Percentage of Women Goes from 5% to 14% in Welding and Automotive Technology at Las Positas College & Retention Up to 93%


case-study-las-positas1---200
Female Welding Student and Role Model from Las Positas College

Quick Facts
Recruitment Numbers % of female students in intro courses increased from 5% to 14% in spring 2010 in just over 2 years' time, with an aggregate enrollment rate of 6% over the entire Project.
Retention Numbers 74% to 100% (female) retention in just over 1 year with an aggregate completion rate of 93% over the course of the Project. Male retention rate also increased from 88% to 94% in the aggregate.
Training Las Positas College's Leadership Team participated in IWITTS's WomenTech Educators Training. The team included instructors, counselors and key administrators.



Recruitment Strategies

All eight colleges in the CalWomenTech Project  were required to carry out four core recruitment strategies during their first year of participation. In addition, the college could incorporate custom recruitment strategies into their annual strategic plans. One of the strategies recommended to the colleges during the training at the start of the Project was a press strategy beginning with a press release template provided by the CalWomenTech Project.

Las Positas College in Livermore, CA successfully completed all four core recruitment strategies and developed an active press strategy. The required recruitment strategies revolved around four key pieces of outreach collateral featuring female role models:

  1. Posters
  2. Flyers
  3. Brochures
  4. A website

Las Positas College chose to develop their own unique poster design and they also developed a pink emery board that said “Women in Technology RULE” with a ruler on the back as a giveaway. Two other popular giveaways were Women in Technology mugs and water bottles.  These were distributed to key opinion leaders including students, Las Positas College administrators and counselors, and high school counselors and teachers.

The college also developed an extensive distribution plan in their second year with the help of a member of the business and marketing faculty and posted collateral in both community locations such as local Laundromats and on-campus locations such as the counseling offices.

Las Positas College has had great success in obtaining local press coverage which it has posted on its website. KRON 4 produced a news story on the college’s efforts to recruit more women through the CalWomenTech Project.  The Women in Technology Open House resulted in significant news coverage including newspaper articles ("Women Wrench, Weld Way to Success"), a news video, and photographs by the Contra Costa Times, the Tri-Valley Herald, and The Independent.

Recruitment Resultscase study las positas 200

Las Positas College’s recruitment efforts paid off after 2 years of participation in the CalWomenTech Project.  The introductory automotive and welding classes at Las Positas College went from a baseline of 5.4% women to 14.3% in spring 2010 -- an increase of 8.6 percentage points and 168.4%. This is the most significant increase that any of the trades-focused CalWomenTech sites saw  in the Project. 

In introductory and advanced courses overall, Las Positas College achieved an average of 6.2% (a small increase) with an earlier jump in summer 2009 when the percentage of female students went to 13.3% -- an increase of 155.8%. Any increase in the number of women in advanced courses has to start at the introductory course level. Las Positas College now has a pipeline of female students that should positively impact advanced level courses in future semesters.

Recruitment progress in the CalWomenTech Project trades-focused sites has been slower than with programs in computer-related technology (some of which have gone to a third or almost a half women), so Las Positas College’s success in improving their recruitment of women in introductory automotive and welding courses in two years is a true breakthrough. The college stayed persistent in their proactive efforts to recruit female students for two years before they turned the corner on female enrollment.

Retention Strategies

A major accomplishment of the CalWomenTech Project has been the improved retention of both women and men across many of the community college sites, including Las Positas College.  IWITTS attributes this improvement, evident among both female and male students, to classroom strategies employed by instructors.  These key retention strategies were taught in the WomenTech training and implemented shortly after the start of the Project by welding and automotive faculty at Las Positas College.

The retention strategies covered in the initial training that Las Positas College received included:

  • Teaching to female learning styles, providing building block skills, ensuring all students (including women) spend equal time using the equipment in the labs and integrating female students into the classroom.
  • Revising the program’s curriculum to be more female-friendly. Some changes included using more contextual examples that appeal to women, more collaborative projects and providing additional open lab time.

