West Virginia Executive Spring 2019 | Page 61

prepare women for entry-level positions and apprenticeships within the state’s manufacturing industry so they no longer feel the pressures of working multiple jobs to provide for their families or pay back student loans. Forty percent of the women entering the program are single mothers living with student loan debt or with a household income of less than $25,000 per year. A Step Up participant receives hands-on training. Photo by Step Up for Women. MISSING SOMETHING? ... WE’RE NOT. Simpson Dental Associates provides a full range of dental services. “More so than ever, women are respon- sible for supporting entire households and focusing in on nontraditional occupations that almost always offer a much higher pay rate,” say Kristina Szczyrbak, West Virginia Women Work’s executive director. “It really helps eliminate the gender wage gap and provide sustainability to help a woman be completely self-sufficient and able to support herself and her family without needing additional assistance.” In total, West Virginia Women Work offers five programs, including Step Up for Women, and has the capacity to train 120 women per year. Most of the students find a job within six weeks of completing a program. The program coordinators believe students do not learn by watching demonstrations of the lessons but by actu- ally doing the work themselves, which is why the program offers hands-on training using high-tech machines, reading blue- prints, measuring and inspecting prod- ucts and creating industrial components. Program coordinators also train students in career readiness and offer an industry overview by teaching the students job de- velopment methods and skills in secur- ing a job, writing résumés and providing technical assistance in whatever they may need to enter the workforce. Students are also able to meet with employers and role models throughout the program.  3 Whitening 3 Crowns (in about an hour) 3 Veneers 3 Implants 3 Teeth in a Day 3 Dentures (crafted in our in-house lab) 3 Botox and Fillers 3 Comprehensive Care 400 Allen Drive Suite 300 Charleston, WV 25302 (304) 342-6162 www.wvsmiles.com Creating beautiful smiles for over 70 years Christen Simpson Raynes, DDS, MBA, and Mark W. Simpson, DDS WWW.WVEXECUTIVE.COM SPRING 2019 59