March 12, 2015
Following
five years of joint congressional resolutions to celebrate Women’s History
Week, and a petition in 1987 from the National Women’s History Project, Congress
passed Pub. L. 100-9 designating March as
Women’s History Month. Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional
resolutions requesting and authorizing the president to proclaim March of each year, as Women’s
History Month. Every year since then, each president has issued an annual
proclamation designating the month of March as Women’s History
Month.
Women’s
History Month provides an opportunity to pay tribute to and celebrate the
countless generations of women who have played vital roles in the history of the
nation. It also serves as a reminder to carry the dynamic lessons learned from these
women throughout the year—from home to classroom to community. This deepens, secures and spreads women’s
accomplishments, commitments, sacrifices and achievements to new generations of
determined and courageous girls and women.
We
encourage our state and local stakeholders across the country who serve as
exemplars and educators to take advantage of the available rich legacy of
women’s stories and resources. This will help facilitate participation in activities
and discussions to learn what women have to share about their own rich pasts,
challenges, dreams, and achievements.
The following Women’s History Month
resources will help begin as well as renew interest in and dialogue on the
contributions of women of all ages to the nation’s growth, achievement, and future
potential.
-
“To commemorate and celebrate
Women’s History Month, the Library of Congress, National Archives and
Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National
Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United
States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying
tribute to the generations of women
whose commitment to nature and the planet have proved invaluable to
society.” Visitors to the Women’s History Month government website can
access a wide range of resources from participating federal agencies,
including images,
videos,
exhibits and collections,
and resources for teachers.
-
Each year the National Women's History Project (NWHP) selects a unifying theme to promote women’s
history. This year’s theme, Weaving
the Stories of Women’s Lives, is available for free public use, along with any other materials on the NWHP
website, for programs or events. According to the NWHP, “Accounts of the
lives of individual women are critically important because they reveal
exceptionally strong role models who share a more expansive vision of what
a woman can do … knowing women’s achievements challenges stereotypes and
upends social assumptions about who women are and what women can
accomplish today.” This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Women’s
History Movement and the NWHP, which is celebrated in the selection of the
2015 National Women’s History Month Honorees.
-
According to its website, “The National Constitution Center is the first and only institution in America
established by Congress to disseminate information about the United States
Constitution on a non-partisan basis in order to increase the awareness
and understanding of the Constitution among the American people. The
Constitution Center brings the United States Constitution to life by
hosting interactive exhibitions and constitutional conversations and
inspires active citizenship by celebrating the American constitutional
tradition.”
During March, the center offers a variety of programs, lessons, and activities to learn
more about Women’s History Month.
-
Finally, readers
are encouraged to view President Obama’s full 2015 Women’s History Month proclamation celebrating
the many and diverse contributions of women to our nation.
“We know that when
women succeed, America succeeds. The strength of our economy rests on
whether we make it possible for every citizen to contribute to our growth and
prosperity. As we honor the many patriots who have shaped not only the
destinies of other women, but also the direction of our history, let us resolve
to build on their efforts in our own time. As a Nation, we must join our
voices with the chorus of history and push forward with unyielding faith to
forge a more equal society for all our daughters and granddaughters -- one where
a woman's potential is limited only by the size of her dreams and the power of
her imagination.” — President Barack Obama, Feb. 27, 2015.
Back to Top
In this column, we continue our discussion
from OCTAE Connection issue 225 on the value of earning a certificate in
obtaining employment. This week’s focus
is on occupational fields in which certificates often provide paths to
entry. Different occupations are
featured, as illustrated in the report Certificates: A
Fast Track to Careers. It is recommended
that guidance counselors, teachers, parents, and students read the entire
report for further information on occupational certificates.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS), 33 occupations have been identified as requiring a certificate or other
postsecondary nondegree award as the typical point of entry. In 2010–11, the
NCES identified the most popular disciplines for certificate programs as
healthcare, personal and culinary services, and mechanic and repair
technologies and technicians.
