"Being the Voice I Didn't Have" - Christina Harms & Steve Lefaver

Christina Harms, a union painter with Mid-Illinois Company, grew up around the trades. Her father was a union laborer and had been on jobsites since she was young, but recalls never seeing a woman on-site. After attending college twice, first for Early Childhood Education, allowing her to run her own day care and take care of her children when they were small, and later for Medical Billing and Coding, which led to an office job. She realized she needed to be doing something with her hands. She knew a third round of college wasn’t the answer and finally looked into the union trades, joined an apprenticeship, and never looked back. Through apprenticeship, Christina is no longer just getting by, she is leading the way.

Steve Lefaver is the Director of Apprenticeship and Training at the North Central Finishing Trades Institute. Steve came to the trades out of high school, entering a painting apprenticeship, and after completing it, became a journey worker. At a local meeting, he learned about a teaching opportunity and decided to give it a chance. He taught for years before becoming the director of Apprenticeship and Training.

Christina and Steve discuss the lack of education around apprenticeship, especially to those just entering the workforce, how Christina deals with the challenge of being a woman in a male-dominated field and finding community in the trades, and how representation and diversity in trades apprenticeship is building a pipeline to the future workforce. 

To learn more about apprenticeships, go to ApprenticeshipIL.com and follow Apprenticeship Illinois on LinkedIn. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

The Apprentice Ambassador Program selects an annual cohort of star current or former apprentices to represent a wide variety of industries throughout Illinois. During their year in the cohort, Apprentice Ambassadors serve as guest speakers at business events to showcase the impact apprenticeship has had on them, their families, and their companies. The Apprentice Perspective brings their stories to you, our listeners.

SPEAKER_01 0:22

Hello, and welcome to today's episode of The Apprentice Perspective. My name is Steve Lefaver, and I'm the Director of Apprenticeship and Training at the North Central Illinois Finishing Trades Institute. And I'm joined today by our Apprentice Ambassador, Christina Harms.

SPEAKER_02 0:34

Hi, my name's Christina Harms, and I am a painter at Mid-Illinois Company based out of Peoria, Illinois.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

All right, well, let's start from the beginning. Christina, tell us about the journey to taking that leap into your painter's apprenticeship program.

SPEAKER_02 0:48

So my path to an apprenticeship wasn't exactly a straight line. It was more about me figuring out what I didn't have a passion for. I actually went to college twice. First for early childhood development, which allowed me to run an in-home daycare while my kids were small. Once they were old enough to start school, I went back to college for medical coding and billing, got my certificate in that, which quickly made me realize that sitting behind a computer all day was not for me. I'm definitely somebody who needs to be moving and working with my hands. I personally knew that a third round of college was not for me. So my husband, who's a union carpenter, suggested I looked into doing the union trades. I grew up around trades. So my dad was a union laborer, being small and going on the job site to bring him lunch and just hang out with him and the guys. And I had never seen a woman on site. So the whole idea of being a woman on site was kind of intimidating. So I spent a lot of time overthinking it and eventually realized that I just had to take the leap. So I joined the apprenticeship and it ended up being one of the best decisions I've made. So, Steve, out of curiosity, how did you get into apprenticeship?

SPEAKER_01 2:00

Well, like you mentioned earlier, you know, today's age, vocational programs weren't really talked about a whole lot. I've been around a little bit longer than you have, uh, to where we still had vocational programs. So we had a chance to kind of work with our hands a little bit and make that decision of is it college for me or is it apprenticeship for me? And so really I chose right off the bat I wasn't the best of student. I uh was good with my hands, I was a good team player, and really I went I went for construction. I didn't know anybody in it, but figured that's what something I would be really good at it. So I went through several of the trades, application processes, and became a painter. And at first didn't think about painting as one of the building and construction trades, but uh lo and behold, that was my first opportunity, and I never looked back. So I uh completed my apprenticeship similar to yours uh just years ago, many years ago. I became a journey worker, I started running work for the company that I was at, and then um somehow an opportunity came up. I was active at my local meetings and learned about a teaching opportunity, another thing I never thought I'd be uh be doing. So I taught for years, and now I'm the director of apprenticeship and training. And this is a passion for me. It gave me a great career, provides for my family, and I try to do that with everybody. So I have been uh actively involved, getting involved even more uh now with my involvement with the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board, and now helping uh vice chair the work-based learning and apprenticeship committee. My goal is to, you know, spread apprenticeship and provide opportunities, you know, locally with our apprenticeship school, but more importantly, expand this across across the state and also across all industries as well. How did your fa, you say you come from construction of family, how did they take that when you were looking at potentially getting into the trades and some maybe listening thinking it is predominantly male? Like what were their thoughts?

