants will visit businesses and industries that employ women in nontraditional jobs. “They’ll be able to talk with women and hear what their day-to-day jobs are like,” Anderson said.

On the third day, attendees will experience hands-on learning and try welding, changing oil or diagnosing a computer or air-conditioning problem.

“We’ll be following up with participants afterward to see if they’re planning to go back to school and how we can help them,” Anderson said. “Many employers tell us that there is a shortage of skilled workers and that there are jobs waiting.

“Women are just as smart [as men] and can learn the skills. They just need to get over the stereotyping that some jobs are just for men.”

Anderson and Bogle are excited about the opportunity to open more women’s eyes to new careers.

“This grant money is an investment in a program that will open new doors to women who have been underserved, unemployed and underemployed for far too long,” Anderson said. “The goal of our program is to give them hope for a more prosperous future that they might not have realized without these funds and this program.”

For information, call 404-297-9522 (ext. 1280) or go to www.dekalbtech.edu.

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