District Council 21 Celebrates Women in Construction Week with Spotlights on Female Apprentices Across our Trades
To celebrate Women in Construction Week, meet three current apprentices across our three trades who are defining what it means to be a woman in the building trades!
Jennifer Young | commercial paint apprentice
Jennifer is a third-term commercial paint apprentice with Local 2011. A mother of two, Jennifer and her family live in Northeast Philadelphia, and she’s proud to build the city she calls home. To set herself apart in the industry, Jennifer has her OSHA 10, Scaffold UED, Fall Protection, and RRP certifications. She has worked for Fromkin Brothers Inc. on the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania that was built across from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She is currently working for Schnoll Painting on a large 50-story luxury condominium building called the Laurel in Rittenhouse Square.
Casey Donahue | drywall finishing apprentice
Casey Donahue is a fourth-term drywall finishing apprentice with Local 1955. As she transforms the buildings of Philadelphia, she sees herself and her skills transform as well. Casey wishes she would’ve looked into the trades right out of high school; after years in jobs with low pay and benefits that made health care unaffordable, Casey is happy she made the switch to DC 21. Casey now mentors local high school students who visit the FTI as part of the ACE Mentor Program of Greater Philadelphia to teach them about careers in the trades.
“I would tell my 18-year-old self to not try and put myself in this bubble based on my gender. I felt very stuck in what was deemed ‘appropriate’ for a female to do. I wish I would’ve tried to branch out and looked further into the trades.”
Emily Biddulph | glazing apprentice
Emily is a first-term glazing apprentice with Local 252. When Emily was furloughed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she saw that a few family members in the union kept their jobs going fairly steadily while many other industries faced uncertainty. She decided to change her career for that stability, during the pandemic and beyond. A former corporate chef, she sees a lot of similarities between her previous job and her new career in glazing; both are thrilling and artistic careers. Emily says it’s important to have men and women in any profession and is proud to see an increase in women joining the trades.