SPEAKER_02 3:48

To be honest with you, growing up, we weren't really at school in schools, we weren't exactly promoted apprenticeships. Um, that really wasn't anything that was promoted to us. It was always college, college, college. And ever since I was little, my dad always wanted to see me become a nurse. And I always knew um, just by the simple fact that the sight of blood made me weak, that that was definitely something I could never pull off. When I told him that I had decided to get into union painting, he was surprised. But knowing me, he had no doubt in his mind that I was going to give it everything that I got and had the potential to be successful. So they were really supportive. When I was growing up, like my grandma and and them, they they took the the traditional route. And I always heard growing up like the money's great, but if you don't love what you do, it's not worth it. And that was always like my my big thing is well, what do I love? What do I love doing? And it sounds weird, but I do love painting. There's something zen about it, there's something really cool about walking onto a job site, a multi-million dollar job site, and you being this small fraction to such a huge project. And then you get to see it completed and you get to see how you contributed to that. And it's just such a fulfilling feeling. I just wish at when I was younger that there were more women that were relaying this message that were letting us know what was out there because at that time I didn't have that available to myself. It was college that was being pushed, it was nursing, it was teacher, and those are all great careers, but they weren't careers for me. They didn't speak to me. I wanted to go down a different path. I just did not know what paths were available. So I wish that there were more women that could have um relayed that message to me and let me know that there's there's a whole other potential out there that's that's reachable. That is a huge driving force for me is being able to be the voice that I didn't have back then, the voice that I wish that I could have heard and hearing those other options and hearing that there was more out there because there were only so many ideas that were implanted into you that it kind of narrowed that scope of what you could be. And I wanted to broaden that. I want others to know that there are more possibilities out there. Another driving force I would say is after I had my two girls, I don't want them to have that narrow scope. I don't want them to have that tunnel vision. I want them to know that there is a whole world out there for you. And there's so many means to be able to reach what you're wanting out of life. There's so many ways to reach your potential. And I want them to find that. I mean, it's one thing hearing it from a guy coming in and he's talking about the trades and wanting to get you into the trades. But when you see somebody that looks like you talking to you about how they're succeeding and how they're doing, it it hits different. It's it's more meaningful, it's becomes more understanding to you, and it it makes it to where it seems more reachable, it seems more capable.

SPEAKER_01 7:11

So, Christina, tell me during your apprenticeship, was there a moment that you felt like it just clicked? Like you're on the right path, you're on the right track, a moment where you knew it was benefiting both you and your employer?

SPEAKER_02 7:25

I'd say the moment that I knew that the apprenticeship was truly working for both me and my company actually started with a challenge. So a few months into my journey or a few months into my career, I had overheard a journeyman telling another colleague that women simply just could not do the job because we lap lacked the upper body strength to do wall covering. Um, instead of letting that discourage me, I kind of gave him a smile and went about my day. But I used that comment as fuel. So I went straight to my instructor, Panico, which was like the wallpaper guru, you know. I went up to him and I asked him, teach me everything that you know. I want to know the ins and outs of wall covering. And he did. He didn't even hesitate. So I soaked up every single detail of the craft. I practiced and the presid the precision and techniques. I listened to him and watched other people do it. It was about a year, a year and a half later, my company that I was working for was in a position where they needed a paper hanger. They came up to me and they asked me if I had ever hung before. I told them that I had practiced and they gave me the opportunity to show them what I could do. Not only did I prove that the upper body strength argument was a complete myth, but I did the job so well that they asked me to become the main paper hanger for the company. I definitely realized that I wasn't just a student anymore. I had become a go-to person and a specialized skill at that moment. I kind of knew that the apprenticeship wasn't just giving me a job, it was giving me the tools to become a professional who provides an actual value to the company.

SPEAKER_01 8:56

We talk about value to the company. I know you've worked for a few companies since you started. Can you tell me a little bit about that? And then I want to fill in because I do know some of these contractors.

SPEAKER_02 9:05

Yeah. So I started off with a very amazing company. I started off with Vogue Painting. Um, they had started me on my apprenticeship journey and they had put me to work and kept me working for about a year until they became slow, which is kind of the belly of the beast in construction. Around October, we really start to slow down. You start to see some layoffs. If you're lucky enough to work for a company that has some indoor jobs during that time, you can keep working throughout the year. But most of the time we're just kind of crossing our fingers and hoping for the best. Um, but they did. They got slow around October. I'm not one for sitting. I definitely like to get up and try to figure out, you know, what's next, what's my next move. Our specific union has an out-of-work list that you can go online and you can sign up for. And that's what I did. I sat for about a week. He was waiting for some projects to come up and they just weren't coming up fast enough. And I let him know, you know, I'm going to put myself in a position to seek some work. And uh he understood. Within a week of doing so, I got a phone call from associated constructors about the precision planting job, which was in the middle of winter. And it was more of like an industrial job dealing with uh a texture sprayer. It was probably one of the most difficult jobs that I've had so far, uh, physical-wise, but it was extremely rewarding. It's definitely one of those job sites that when I drive by, I tell my kids every single time, hey, I painted that building, even though they they definitely know I absolutely painted that building. They've heard it a hundred times. It was it was an incredible experience, and I'm very glad that I took it. And I stayed with Associated for about two years before they slowed down in October. Instead of laying me off, the boss actually had called up the superintendent in Mid-Illinois, Roy Eish, and asked him if he could loan me out. So I was loaned over to Mid-Illinois Company and I've been with them since October.

