Full text of Women's Bureau Updates : December 2019, Issue VI

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Women's Bureau

WB Updates December 2019 |
Issue VI
Women's Bureau Welcomes New Director,
Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith
Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith

Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith of Mississippi was appointed by President Trump to lead the Women's
Bureau in October 2019 and was sworn in by Secretary Scalia on November 14, 2019. She
brings more than 25 years of experience in education and research to the Women's Bureau. A
former Executive Director of the State Workforce Investment Board and State Early Childhood
Advisory Council in Mississippi, Dr. Todd-Smith played a leading role in the creation of the
Family-Based Unified and Integrated State Plan. She also served as a Senior Education Policy
Advisor to Governor Phil Bryant. Dr. Todd-Smith started her career as an elementary school
teacher.

Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith Moderates Panel
Discussions at the White House Summit on
Child Care and Paid Leave
ivanka trump at summit

wh summit panel

On December 12, 2019, Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump hosted the White House
Summit on Child Care and Paid Leave. The Summit was a bipartisan e ort that brought
together lawmakers and stakeholders to discuss the future of paid leave and child care in the

United States. Women's Bureau Director, Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith, moderated two panels
featuring Members of Congress on paving a path forward for paid leave. Panelists from the
U.S. Senate included: Shelly Moore Capito, Bill Cassidy, Joni Ernst, Martha McSally, Mitt
Romney, and Marco Rubio. Panelists from the U.S. House of Representatives included: Colin
Allred, Dan Crenshaw, Joe Cunningham, Ann Wagner, and Jackie Walorski. The panels
discussed the importance of paid family leave and how Congress can take a leading role in
advancing this e ort.
The Council of Economic Advisers also released a report on the Role of A ordable Child Care
in Promoting Work Outside the Home, and the White House released the Principles for Child
Care Reform to increase access to a ordable, high-quality child care in America.
View a recording of the Summit.

Women's Bureau to Mark 100 Years in 2020
women group

The U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau will enter its centennial year in 2020. As the
only federal agency tasked with focusing exclusively on working women, the Women's
Bureau develops policies and standards to safeguard women's interests, advocates for
women's equality and economic security, and promotes quality work environments. A
milestone for women in the workforce, the Women's Bureau will lead and support activities
that will reflect on the past, highlight the present, and set the path forward for the future. Be
sure to check back with the Women’s Bureau in January for more information.

Women's Bureau American Time Use
Survey Leave and Job Flexibilities Module
Highlighted by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics
woman and child

The Women's Bureau sponsored the 2017-2018 Leave and Job Flexibilities Module as a part of
the American Time Use Survey. The module aimed to better understand workers' access to
and use of paid time o and other job flexibilities. Using the data from the module, BLS
Commissioner William Beach published a blog titled "New Data on Balancing Family Needs
with Work." The data found that two out of three employees had access to paid leave from
their jobs in 2017-2018.
Read the blog post.

Women's Bureau Hosts National Summit
on Women in Apprenticeship
summit group

To celebrate DOL's fi h annual National Apprenticeship Week, the Women's Bureau hosted
a National Summit on Women in Apprenticeship on November 14, 2019. The Summit
explored ways to help expand apprenticeship opportunities for women in a variety of
industries and identified promising apprenticeship models. The Summit brought together
more than 200 representatives from stakeholder groups, with hundreds more watching
online. The Summit included welcome remarks from the U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene
Scalia and Deputy Secretary of Labor Patrick Pizzella, as well as keynote remarks from Dr.
Susan Crystal-Mansour of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The
Summit also featured a panel discussion on promising practices that included
representatives from CVS Health, Minuteman Technical Institute, Techtonic, Chicago Women
in Trades, and DOL's O ice of Apprenticeship. The panel was moderated by Women's Bureau
Deputy Director, Erica Clayton Wright.
To watch a recording of the Summit, see photos and to learn more, visit the event page.

Deputy Director Speaks at Eastern
Massachusetts Girls in Trades Conference
conference group

Women's Bureau Deputy Director Erica Clayton Wright spoke at the Eastern Massachusetts
Girls in Trades Conference and Career Fair on November 13, 2019, as part of National
Apprenticeship Week. Each of the 525 young women in attendance from 14 Career and
Technical Education schools was enrolled in apprentice programs. Deputy Director Wright
recognized women in nontraditional occupations as a way to address our nation's skills gap.

Arizona Women in Apprenticeship Career
Fair
career fair group

The Arizona Women in Apprenticeship Career Fair was held in Phoenix, Arizona, on November
15, 2019. The event featured more than 20 apprenticeship programs and employers, and was
attended by 95 women. The program was developed by the Women's Bureau Region 9 sta in
collaboration with the Arizona Apprenticeship O ice, the Fresh Start Women's Foundation,
and regional sta from DOL's O ice of Apprenticeship, as well as the O ice of Federal
Contract Compliance Programs. The purpose of the event was to build awareness for women
in apprenticeships and build recruitment pipelines for Arizona employers. In addition to the
career expo, a panel of female role models shared their career journeys, and workforce
specialists shared strategies about how to navigate change and build a career. As a result of
the program, many women have submitted apprenticeship applications, identified new
mentors, and are helping to meet the need for skilled workers in Arizona.

Nontraditional Employment for Women
Apprenticeship Week Event Held at New
York City District Council of Carpenters
Training Center
Mallory Trachtenberg

At the New York City District Council of Carpenters Training Center, Nontraditional
Employment for Women (NEW) brought together women interested in learning more about
apprenticeships. NEW and the Carpenter's Director of Training spoke about opportunities in
apprenticeship and allowed attendees to tour the training facilities. Local leaders spoke
about the busy construction landscape in New York City, and answered audience members'
questions about opportunities for work in the region. Women's Bureau Program Analyst
Mallory Trachtenberg provided brief remarks about the Women's Bureau's support for
apprenticeship and nontraditional occupations for women. NEW is a former Women in
Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grantee.

Women in Apprenticeship at District
1199C's Training and Upgrading Fund's
Health and Human Services Career Fair
woman digital

The Women's Bureau participated in a panel presentation focused on women in
apprenticeships at the District 1199C Training and Upgrading Fund's Health and Human
Services Career Fair on November 14, 2019. Senior Program Analyst Rose Holandez from
Philadelphia discussed the importance of apprenticeship programs and the work of the
Women's Bureau. The Training and Upgrading Fund, which has received funding through the
DOL American Apprenticeship Initiative, has several registered apprenticeship programs
including an innovative early childhood education apprenticeship.

Apprenticeship Day at ReVision Energy in
Brentwood, New Hampshire
revision group

The Women's Bureau collaborated with DOL’s New Hampshire O ice of Apprenticeship to
organize an Apprenticeship Day event at ReVision Energy in Brentwood, New Hampshire.
More than 40 students toured ReVision's facilities and heard from New Hampshire's State

Director of Apprenticeship, Lauren Smith, regarding the value of diversity, equity, and
inclusion in the workforce. The students were also introduced to Women's Bureau Senior
Program Analyst Angela Rizzolo from Boston. Ms. Rizzolo discussed the importance of
learning a skill and considering a career in the trades, as well as explaining how the Women's
Bureau can be a resource for women interested in entering and growing in the workforce.
Representatives from U.S. Senators Shaheen and Hassan's o ice were also in attendance.

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