A Twin Cities college wants to help put women in high-demand, good-paying jobs that might not be on their radar, and much of the cost of taking classes and getting trained will be covered thanks to a new pilot program.
Working with her hands feels natural for Rachel Fulgham. The former baker loves to create from scratch. But a few years ago, she traded in flour and ovens for steel and mills.
She’s learning to be a CNC machinist at Minneapolis College. They program large machines to cut, shape, and design parts. While the mill was hard at work carving a chunk of metal into a vice stop, she used a file to clean up one that was recently finished to its exact specifications. Ensuring the final product is perfect is a part of the process Fulgham appreciates.
“My fiancé is a machinist and so for years, hearing him talk about his day, I thought ‘I could do that’,” she said. She’s out to prove it at Minneapolis College, a school out to prove that women have a place in the trades.
“It is broadening that menu of career options for them in a meaningful way,” said Vincent Thomas, the Dean of Business and Economics and Trade Technologies.
Several women are currently grinding their way to becoming welders. Other trade programs at the college include HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning), bicycle assembly and repair technician, aircraft maintenance technician and CNC machinist.
This semester, Fulgham is the only woman in her class. “It’s doable, but it would have been nice to have other women in there and made me feel less alone and less singled out, maybe a little bit,” she said.
Filling the trade programs with more women is a constant mission for the college. “If women students look at the occupation, or they look at our students and they don’t see anyone who looks like them, or they don’t see other women finishing the program, starting a career, having success, it becomes this difficult cycle to break,” said Thomas.
To spark some change, a new pilot program at the college was introduced called “We Thrive Women in the Trades.” The program received $200,000 in funding from the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota. The goal is to recruit women while also helping pay for their tuition, transportation and even childcare.
“If your primary concern is cost, or affordability, or going into to debt to finance your education, this program will literally remove that obstacle,” said Thomas.
Within two years, graduates will be certified for their respective trade where future worksites often mirror the classroom they just left.
Adrianna Affolter is a CNC machinist at Johnstech across town. She builds microchip testers using familiar equipment and training from her time at Minneapolis College. What started as an internship is now her full-time job.
“I love what I do for a living. I want to keep learning . . . going back to school, getting my engineering degree,” she said.
If her success wasn’t enough encouragement, she hopes the new pilot program motivates women to give trades a chance.
“It’s just a great opportunity,” she said. “There is no excuse. If you want to do it, go for it. Here is the help.”
Already following Affolter’s path is Fulgham. In a few months, her internship at Johnstech will also turn into a job, and more importantly, a career.
“I’m really looking forward to just being part of the CNC industry and doing it full time for hopefully the rest of my life,” Fulgham said.
We Thrive Women in the Trades starts in Fall 2025. To learn more about the pilot program, click here.
Jeff Wagner
Jeff Wagner joined the WCCO-TV team in November 2016 as a general assignment reporter, and now anchors WCCO’s Saturday evening newscasts. Although he’s new to Minnesota, he’s called the Midwest home his entire life.
