Latest / The Diversity Career Podcast with Fexingo: Inclusion, Equity, and Underrepresented Professionals / How a Utility Company Built a Pipeline for Women in Trades
Transcript
- Lucas: You know how we talk a lot on this show about widening the funnel — getting more people from underrepresented groups into the applicant pool for a given role. Luna: Right, the idea that if you just get more diverse candidates in, the rest will sort itself out. Lucas: Exactly. But there's a difference between widening the funnel and actually building a pipeline. A funnel just has a bigger opening. A pipeline is a structured path from point A to point B, with supports along the way. And I think that distinction really matters in industries where the talent pool is tiny to begin with. Luna: Like skilled trades. We're talking about electricians, lineworkers, HVAC technicians — jobs that are often well-paying, unionized, and have a huge demand. Lucas: And where women hold something like two to three percent of the roles nationally. It's been that way for decades. So a utility company in the Midwest — let's call it Midwest Power & Light — decided they weren't going to just post job ads and hope. They designed a pre-apprenticeship program with a local community college. Luna: I've seen some of these programs before, but they often have a big barrier: you need to quit your current job to attend training, and most people can't afford that. Lucas: That's the key detail. Midwest Power & Light pays participants a stipend during the 12-week program. It's not a full salary, but it's enough to cover basic expenses. That alone removes a huge obstacle. Luna: And the program itself — what does it look like? Lucas: Twelve weeks, four days a week. Mornings are classroom instruction on safety, electrical theory, and basic math. Afternoons are in the lab — actually climbing poles, working with tools, running cable. The college provides all the equipment. And here's another piece: every participant is paired with a mentor who is a current female lineworker at the company. Luna: That mentorship piece is crucial. Because even if you get through the training, walking into a crew as the only woman can be isolating. Lucas: Exactly. The mentors don't just give technical advice. They talk about how to navigate the culture, how to find PPE that actually fits — that's a real issue, by the way. Standard-issue safety gear is designed for a male body, so women often end up with ill-fitting harnesses or gloves. Luna: Yeah, that's something you don't think about if you've never had to deal with it. So the company also had to source different vendors for PPE. Lucas: They did. And they made it a point to have a range of sizes available from day one. Small things like that signal that you're serious. Luna: What about resistance from existing crews? I imagine not everyone was thrilled. Lucas: There was some. Especially from senior lineworkers who had come up through the traditional apprenticeship route. A few of them saw the stipend and the separate training track as a shortcut. But the company addressed that head-on — they did informational sessions with the crews explaining why the program existed and how it would benefit everyone. They also made sure that the first few graduates were placed with crews whose foremen had volunteered to be part of it. Luna: So they created a kind of 'safe harbor' for the first cohort. Lucas: Exactly. And it worked. Two years in, the program has placed 34 women into full-time lineworker or technician roles. The company tracks retention, and so far, 31 of the 34 are still on the job. That's about a 91 percent retention rate, which is actually higher than their average for all new hires in those roles. Luna: That's a strong number. And it suggests that the pipeline approach doesn't just get people in the door — it sets them up to stay. Lucas: Right. And listen, we talk about programs like this because that's the kind of concrete change that makes a difference. And it's worth saying — the reason we can dig into stories like this is that we don't run ads on this show. It's just us, talking through what works. Luna: Yeah, that's a choice we made. If you find these conversations useful — maybe you're thinking about starting a similar program at your company, or you're someone looking to break into a trade — and you want to support that ad-free approach, there's a link. Lucas: It's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure at all. But it does keep the lights on. Luna: So back to that retention piece — 91 percent. What do the women themselves say about why they've stayed? Lucas: A few themes came up in an internal survey. The mentorship connection was big — many said their mentor continued to check in even after they were on the job. Also, the fact that the company invested in them early made them feel loyal. And practically speaking, the pay and benefits are good. Lineworkers at Midwest Power & Light top out around $85,000 a year, plus overtime. Luna: So it's not just a diversity initiative — it's a talent strategy. The company gets a reliable pipeline of skilled workers in a tight labor market. Lucas: Exactly. And the cost is modest. The stipend plus the community college partnership runs about $250,000 a year. Compare that to what they'd spend on recruiting agencies or on-boarding replacements when new hires quit — it's a net positive. Luna: What about scaling? Could this model work in other industries — say, construction or manufacturing? Lucas: I think so, with some tweaks. The key ingredients are a willing employer, a community college that can customize a curriculum, and a stipend to remove the financial barrier. You also need a champion inside the company — someone who can navigate the resistance. In this case, it was the VP of operations, who had a daughter in the trades. Luna: Personal connection helps. But if you don't have that, you need data. And now there's data: 34 hires, 91 percent retention. Lucas: Exactly. That's the kind of proof point that can convince a skeptical leadership team. One thing I'd add: the program also made a point of not requiring a high school diploma. Just a GED or equivalent. That opened the door for women who had dropped out of school for family or financial reasons. Luna: That's a smart move. And it's a reminder that degree requirements are often a proxy for something else — reliability, basic literacy — that can be tested directly. Lucas: Right. And one more thing: the program actually changed how the company recruits for other roles. They're now looking at similar pre-apprenticeship models for their customer service and meter-reading positions. The idea is catching on internally. Luna: So the pilot becomes the proof of concept, and then you get a culture shift. Lucas: That's the hope. And I think it's a model worth watching — especially for companies in industries where the demographics have been static for decades. Luna: Do you know if any other utilities have reached out to Midwest Power & Light to learn from them? Lucas: A few have. One in Ohio is starting a similar program this fall. And the community college is now marketing the curriculum to other employers. So it's spreading, which is exactly what you want from a pilot. Luna: That's a great note to end on. A concrete example of how to build a pipeline, not just widen a funnel. Lucas: Exactly. That's going to do it for this episode. Thanks, Luna. Luna: Thanks, Lucas. See you next time.