Retention Results

Las Positas College saw a significant increase in the completion rates of both female and male welding and automotive technology students after implementing the classroom strategies from the WomenTech Training and developing a retention plan. Over two years, retention rates went from a baseline for female students of 74.2% to an average completion rate of 92.9% (an increase of 25.2%), while the male completion rate went from a baseline of 88.2% to an aggregate of 94.2% (an increase of 6.8%). At baseline the female completion rate was 14 percentage points lower than the male completion rate -- now they are within 1.2% of each other and comparable.

The welding and automotive programs at Las Positas College retained 100% of their female students for three semesters – spring 2009, summer 2009 and spring 2010. That is an increase from baseline of 34.8% and a good indication of future success for women in the programs.

Sustainability

The CalWomenTech Project model was designed to institutionalize gender equity strategies into the Project’s community college sites. IWITTS worked closely with each college to ensure sustainability beyond the life of the Project.

Las Positas College plans to continue distributing the “Women in Technology” posters, banner, website section and other outreach collateral developed during the Project. On the retention side, the automotive and welding instructors have made a commitment to continue to teach to female learning styles, a strategy that has worked to improve retention for both female and male students.

Learn more about the Las Positas College Automotive Technology and Welding programs.  

Evergreen Valley College (EVC) Increases Retention of both Female and Male Automotive Students; Increases Recruitment of Women by 45%

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Jennifer Eklund, female graduate and role model from EVC Automotive Technology Program.
Quick Facts
Retention Numbers 69% to 100% female completion rate in 6 months time with an aggregate rate of 83% over entire Project. Male retention rates also increased from 65% to 76% on average.
Recruitment Numbers In fall 2009, Auto 102 (a required intro course) had nine women -- the largest # of females to ever enroll at one time. Over the entire Project, EVC increased recruitment of women by 45%.
Training EVC's Leadership Team participated in IWITTS' WomenTech Educators Training. The team included instructors, counselors and key administrators.


Evergreen Valley College

Evergreen Valley College (EVC) in San Jose, CA has one of the most diverse student bodies within the California Community College System with around 12,000 students from over 70 countries. The Automotive Technology program at EVC offers an A.S. degree, five certificate programs, and the Honda Professional Automotive Career Training (PACT) program. EVC’s Automotive Technology program serves students such as Jennifer Eklund, a young woman who went from a retail clerk to an automotive technology student to a full-time automotive technician to a CalWomenTech role model inspiring other women to pursue a career in automotive technology. Program alumni such as Jennifer are qualified to work as well-paid auto technicians and electrical diagnostic technicians with the opportunity advance to management positions. Trades and technology programs such as the Automotive Technology program at EVC also equip female students with the science, math, and technical skills to pursue further education and career opportunities in STEM.

Between fall 2004 and spring 2008, women made up just 4.3% of students in EVC’s introductory Automotive Technology courses, and only 68.8% of female students and 65.5% of males were completing the introductory courses. In 2008, EVC joined the CalWomenTech Project after their Automotive Technology program received a grant from the California State Chancellor's Office to develop a statewide Hybrid-Alternative Fuel curriculum. EVC sought the help of the CalWomenTech Project to ensure women would be included and successful in both the new program and in existing Automotive Technology courses.

Retention Strategies

The key retention strategies for Evergreen Valley College (EVC) -- implemented shortly after EVC joined the CalWomenTech Project -- were:

  • Changing the culture in introductory courses from one where "weeding out" students was normal to a culture focused on "screening in" students.
  • Using "modeling" in the classroom -- instructors model or demonstrate the lab, lecture and then have students do hands-on activities. Many instructors skip the "demonstration" step.
  • A literacy course using automotive terminology was developed for students in the course of the Project; this had been planned prior to the CalWomenTech Project.

In addition to these classroom strategies, EVC also came up with some support strategies involving female role models and rewards for female completers. Taking into account that most of their female students worked full time or had other demands on their schedules, EVC brought female role models successfully working in the automotive industry into the classroom while class was in session. This allowed female (and male) students to listen to role model presentations and ask questions without having to attend an outside event.

EVC also started the "CalWomenTech Tool Scholarship" to encourage female students to complete the first part of their certificate in order to receive their own engraved wrench sized to fit women (with a longer handle for smaller arms). Taken together, the classroom strategies and creative support strategies create a comprehensive retention success plan.

