At the Ohio Operating Engineers Apprenticeship Program, we are always encouraging women of all ages to join the trades. In 2019, we decided to create an event specifically for women. Our SheDig initiative is a way for young women to get to experience a day-in-the-life of an Operating Engineer. Attendees and chaperones get to run several pieces of equipment, such as backhoes, loaders, dozers, forklifts, skid steers, excavators, cranes and many more. They will also meet our apprenticeship instructors and other experienced members of the Operating Engineers and have opportunities to talk and ask questions about a possible career path. All attendees are sent home with a SheDig t-shirt, commemorative photo with frame, as well as other swag and information about our apprenticeship program.
During our 2024 events, we saw just under 800 young women around the state! This was our 4th-annual event, and we have seen growth in participation each year. This event is held at each training site every year during the fall. Our hope is to continue to pique interest to grow the number of women in our trade.
Special thanks to our contractor sponsors, as well as OHIO811 for their participation.