Let's Talk with Leaha & Rhonda

0:00:00
you're listening to locally produced programming created in KUNV Studios on public radio KUNV 91.5

0:00:11
the following is a paid program sponsored by Crawford Management Group and Smart Time Consultants. Please be advised that the voices and opinions you may hear do not necessarily represent the views of KUNV Las Vegas, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

0:00:31
Vegas! Leah, how you doing on this beautiful Saturday morning? Yo, you want to know what Rhonda? It is hot! It is summer time! It's summer time! Well, it's not summer time yet. Oh, it's not? It's still spring. Oh, it's still spring. It's still spring. Summer doesn't start until June 20th. Really? You didn't know? I didn't know that. Yeah, so summer starts June 20th. So we are still...it's springtime. It's a pretty color. Just, you know. Yeah, but when you live in a city that only has really two seasons, hot and then real hot, you know, a little bit different. But you know, back home, this is still spring. It's, you know, it's still spring. So we're, you know, spring clothes, very pretty, very dainty, new beginnings, everything else.

0:01:28
That sure is. I know I was in the Midwest last weekend and it was 80 degrees and I was like, Oh, that

0:01:35
was nice.

0:01:36
Specifically, it is not.

0:01:37
I saw you on Facebook.

0:01:38
You were cute.

0:01:39
Thank you very much.

0:01:40
All right.

0:01:41
So today we have a very special woman in the studio, Miss Evelyn Pacheco. We're going to talk about women in trades, women in reentry, I mean reentry, ex-offenders, veterans, underrepresented, underemployed, minority groups, aging out. We're going to talk about women and trades and this is huge, right? Because we don't, we never, we all, when you think of trades, Rhonda, you think of men, you think of men, you think of men, you don't think of women, you don't think, and guess what? We can, we can do it too. That's right. We sure can. So good morning, Evelyn. How

0:02:20
are you? Morning, morning, ladies. Thank you for having me on here. All right. So me and you talked years ago.

0:02:27
Yes.

0:02:28
Before this was even before this came into fruition.

0:02:30
Yes.

0:02:31
So pre first of all, tell us about yourself. Where are you from?

0:02:37
I'm Midwest also.

0:02:39
Okay.

0:02:40
You know how we do and came here to make a change was running from the ex husband and came here because my mom and my sister were here and have a background in a degree in business and wasn't thinking I was going to get into the trades.

0:02:56
Okay, so you get into the trades.

0:02:59
Yes, I worked as a secretary, then I found out that Fitzgerald, which is now Mr. D's, was hiring an engineering department. And I was like, you know what, I'm going to go over there and try to see, you know what, because I didn't know about trades either right okay so I went over there because the money was better than what I was getting as working temporary right and so I went in there and his name is Gene Segas he he's retired but he's like you know we have openings in the engineering department you can paint you'll do wood wood carvings you can do plumbing electrical at him like, okay, right, right. No, that's not. And I said, Well, you know what, I can paint you know why? Because I paint with my stepdad or something. Right? Yeah, that can't be hard. Right? Right. Up down, up down. Right. So I'm thinking, okay, he's like, No, you're gonna do room service calls. So when they call from up in the hotel, and there's something wrong with the plumbing, electrical, HVAC, you're gonna fix it. And I looked at him, no. Like how? Right. Right. I'm like, I'm like, no, I can do the painting. He's like, well, then we're not going to hire you. And I was like, Oh, wow. And I know I needed that money, because I got to pay my bills and my rent and all of that. So I did it. And for a year, learned a lot in everything. And then one of the ladies working up in the hotel told me about her husband, that he worked for the plumbers and pipefitters union as an apprentice and you need to go over there. And then I'm looking at her like, no, I'm already I'm doing this. Now you want me to go to another level commercial and it's outside and it's all of this and that. And she's like, oh, yeah. So she had her husband come talk with me. I went over there and applied. I got the letter that you didn't make it thingy and I was like okay no problem I'm here at Fitzgerald no big deal. Then I got a phone call a week later and said you're the luckiest women in Las Vegas and I thought what did I win right. I know this is gambling town right. I'm like oh what did I win. He was like no I want you to come down on Wednesday and you got in the plumbers and pipe for this union. And I was like wow. Wow. No way. So this was a Friday. on a Wednesday, ladies. So I had to call, I had to call my boss, right? I'm like, you know, I don't know, you know, I got a chance, you know? And he said, Evelyn, go for it. He said, if you don't make it and something goes wrong, you can always come back. I love it.