Retention Results

EVC's baseline retention rate for female students -- 68.8% in introductory courses and 72.7% in all courses -- went to 100% for two non-consecutive semesters during the CalWomenTech Project. EVC experienced its first semester with 100% retention of female students in summer 2008, which means that in less than six months of participation in the CalWomenTech Project and a single CalWomenTech training on retention they saw gains of 37.5% for women. In the aggregate, the average female completion rate in introductory courses is now 81.7% and 82.5% in all courses.

The retention of male automotive students increased just as dramatically as that of the female students during the CalWomenTech Project, which IWITTS attributes to classroom strategies employed by instructors that have positively impacted both female and male students alike. Male completion baseline was 65.5% in introductory Automotive Technology courses and 64.5% in all courses and now the aggregate is 73% in introductory courses and 75.6% in all courses—a significant increase. This improved retention of both women and men across many of the community college sites has been a major accomplishment of the CalWomenTech Project.

case study evc 200Recruitment Strategies and Results

The CalWomenTech Leadership Team of automotive instructors, counselors, outreach staff, and administrators at EVC followed the core recruitment strategies of the CalWomenTech Project -- such as identifying female role models for the CalWomenTech “Women in Automotive Technology” recruitment materials -- and brainstormed new strategies based on the CalWomenTech training they received upon joining the Project. Shortly after joining the CalWomenTech Project and beginning to implement recruitment strategies, the number of women in EVC’s introductory courses almost doubled -- going from a baseline of 4.3 to 8.1% for that semester

To attract even more women to the Automotive Technology program the team then developed a casual, entry-level course entitled “Auto Repair for the Lay Person” designed to act as a feeder course that would both prepare students for and get them excited about the full Automotive Technology program. As part of their CalWomenTech recruitment plan, EVC decided that all publicity (e.g. an ad in the class schedule) for the new course would feature female role models. The intent was to enroll women into a course for lay people to stimulate their interest in automotive technology as a career and thus serve as a feeder course. Following the feeder course, nine women enrolled in the introductory Auto 102 course -- the highest number to ever take the class at one time. In fall 2009, the number of women in EVC’s introductory courses increased by 59.3% going from a baseline of 4.3 to 6.8% for that semester. The EVC Leadership Team felt that this bridge course was one of the most successful recruitment strategies of the CalWomenTech Project. Over the course of the CalWomenTech Project, EVC succeeded in increasing the recruitment of women in introductory Automotive Technology courses to 6.2% on average -- an increase of 44.7%.

EVC also implemented the recruitment strategies required as part of the CalWomenTech Project including:

  • Identifying female role models in automotive technology and taking their photos for marketing collateral to be developed by IWITTS;
  • Distributing recruitment posters, flyers, brochures and a CalWomenTech College Website section featuring female role models.

Sustainability

The CalWomenTech Project model was designed to institutionalize gender equity strategies into the Project's community college sites. IWITTS worked closely with each college to ensure sustainability beyond the life of the Project.

EVC plans to continue distributing the "Women in Automotive Technology" posters, banner, website section and other outreach collateral developed during the Project. On the retention side, the automotive instructors have made a commitment to continue to teach to female learning styles, a strategy that has worked to improve retention for both female and male students. EVC also plans to send any new automotive faculty to IWITTS' national training on recruiting and retaining women to ensure that they learn the same effective strategies.

Learn more about EVC's Automotive Technology program.

These free podcasts and webinars present strategies that will help you successfully recruit and retain women to the technology classroom.  

donna-milgram

WomenTech Educators Free Webinar: More female students in just one year
webinar presented by Donna Milgram
Click here for next webinar date

Are you ready to stop recruiting and start teaching? Learn proven recruitment and retention strategies so you can see more female students succeed in your STEM classes and have a richer educational environment.

lori-johnson-bioDeveloping Male Allies in Your Male-Dominated Field {enclose Lori_Johnson_Podcast.mp3}
podcast presented by Lori Johnson
* a good resource to share with your students

Lori Johnson is president of her own business, Ladies, Start Your Engines!, an automotive maintenance class for women. Ms. Johnson earned a certification in Automotive Technology from Pennco Tech and received an A.A.S. degree in Automotive Technology from Community College of Philadelphia. She also has a B.A. from Temple University.

