CHARLOTTE, NC – Becoming a plumber was the last thing Hatisha Mike thought she would do. She never thought about the idea until she received an email a few months ago.
“They had a zoom call with She Built This City and I just got on the zoom call and that was probably the best thing I’ve done so far,” said Mike.
What you need to know
- She Built This City is a charlotte charity that focuses on getting girls and women interested in construction and commerce.
- This summer they teamed up with Lowe’s and Three Way Plumbing to offer a 15-week pre-education program for eight women.
- The current program session started in early July and ends in October when these women receive a certificate of completion.
Mike owns a catering company and also sells insurance, but after that call she decided to add plumbing to her resume.
“We learned how to measure fittings,” she said. “We learned something about commercial living. They even brought the truck here, so we got a lot of good information. ”
Mike is one of eight women currently enrolling in She Built This City’s Plumbing Pre-Apprenticeship Program.
She Built this City is a charlotte charity focused on getting girls and women excited about construction and commerce.
The nonprofit has partnered with Lowe’s and Danielle Martini of Three Way Plumbing to offer a 15-week pre-apprenticeship program.
“There aren’t many women in this industry and I don’t understand why,” said Martini.
Martini has been running her plumbing business for over 20 years and hopes this program can attract more women to the industry.
“They don’t know and they haven’t been given the opportunity to explore,” she said. “Schools don’t focus on the craft, and there’s so much about STEM. STEM is involved in all of this, so the professions are dying out. ”
This program doesn’t just provide hands-on experience to women like Mike. As soon as they are finished, the aim is to help the women find a job so that they can grow in this area.
“As far as I know, you have to work at least two years before you can get your plumber license, so I would hope to become a master plumber and have people work under me,” said Martini.
This program session started in early July and ends in October when these women receive a certificate of completion.
To learn more about this program and other programs offered by She Built This City, click here.
Comments are closed.