Certificates: A Fast Track to Careers contains several tables about occupations within selected broad
career areas, citing data from a survey by the Occupational
Information Network (O*NET) in 2010–11. The survey asked workers
or occupational experts what the required level of education was for specific
jobs. Each table lists the percentage of
workers who reported needing a postsecondary certificate to become employed in
their fields. They also list the
percentage in each field of those surveyed who said they needed a high school
diploma or its equivalent, an associate’s degree, or a bachelor’s degree.
Under each broad occupational heading, there
is a discussion of BLS data on job outlook, employment, and median annual wages
for select occupations. Wages for
workers varied significantly within most of the broad categories. An occupation is high wage if it is above the
May 2011 median annual wage of $34,460 for all wage and salary workers, and low
wage if it falls below the May 2011 median annual wage.
This information is summarized, by broad
occupational category, below.
Healthcare: About 463,000
certificates—or almost half of all certificates earned—were in healthcare and
related professions and programs. Jobs
like surgical technologists, emergency medical technicians and paramedics,
pharmacy technicians, radiologic technologists, licensed practical and licensed
vocational nurses, massage therapists, dental assistants, medical
transcriptionists, veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers, and
medical assistants are represented in this category. The May 2011 median annual wages within these
selected healthcare occupations ranged from $22,830 for veterinary assistants
and laboratory animal caretakers to $55,120 for radiologic technologists and
technicians.
Personal
and culinary services: About 131,000 certificates were awarded in
these fields. Some of the largest
occupations within this category are personal care aides, hairdressers,
hairstylists, and cosmetologists. In May
2011, median annual wages for these workers ranged from $19,430 for childcare
workers to $31,030 for fitness trainers and aerobics instructors.
Homeland
security, law enforcement, and firefighting: About 32,000 certificates were awarded for
such jobs as police and sheriff’s patrol officers, correctional officers and
jailers, and firefighters (the largest occupations in this category). As of May 2011, median annual wages ranged
from $38,990 for correctional officers and jailers to $71,770 for detectives
and criminal investigators.
Mechanic
and repair technologies: About 89,000 certificates were granted in
such occupations as general maintenance and repair workers, automotive service
technicians and mechanics, and heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics
and installers, all of which are among the largest occupations in these
fields. Median annual wages ranged from
$35,030 for general maintenance and repair workers to $53,960 for
telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line repairers.
Precision
production:
Within the precision production fields, some occupations require a
certificate while others require more advanced education or training. Approximately 29,000 certificates were
awarded. Median annual wages in these
occupations (as of May 2011) ranged from $31,730, with 53 percent of workers
reporting needing a high school diploma or its equivalent, to $46,650, with 68
percent of workers reporting needing a postsecondary certificate.
Business,
management, marketing, and support services: About 66,000 certificates were awarded in
these fields. Median annual salaries
ranged from $37,640 for procurement clerks, with 33 percent of workers
reporting the need for a high school diploma or its equivalent, to $88,190 for
industrial production managers, with 29 percent of workers reporting needing a
bachelor’s degree.
Computer
and information sciences and support services: About 28,000 certificates were earned in this
category. Some of the most popular
occupations in this field are computer support specialists, computer
programmers, information security analysts, web developers, and computer
network architects. In May 2011,
computer support specialists earned an average wage of $47,660, while
higher-end salaries averaged $79,930.
Construction
trades:
About 30,000 certificates were earned in construction trades. Many of
these occupations require only a high school diploma or its equivalent, or a
postsecondary certificate. As of May
2011, median annual wages ranged from $27,010 for helpers of pipelayers,
plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters to $37,750 for plumbers, pipefitters,
and steamfitters.
Transportation
and material moving:
Certificates awarded in transportation and material moving fields
numbered about 24,000. The most common
of these occupations are heavy and tractor trailer truck drivers and industrial
truck and tractor operators. As of May
2011, median annual salaries ranged from $19,930 for automotive and watercraft
service attendants to $52,950 for first-line supervisors of transportation and
material moving machine and vehicle operators.
Back to Top
|