geri-hertel-bioHow To Develop and Market a Career Development Course to Interest, Recruit and Retain Women in Tech Classes
webinar presented by Geri Hertel, M.Ed.
please fill out our post-webinar survey

Geri Hertel, M.Ed. is a professor in the Computer Information Systems department at Olympic College in Washington, where she has taught an online Women and Technology course for the past four years. 

lindakekelis-jericountryman-bioPlanning Role Model Visits and Field Trips to Inspire Girls in Technology, Science and Engineering  
webinar presented by Dr. Linda Kekelis and Jeri Countryman
please fill out the post-webinar survey

Dr. Linda Kekelis is Project Director of Techbridge. She has a master's degree in linguistics from the University of Southern California and a doctorate in special education from the University of California, Berkeley. Jeri Countryman is Project Manager of Techbridge. She has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Simmons College and master's degree in interdisciplinary computer science from Mills College. She is pursuing a doctorate in science education from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

donna-milgramRecruiting and Retaining More Women to Technology
podcast presented by Donna Milgram
with Gordon F. Snyder, Jr. and Mike Qaissaunee

Donna Milgram, Executive Director of IWITTS, discusses strategies educators can use to recruit and retain more women to technology with Gordon F. Snyder, Jr. and Mike Qaissaunee on their Information and Communications Technology Podcast.

sheryl-sorby-bioTeaching Spatial Reasoning to Improve Retention of Women in Technology
webinar presented by Sheryl A. Sorby, Ph.D.
please fill out our post-webinar survey

Sheryl A. Sorby, Ph.D. is the author of "Introduction to 3D Spatial Visualization: An Active Approach" and professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at Michigan Technological University.


IWITTS has provided training and consulting services to hundreds of clients, including educational organizations, non-profit organizations, law enforcement agencies, businesses, and unions. 

* as of January 2014

Educational Organizations

National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education (NSF ATE) Program Centers and Projects

  • Alabama
    • CARCAM - Consortium for Alabama Regional Center for Automotive Manufacturing
  • California
    • MPICT - Mid-Pacific Information and Communication Technologies Center
  • Massachusetts
    • BATEC - Broadening Advanced Technological Education Connections ATE Center for Computing and IT
  • Maryland
    • TIME - Technology and Innovation in Manufacturing and Engineering Center
  • Nebraska
    • Midwest Center for Information Technology, AIM Institute
  • Nevada
    • Information & Telecommunications Technology ATE Regional Center, Community College of Southern Nevada
  • North Carolina
    • The University of North Carolina at Charlotte's Engineering Technology Department (ATE Project)
  • South Carolina
    • SC ATE - South Caroline ATE Center of Excellence & National Resource Center for Engineering Technology Education
  • Texas
    • CAPT - Center for Advancement of Process Technology, College of Mainland Texas
    • CTC - Convergence Technology Center
    • GeoTech - National Geospatial Technology Center

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National Agencies

  • Cisco Systems/Cisco Learning Institute
  • U.S. Department of Education

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Regional, State, and Local Agencies and Consortiums

Alaska

  • Alaska Dept of Education, School-To-Work Office

Alabama

  • Talladega County Schools

Arkansas

  • Arkansas Department of Workforce Education
  • Arkansas Department of Higher Education

Arizona

  • Tucson Unified School District

California

  • California State University
  • Los Angeles Orange County Workforce Development Leaders (LOWDL)
  • San Diego County Office of Education
  • Tech Prep Consortium, Cabrillo College

Colorado

  • Colorado Community College & Occupational Education System
  • Denver Public Schools

Connecticut

  • Connecticut Business & Industry Association, in collaboration with the CT Community Colleges' College of Technology

Florida

  • Fort Myers School-To-Work Partnership
  • Hillsborough County Department of Education
  • SW Florida School-To-Careers Consortium

Georgia

  • Henry County School District

Idaho

  • Center for New Directions at Eastern Idaho Technical College

Illinois

  • Ohio & Wabash Valley Regional Vocational System (O.W.V.R.V.S.)

