More than 1,500 Los Angeles students, community members, employees and prospective job candidates gathered on May 6 at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s Truesdale Training Center for the inaugural Women’s Career and Wellness Expo.
The location usually used for line worker training was transformed to showcase a variety of utility careers, many available to women, in a family-friendly setting, the utility said.
The regional event included a recruitment fair with information about skilled craft and professional jobs at LADWP, along with equipment demonstrations and other hands-on activities.
The event aligns with the LADWP goal to help narrow the nation’s gender and racial pay gaps by improving access to employment, promoting the benefits of civil service and union representation, and connecting high school students, particularly underrepresented female students, to career paths in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
Out of the more than 11,000 employees working for LADWP, approximately 25 percent are women.
Attendees were able to discuss careers at LADWP directly with current employees, who helped provide relevant knowledge, experience and expertise. Staff members also participated in live demonstrations focusing on line workers, electric safety and utility equipment.
LADWP’s partnerships with local non-profit and community-based organizations helped result in a strong turnout with a “Caravan to a Career” that brought several hundred students to the expo.
The event was conceived by the Board of Water and Power Commissioners and the Department’s Women’s Council, an LADWP employee resource group formed in 2021 with a mission to support, elevate and advance women in the LADWP workforce by promoting opportunities for leadership, mentorship, recognition and work-life balance, while promoting equity, diversity and inclusion.