0:05:26
And I was like, wow.

0:05:27
So let's put a pin in that because it's how you leave.

0:05:30
It sure is.

0:05:31
It's how you leave.

0:05:33
How you leave.

0:05:33
Yes, very important. And it wasn't, you know, she was probably excited, didn't know who to call. Let me call him first. In your excitement. So it wasn't a malicious where, you know, I'm mad and I'm leaving. It was an opportunity presented itself because you were doing the work. You were doing and we talk about that all the time. All the time. So go ahead. Yes. Yes. So so so he tells you, you know, go ahead. Don't worry about it. Go ahead. Go ahead and do it. And I'm like, wow. And so I, my first year was, was math, I did all math, learning about, you know, how to do your milliliters, and all the math, the power, and the ruler, you know, all of that. And then I called Gene, and I said, I passed this first year, right? He's like, okay, okay. And so then my second year was plumbing, my third year was welding, It was like HVAC, like that. And my fifth year was just all of it and learning how to take that test, that big, big, big 250 questions and more tests. But I would call him every year and he would be like, OK, OK. And it was great, you know, because I didn't even I mean, not me looking at it. That was support. That was support. That was support. I mean, an encouragement. Yeah. Yeah. From somebody that was working at Fitzgerald Engineering Department and rather me be there, but he knew I needed to do something else. I needed to need to let me fly.

0:06:59
OK, so now we fly.

0:07:01
We fly. So we fly. And then I journey out. And then the same guy that was my first year instructor, Don Johnson, he came up to me after I passed the test and everything. He said, you know, I want to tell you something. I was like, what? He goes, you know, you're the first black woman to get a plumber's license in the state of Nevada and you passed. Wow. And I'm looking at him like, what? What are you talking about? You know, because then people ask me, well, how did it feel like how to what feel? Do you really think I said on them construction, them on the strip, on the powerhouses, on the schools, on all these big huge commercial jobs. Am I the only black chick on here? Heck no! I was thinking that check's coming on Friday, I'm paying my mortgage, me and the kids can go eat at wherever we want to eat at, we can go to San Diego.

0:07:50
And I gotta say here, I gotta put this pipe to this pipe and do this, I gotta do this part right here, we gotta make it work.

0:07:56
Yeah, and that's all I was thinking, but then it all hit me, right? Like, oh my gosh! I was like, hell yeah, right? And then so me, the Pisces that I am, I'm like, oh, I wanna go talk to this group. I wanna talk, well, but in 2007, it wasn't like it is right now, right? It wasn't a lot of unity and support because it still was really not recognized that women are in the trades and there's a lot of us doing it. So that was okay. So I went through that. I retired to help with my grandbaby. That brought itself to fruition and I decided to retire and raise the grandbaby. She's now 11. She's something else. She's a mini me, but it's okay. And then I got to thinking back in like part 2017. Like what am I doing for these? My grandbabies? They're black women? What am I showing them? What what empowerment can I give them to know that they can do whatever they want? I'll 17 right when they want to do it, you know, so I thought about oh, you know what? Women in trades there's women in trades all over. I went to Chicago went to Oakland. I said, how are you doing it? What what's what's the curriculum? What's this? What's that? Right and then I came back and Do miss Martin jr. Who helped me get my nonprofit and I got two nonprofits and one for profit now. But he was like, you know what you're getting ready to do? I'm like, what? He's going to change women's lives. And I was like doing this. Okay, you know, I'm doing this because I wanted but we're not thinking about the real platform and what I'm doing about the big picture.