Kansas

  • Butler Community College
  • Kansas Board of Regents

Kentucky

  • State of Kentucky, Dept. for Technical Education, Cabinet for Workforce Development

Louisiana

  • Acadia Parish School District, Region 4
  • Regional Conference for Workforce Development in Northeast LA

Massachusetts

  • Quincy Public Schools, Center for Technical Education

Maryland

  • Maryland Department of Education

Michigan

  • Grand Rapids Community College
  • Michigan Vocational Equity Office

Minnesota

  • Minnesota Department of Education
  • Wayzata Public Schools

North Carolina

  • North Carolina School-To-Work Office

North Dakota

  • Fargo Public Schools
  • North Dakota State Board for Vocational and Technical

Nebraska

  • Nebraska School-To-Work Office

New Hampshire

  • New Hampshire Dept. of Education, Bureau of Career Development and Eastern Region School-To-Work Partnership

Nevada

  • Clark County School District
  • State of Nevada Career Education Consortium
  • University of Las Vegas Educational Equity Resource Center & College of Education, School to Careers Professional Development Center

Pennsylvania

  • Pennsylvania State Department of Education Career & Technical Education

Washington

  • Edmonds Community College, Center for Washington, Non-Traditional Training and Employment

Wisconsin

  • University of Wisconsin System Women & Science Program
  • Wisconsin School Districts I and VI

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Community Colleges

Arkansas

  • Ouachita Technical College

Arizona

  • Tucson Unified School District

California

  • Allan Hancock College
  • Atlanta Technical College
  • San Diego County Office of Education
  • Los Rios Community College District
  • Rio Hondo College
  • SouthWestern College

Florida

  • Pensacola Junior College

Hawai'i

  • Hawai'i Community College
  • Honolulu Community College

Iowa

  • Iowa Western Community College
  • Kirkwood Community College
  • Northeast Iowa Community College

Kansas

  • Butler Community College

Kentucky

  • Owensboro Community and Technical College

Louisiana

  • Fletcher Technical College
  • Non-Traditional Training and Equity Conference, Louisiana Community and Technical College System

North Carolina

  • Gaston College

New Jersey

  • County College of Morris

Nevada

  • Great Basin College
  • Western Nevada Community College

New York

  • Erie Community College
  • Monroe College

Oregon

  • Rogue Community College

Pennsylvania

  • Pennsylvania Department of Education, New Choices/New Options

South Carolina

  • Trident Technical College

Texas

  • Alamo Community College District
  • Collin Community College

Utah

  • Utah Valley State College

Virginia

  • Community and Technical College Education and Workforce Development, Community and Technical College Division, Higher Education Policy Commission
  • Piedmont Virginia Community College
  • Tidewater Community College
  • VA Community and Technical College Education and Workforce Development

Washington

  • Olympic Community College
  • Wenatchee Valley Community College

West Virginia

  • West Virginia Council of Community and Technical Colleges

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Four Year Universities

Arkansas

  • University of Arkansas

California

  • Channel Island University

Massachusetts

  • University of Massachusetts Amherst, Commonwealth Alliance for IT Education (CAITE)

Virginia

  • James Madison University

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Non-Profit Organizations

Arizona

  • Chicanos Por La Causa

Colorado

  • Colorado Women's Foundation

District of Colombia

  • National Council of La Raza

Hawai'i

  • Hawai'i Technology Institute

Indiana

  • Girls Inc.

Maryland

  • Opportunity Skyway

New Mexico

  • Youth Development Inc.

Pennsylvania

  • Higher Ed Hero

Tennessee

  • Project Lead The Way

Wisconsin

  • The International Foundation

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Law Enforcement

Arizona

  • Tucson Police Department

California

  • Oakland Police Department

Canada

  • Vancouver Police Department

District of Colombia

  • FBI Academy
  • U.S. Customs Service

Massachusetts

  • Massachusetts State Police Department

North Carolina

  • Durham Police Department

Pennsylvania

  • Pennsylvania State Police Department

Washington

  • Port of Seattle Police Department

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Employers and Unions

Arizona

  • Jones Intercable
  • Tucson Plumbers Apprenticeship Program

MAryland

  • Suburban Maryland Building Industry

New Mexico

  • Albuquerque Fire Department
  • New Mexico Department of Transportation

Virginia

  • National Pest Management Association

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Selected Publications

  1. Request Professional Development
  2. Stem Gender Readiness Quiz Rating Scale
  3. Stem Minority Readiness Quiz Rating Scale
  4. Free Report