A Philadelphia woman's quest to excel in a male dominated workforce.
Image via WikipediaOr perhaps, The Woman.
Let's stop there, because when I met Marlynn Jannett, a pipe mapping designer from Philadelphia Gas Works, my concerns were essentially set to rest.
Her story is one of guts and determination - the American dream exemplified, and a friendly face for the gas company. She's also my neighbor.
Ms. Janett began her career with Philadelphia Gas Works a couple decades ago. She was the first woman hired to work in field services for the company. Her current position involves creating plotting designs of gas pipes for prudent mains where the risk of breakage is possible, or in the worst case, has already occurred.
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| Image: Wikipedia |
At the core of the platform is AutoCAD Civil 3D software, a powerful building information modeling application that assists in anticipating and creating transportation, land development, and environmental projects.
Synergis states on its website that its software and services "help utilities address specific industry challenges and initiatives, such as a changing workforce, underground projects, and infrastructure renewal for intelligent grid sustainability."
Likewise, PGW is on a constant schedule to replace antiquated pipes, such as those made of cast iron, with newer materials that are less corrosive and more ductile. In a city as old as Philadelphia, upgrading such infrastructure can be extremely challenging, considering the maps provided are often outdated or nonexistent. Their efforts often include exploratory excavation measures such as drilling through cement foundations.
But the biggest initial challenge for Ms Janett's career was to break through the so called glass ceiling.
Her training came by way of a unique outreach program from the Private Industry Council, developed to provide women with engineering skills needed to facilitate their advance into the industrial workforce - a workforce completely dominated by men.
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| Marlynn Janett |
Thus, she was chosen to attend the Community College of Philadelphia on Spring Garden Street for AutoCad classes, technical studies, and some remediation with English and Math.
After showing an exceptional ability to master a variety of computer modeling programs, she was visited by two engineers from PGW. A lengthy recruitment process ensued until the company determined she possessed the necessary aptitude for an internship. She out-competed several male candidates with her sharp skills and ability to grasp concepts quickly, and planted herself firmly in a solid career.
"Some guys weren't too happy at the time," she acknowledged, when asked if she sensed resentment by her male counterparts. "But they got used to it."
Approaching retirement, Ms Janett is now a master of her trade, and she's moved well beyond the issues of those days. To her, they were simply milestones of an evolving culture. The main concern presently at her job, she says, is simply having to work in the middle of busy Frankford Avenue, lifting a manhole cover, and focusing on her detailed work while trying not to get run over by a car.--D.A. DeMers.
A Clean Energy Plan for the Community
PGW recently introduced a number of green energy programs that intersect with various sectors of Philadelphia's business and residential communities. Their EnergySense program is made up of several initiatives that strive to help the company’s residential, commercial and industrial customers conserve energy and save money. It's also expected to create as many as 1,000 new local jobs, reduce the region’s carbon dioxide emissions by 1.24 million tons - the equivalent of taking 200,000 cars off Philadelphia’s streets - and support the Mayor's Office of Sustainability's Greenworks plan to make Philadelphia the greenest city in America.
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| Clean Energy Investment Trends. Wikipedia. |
The plan involves connecting with a consortium of non-profit energy groups, neighborhood organizations, and city departments to provide initiatives such as the The Enhanced Low Income Retrofit Program, Residential Heating Equipment Rebates, Commercial and Industrial Retrofit Incentives, Commercial and Industrial Equipment Rebates, High Efficiency Construction Incentives, and Comprehensive Residential Incentives.
Over the next five years, the company plans to invest $60 million to generate over $110 million in net savings for all of PGW’s customers. Saving money while saving the planet? Sounds like a win-win solution for everybody.--D.A. DeMers.
More info regarding PGW's programs can be found at www.pgworks.com. Plans administered by the Mayor's Office of Sustainability can be found at www.phila.gov/green.
This article was previously published on our sister site Home Science.
Great story... However, a sad footnote to this topic was recentlty highlighted in a recent Pew report indicating that the Great Recession has caused a gender gap to widen once again construction and utility trades. Perhaps it is not at the degrees of the past, but a discouraging aspect of our troubled economy, nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteLink: http://pewsocialtrends.org/2011/07/06/two-years-of-economic-recovery-women-lose-jobs-men-find-them/
Rachael W.