SPEAKER_01 11:12

I can tell you from my perspective and my relations with your contractors that every single one of them doesn't like to loan you out because the next contractor doesn't like to give you back. Um, you are definitely an asset to each and every one of them, uh, specifically speaking with Vogue Painting yesterday about it. So kudos to you. So, Christina, if you could think about maybe taking a step back and talking to your younger self or talking to other women that may be viewing construction like you did in the beginning as potentially a male-dominated industry, uh, what would you tell them today based off of your experience in apprenticeship and now a graduate and a journey worker?

SPEAKER_02 11:50

I say absolutely do it. Own your space, master your craft, and let the quality of your work be the loudest voice in the room. That's the best advice that I can give you.

SPEAKER_01 11:59

Yeah. And these aren't our grandfather's labor unions and construction unions. Today we have classes in sexual harassment awareness and mental health awareness. We've got maternity leave for women, we've got uh women's committees amongst different trades and different unions. And so, Christina, now you've been you've graduated and you've been a journey worker now for close to a year. Can you tell us a little bit about uh your progression since then, maybe not necessarily on the job, but even just your activism within your union and committees and with other women out there on the jobs?

SPEAKER_02 12:36

So I was extremely lucky when I started the union. I had found a group of women that are extremely supportive. Um, we have what's called the women's committee. So any issues that arise, anything that we need, uh anything that we might encounter while on the job, I do have these, this group of women that I can kind of lean on and run things by, women that are definitely been around and they have a really good understanding of how everything works. And uh they've been through a lot of the same, same issues, same things that we're going through. So it's been really, really incredible to find that group that I can kind of lean on. Uh, another thing that we do is the Tradeswomen Build Nations. That's probably my favorite event that we that we have available for the women. So it's a great networking tool. Um, last high last year that we went, there was over 5,000 women that you get to to network with, and they're from all unions, all different trades. They come together uh to benefit each other. It's it's us against against the issues. We go over anything from suicide awareness. I know we focused on suicide prevention and mental health awareness within the trades. Uh, the trades is one of the leaders in in suicide, unfortunately. So we have come together and we've we've talked about uh touchy subjects such as that. Um, we've talked about mentorship and how to reach out to others, how to increase, increase our our unions and increase the apprentices that we're bringing in to retain apprentices. We've talked about important matters like maternity and family leave. Um, we've talked about hard matters like um harassment on the job, bullying, discrimination. Um, so it's it's a really good tool and it's a really great event that we do that brings all of us together and gives us a platform to be able to speak and to be able to learn from one another. So I've been extremely grateful and extremely blessed to be able to experience that.

SPEAKER_01 14:40

And Trades Women Nations is a great one to talk about, too, where you may be small within your trade in your area, but attending an event like that and you see thousands, the largest gathering of construction people at an event like that. And the energy in that room, you knew you're not alone, right? Like I get chills when I walk into that room.

SPEAKER_02 15:01

The energy is absolutely insane. It's a community where we kind of stick together and we do things together to help each other thrive. We don't really call each other tradespeople. We definitely refer to each other as sisters because that's how tight-knit and close you become.

SPEAKER_01 15:17

How has your vision of the future now shifted because of your experience in apprenticeship?

SPEAKER_02 15:23

I'd say because of this apprenticeship, my vision has shifted from just getting by to leading the way. I no longer see myself as just a painter. I see myself as more of a specialist, a future instructor, and an advocate for tradespeople. I feel that the skills that I've gained have given me the confidence to continue to pursue what drives me.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

And as we prepare to sign off, what would you like the listeners to walk away with today? What would you encourage people to do?

SPEAKER_02 15:51

I would encourage those who are wanting to get into an apprenticeship to absolutely take the leap. And for businesses that are kind of on the fence as to whether or not to start an apprenticeship, I think that it's probably the best investment that you can make in your business. An apprenticeship is creating an employee from the ground up. You're retaining a loyal, strong employee.

SPEAKER_01 16:16

All right. Thanks, Christina. One thing I'd really like listeners to think about is construction apprenticeships have been longstanding for years. It is the apprenticeship model. Sometimes we've referred to it as the best kept secret out there. It's no longer a secret. We're talking about it here today. It's all over social media, it's all over the news. Uh, apprenticeship really is a post-secondary educational option for everybody that leads to great careers. And for our companies out there, we've got an aging workforce. They can't continue to do all the work. We need to invest into the future, and that starts with youth, that starts with diversity, and it starts with apprenticeship. That's how we build a pipeline to replace your existing workforce when ready. It doesn't happen overnight.

SPEAKER_00 17:07

Coming up next, we have a special collaborative episode with the Will Works podcast featuring John and Patrick Hall. This episode features how the local community college works in tandem with the American Job Center in order to provide jobs for their area. Thank you for joining us for this episode, and we look forward to seeing you next time on the Apprentice Perspective.