0:09:30
Yes. Yes. Yes.

0:09:33
So I started the program six weeks.

0:09:36
So, okay. So let's talk about the program. What is the program? What is the program?

0:09:39
The program is six weeks long and it's called Women in Trades, right? It's called Pipeline. Pipeline. OK, the program is Pipeline, and it is to help you take the math test to get into the apprenticeship programs, which is the only one that doesn't have a math test. I believe is we don't have to guess.

0:09:58
We don't have to guess.

0:09:59
Eight seventy seven. OK, doesn't have a test to get in, but all the rest of the trades have you take a test. So it's not like a lot of math or anything, but it's seventh grade math. And a lot of people don't do math every day. Right. So that's the barrier in it. Right. They take the test. You think often to pass it. And then you find out you can't do fractions. You know about decimals. We're all right. You don't know. You don't know the sequence of equations and you only can take the test once a year. Except for electricians. That's all. So electricians let you take it more than once a year. Oh wow. Just once a year. Once a year. OK. But but OK. So dealing with your course or your you basically do a six week. to help them with the math and we get them their CPR, their OSHA, their work-life awareness. We help them with their resumes. We help them with interviewing because interviewing for the trades is different than interviewing for, no pun on McDonald's, y'all, but it's not the same interview. It's not the same interview. No, it's not. It's not the same process. So how would someone contact you if they were interested in starting this program? Like, do you start, is it like a school where like you know we're a pre-apprenticeship program is what we are and we start in October October 24th And then we have you Email us at info at Nevada wit spelled out WIT.org and then probably about the last of September I will email out those that have contacted us in the email you only do this once a year Yep, I did it before that but Vegas has not caught up to Nevada women in trades yet. And I think it's a lot to do with the information getting out there and women knowing what trades are and women knowing that this is something they can do regardless of having any reentry or being an ex-offender. They can still get into the trades and you can do it whatever your mind. back up because I want to go over it one more time. I want to make sure our listeners understand the test is only offered one time a year. Most of the

0:12:06
trades. Most of the trades. Now is it offered at the same time? Nope. Okay. And

0:12:11
it's not that either. There's like there's different times right like one might be in March, one might be in September, one might be in June, one might be in November. They sometimes overlap but not necessarily all the time.

0:12:26
How often do you do this six week class?

0:12:30
And like I said earlier, I do it once a year because when I did do it more than that, Vegas has not caught up to Nevada women in trades.

0:12:39
Okay, so I just wanted to be clear.

0:12:42
So what we need is to have more organizations come together to say this is what's going on for my women that are underserved right this is what this is what we can help you with wealth building we can change your lives that that's what we need we all need to start coming together a little bit more so your six-week classes it started September October October 24th so it starts to October 24th it goes to December and it's a six-week class to help you prepare to get ready to take a test in one of the trades and depending upon which trade you'd like to choose, your test happens once a year and they're all different months. So you know if it's plumbing you know it's it's it's happening in XYZ month. So you need to find out first of all when is your test? Exactly when is your test so that you can schedule to take the class in October from October to December and be ready. So now she's taking applications now so if you are thinking about you're a woman and you want to be in the trades, she is taking applications now. She will be reviewing them and sending out emails, letting everyone know that they made the class in September, which is right around the corner. Yeah, people actually the class is in October. But what it is, you come in person and do the application. There's nothing online. So once you email me, I will send out the flyers. And then I'll later on, like I said, towards December, August, somewhere around there. I'll let you know when we're going to have the application process, but we will start October 24th. There's six weeks. We have a graduation and I help you with the process, too. I just don't drop you either. I help you with with you know, when you when you decide, because it's not for me, because you don't want to go to do the three or five year apprenticeship program, not me. And you go to school during the apprenticeship programs, too. You can earn a two with CSM because they have college credits when you do their apprenticeship programs and We're from nine to one that way if you have kids that are in school Like I have my grandbabies you can get them at school at eight. We have class at nine We get done at one then you can go pick your your babies up at two or two thirty Okay, so you still got enough right being conscious of the fact that people have children exactly because I'm doing it. So that's what I'm doing is I really figured out. Right. And then three Saturdays of the six weeks, you will get your certifications for CPR and forklift awareness in Osheton. And then, like I said, I don't drop you after that. We make sure you line up with whoever you want to interview with. I get you ready. I get you set for you. And then when you get hired, I keep up with you too. I call you to make sure everything's okay in a job. Do you need any help? Is there anything wrong? Can I help you with what I need to talk to anybody? Do I need to be an advocate? I stay with and right now we've gotten one female in IVW and She's a third-year apprentice. We have another lady. That's a carpenter She's a third year and we have another lady that's going to be a second year in the plumbers and pipe finishing It's 2020. Yeah, fantastic. I did it.

