BIDDEFORD, Maine — Trades schools spread throughout Maine can help give young people a leg up on a well-paying career early in their lives.
These schools are open to all students in their regions, but can still be dominated by men. However, there are some star young women at the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology.
Rebecca Spencer is only a junior, but is already eyeing welding jobs with BIW and other prominent companies.
"You can weld with nails," she laughed as she put on thick welding gloves.
"It's OK to be blue-collar because blue-collar women are amazing."
Three rooms away, Brianna Haskell won’t have to travel far with her upcoming automotive tech certificate. She plans to take over her father’s Windham garage and said customers have found it refreshing to see a woman in the role.
"I have a lot of people that actually come to me because I’m a woman who works on cars," Haskell said. "They really enjoy that, having that difference from a man’s field to a woman being in it."
Haskell was inducted into the National Technical Honor Society earlier this spring.