First woman president of the Chicago Mechanical Contractors Association: setting a career example for young women.

First woman president of the Chicago Mechanical Contractors Association: setting a career example for young women. Since the late 1800s, the Chicago Mechanical ContractorsAssociation (MCA MCAin full Music Corporation of AmericaEntertainment conglomerate. It was founded in Chicago in 1924 by Jules Stein as a talent agency. In the 1960s it bought Decca Records and Universal Pictures, and today it produces films, music, and television shows. ) has been a predominately male organization for apredominately male industry. The MCA acts as the voice of the unionmechanical contracting industry in Chicago, representing companiesengaged in the installation of heating, ventilation, air-conditioningand process piping. The association also provides a variety of servicesto its members, from labor relations and communications to educationalseminars and programs to government affairs and engineering services. Today, more and more women are stepping over the gender barrier andinto the world of construction and engineering. Career and technicaleducation has seen a rise, although a modest one, in enrollment byfemale students who are interested in the field. Kathy McCauley's interest peaked early. She is afourth-generation leader in the mechanical contracting industry andholds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and amaster's degree master's degreen.An academic degree conferred by a college or university upon those who complete at least one year of prescribed study beyond the bachelor's degree.Noun 1. in construction management. Her father, grandfatherand great-grandfather all held the position of president of the boardbefore her. Yes, McCauley is the first woman president of the ChicagoMCA Board and considers her appointment a wonderful honor. She believesthat women have a real place in the industry and can contribute much toits growth and success. "Publicly funded construction projects have minority andfemale employment goals. These two things combined present a greatopportunity for women to enter the typically male-dominated constructionindustry," says McCauley. "But, it is rare that girls in gradeschool and high school are encouraged to participate in classes thatwill give them a good foundation for entering the construction industry,i.e. math, sciences, drafting." Hopefully, McCauley's recent induction as board president is asign of things to come. Today's construction workforce is an agingone. With retirements on the rise, the industry needs more peopleentering the workforce, but skilled labor careers in construction haveoften been looked upon as menial MENIAL. This term is applied to servants who live under their master's roof Vide stat. 2 H. IV., c. 21. and low paying, and not a suitablecareer for women. The fact is that careers in skilled labor can bechallenging and high paying. "Mechanical contracting is a great industry with many excitingoptions. I enjoy my career and look forward to going to work everyday," says McCauley. McCauley's love for her work is something that the MCA isendeavoring to capture and share with young people before they decidewhat role they want to play in today's workforce. "Some girls and women may not be able to imagine themselvesworking in the trades at all, and especially not after starting theirfamilies," notes McCauley. "Hopefully, this won't deterthem, because there are many other roles in the industry besides tradesperson--project assistants and managers, safety directors, insurancespecialists, CAD operators, etc. Working in the trades first wouldenhance success in any of these positions. There are trades that arewell suited to women, such as electrical, painting, sprinkler fitting,finish carpentry and equipment operators." The association is working diligently through recruitment andapprenticeship programs and informational campaigns to let young men andwomen know about all the lucrative opportunities available forunion-trained craftspeople crafts��people?pl.n.People who practice a craft; artisans. . The MCA believes that union-trained meansmore skilled and more productive. They have formed an alliance withLocal Union 597 in Chicago and launched the "Tomorrow Team"program. The program is an aggressive image campaign addressing theissue of how skilled labor is perceived by young people. Through visualaids visual aidsNoun, plobjects to be looked at that help the viewer to understand or remember something (a comic book comic bookBound collection of comic strips, usually in chronological sequence, typically telling a single story or a series of different stories. The first true comic books were marketed in 1933 as giveaway advertising premiums. and CD), they show how ordinary citizens team up topursue exciting careers in the piping industry. Another project to help bring more young people into theconstruction field is ACE Tech--the Architecture, Construction andEngineering Technical Charter High School (see story on the followingpage). With its fall of 2004 opening, ACE Tech will provide a rigorouslearning experience that fully complies with Illinois EducationStandards for a high school diploma A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED. . Students will develop the necessaryproficiencies to enter the construction industry trade union trainingschools, architecture or engineering college plans, or technicaltraining programs for careers in architecture, construction managementor engineering. Jerry Katz, a teacher-training specialist working with MCA Chicago,has initiated a science program for classrooms called Internal andThermal Energy thermal energyInternal energy of a system in thermodynamic equilibrium (see thermodynamics) by virtue of its temperature. A hot body has more thermal energy than a similar cold body, but a large tub of cold water may have more thermal energy than a cup of boiling Matter in Motion Instructional Program (ITEMM ITEMM Integrated Terrain-Environment-Multipath Model ). When theITEMM lessons have been completed, a heating, ventilation,air-conditioning and refrigeration refrigeration,process for drawing heat from substances to lower their temperature, often for purposes of preservation. Refrigeration in its modern, portable form also depends on insulating materials that are thin yet effective. (HVACR HVACR Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning and Refrigeration ) professional makes aclassroom presentation on the practical applications of what they havelearned. Students also receive information on careers in the HVACRindustry. "Additional schooling beyond trade apprentice programs may benecessary to qualify for the jobs that allow transition from the'field' to the office, and fortunately, there seems to be anincreasing number of construction management degree and certificateprograms at the community college level," says McCauley."Trade associations geared toward women in construction, like NAWIC NAWIC National Association of Women In Construction [National Association of Women in Construction], are seeing increasedmembership, and they offer certification and seminar programs across thecountry." The predictions by the Construction Industry Institute and theDepartment of Labor indicate that the skilled labor shortage A Labor shortage is an economic condition in which there are insufficient qualified candidates (employees) to fill the market-place demands for employment at any price. This condition is sometimes referred to by Economists as "an insufficiency in the labor force. will onlyget worse if replacements aren't found for outgoing laborers. It isclear that the MCA has its work cut out, and McCauley will be at theboard helm leading the way to encourage and develop more interest ofyoung women (and men!) in the world of construction and engineering. "Keep your eyes open for that extraordinary young girl wholikes tactile tactile/tac��tile/ (tak��til) pertaining to touch. tac��tileadj.1. Perceptible to the sense of touch; tangible.2. Used for feeling.3. activities--building Lego castles, doing needlework needlework,work done with a needle, either plain sewing, mending, or ornamental work such as embroidery, quilting, smocking, hemstitching, fagoting, some kinds of lace making (see lace), patchwork, and appliqué. orsewing," McCauley advises. "This is a girl who garnerssatisfaction from seeing the fruits of her labor, and she should be anexcellent candidate for the construction trades." McCauley would love to see this family tradition carried on by herown daughter someday. Her advice for women thinking about entering thefield is this: "You don't have to change your personality.Don't feel you have to overcompensate o��ver��com��pen��sate?v. o��ver��com��pen��sat��ed, o��ver��com��pen��sat��ing, o��ver��com��pen��satesv.intr.To engage in overcompensation.v.tr.To pay (someone) too much; compensate excessively. or take on an edge to proveyourself. Just be yourself, and never discount the fact that you are awoman. Do your best work and take pride in what you do." For information, visit MCA's "Promises With Proof"Web site at www.mcaproof.com.