0:15:38
Congratulations. Congratulations.

0:15:40
So if you are out there listening Las Vegas and you want to have a change in career or plan and you want to get some more information about taking this class, you can visit NevadaWIT.org. That's H-T-P-P-S NevadaWIT.org and that is Nevada Women in Trade's website and it tells all about the program, how you sign up and all that fun stuff.

0:16:04
I like it.

0:16:05
You like it.

0:16:06
So I'm excited for you. I'm excited for you because I'm reading the stuff about it. And what do you OK, so for the program, what what do you have to have to be eligible to be in the program? And that's where the barriers come in.

0:16:16
OK, right. That's that's when we start dealing with the barriers.

0:16:19
Right.

0:16:19
You don't have an ID. You don't have your Social Security card. You don't have your birth certificate or your high school equivalency. I got to wait for this or I got to come. No, because you already know, you don't, you don't, I don't set you up, right? To make sure you go in there and you got all your things together. Right. So I'm seeing a high school diploma or equivalent or GED. Well, high school equivalency, not supposed to say GED anymore. Okay, so high school. You want to know and thank you because I'm not going to say GED anymore. Okay, last time I was a general education. No, high school equivalency. High school equivalency. Okay. Somebody had a problem with that. Driver's license.

0:17:18
Yeah, somebody had a problem. It's the same thing, right?

0:17:20
An equivalent to a high school diploma. Gotcha. So a current driver's license. If you don't drive, you need to have a state ID, I'm sure. You gotta have a driver's license. You gotta have a driver's license. Really? Well, you have to drive the trucks. You gotta drive the forklift. You can't do the forklift without an ID. That's interesting. You cannot drive the forklift without a driver's license. I mean what if you crash?

0:17:40
Because it is driving. It's driving. It's a forward, back, up, down, side, lift. Look at you, you're about to add stuff on to it. That's your creativity. See that's Rhonda's creative side. Rhonda's going to add, see look at her, she's adding stuff on to it. Because this says as plain as day y'all current driver's license. She has no or you can have, no that's not what it's not Rhonda. No, what is it? What about those New Yorkers that don't drive? They do they got driver's licenses for the forklift. How about that? Okay, so everybody driving the forklift has a driver a valid driver's license because I'm sure they make sure that you have a valid driver's License. Okay. Mm-hmm. All righty. Okay birth certificate or other proof of eligibility to work in the United States So what that means is you can have a green card Exactly have a green card, but you have to have a driver's license.

0:18:27
Yep. And a high school equivalency. High school equivalency. Mm hmm.

0:18:30
OK, so you see how this and where this can become complicated. Very. All right. Demonstrate basic math and reading skills. And we talked about that. So, yes, not only math, but reading. Right. And there's another part in it. I know we're not done. We're not done. We're not done because then you've got the drug test.

0:18:43
That's right now and air wanna be in legal nope doesn't work you're driving you're operating but it's legal but you're driving and you're operating but I had a bad back and I was in an accident and your doctor gave me some operating and even to with the liquor if you're gonna go to a new job right let's say you want to drink. They advise you not to even drink the night before because you might not pass that drug

0:19:21
test. And you will know what though. That's good to know though because marijuana is legal.

0:19:26
Yeah, but not in the trades.

0:19:28
Not in the trades.

0:19:29
Not in construction. Because again, the driving the... Just like with the police, right? They pull you over. They're not going to say, Oh, it's legal. They're going to say, Oh, you're high. And nope, here's a ticket but I think she's right because with any other jobs also if they take you if they ask you to go do a drug test you still have to be negative even though marijuana is legal marijuana she's right no no she is she's absolutely right but I think it needs it but I think you need to say it out loud because that is something that needs but that's it that's the conversation to have because right if I go to work and you test me and I have alcohol in my system

0:20:05
Do I fail my drug test and you might?

0:20:07
Here's how much you drink Interesting. Oh, yeah, I never thought about that I always thought about you know, the marijuana and all the rest you want to know what what what brought me to that? Because what if you're using? THC as lotion. Oh, yeah, it can get in your you can get in your system. That's right. Right. And you're using the lotion and then you go get tested. You test my I've never

0:20:31
touched nothing but you I got all the marijuana. Right. Helping me with other ailments. But I didn't eat or smoke. I didn't eat or smoke. I just rolled in like deodorant. Exactly. That's how it comes. Sometimes. Yeah, that's how it comes. So but it's you being really conscious about, you know, what you're putting on your body in your body. Wow.

0:20:56
Well, the whole the whole objective is to get these women in without a lot going on that they have to do when they get to the apprenticeship to apply, right? It's to get everything done, right? Get it all. Let's all get it worked out. out what trade you want to do, when you're going to go apply for what trade, how many trades, and I have the women apply for more than one trade. I tell them to do like three choices, right, because one sometimes doesn't work, but if you do your top three and maybe one you don't get in, maybe you get into the operators union, but you want to get into the plumbers. Please, okay, so I don't know the difference, and I'm sure I'm not the only person that does not know the difference, because people talk about the union and they get to throwing off numbers and names like gang signs

0:21:41
They you know, they do and I'm like, okay

0:21:43
sure

0:21:45
We do we rather

0:21:47
741 389 you know, whatever and I belong to this and they you know

0:21:52
I needed that tattoo. Shoot. I love that tattoo. So let's talk about it though. So you have a... I have five unions that I partner with, plus contractors.

0:22:01
Okay.

0:22:02
So I partner with Local 12, which is Southern Nevada Operator Engineers. Now what's Operator Engineers? So they do, they do like the trucks and the cranes, you know, the big boy trucks, you know. Okay.

0:22:15
Pick up the dumps, you know, stuff.

0:22:17
So that's the operator union. Yes, that's opera and they do it. They do survey and to so there's a lot to the trade to that trade right there.

0:22:32
So that's basically your school for us school engineering. So that would be your civil engineers. No, dumb people because they don't operator.

0:22:41
OK, no, no, no.

0:22:42
Different.

0:22:43
Different.

0:22:44
That's why I said you got it. That's why I talk to me.

0:22:46
I don't know.

0:22:47
And then I partner with 872 labors. Now, what's labor? So laborers do they do cleanup, they do concretes, they help with wall building, they do a lot of things too. And then we have IBW 357 which is electricians. So they're pretty good. And we have 669 sprinkler fitters. So they do the sprinkler lines, right? So and that's all they do? Well, they do piping and things like that, too. Yeah. And then my other partner, they work with the plumbers, too. Everybody works together because we got to. This is layered. Like it's almost like it's layered. If you were to come in. So you so really you need to go to a building that's flat and then go back in certain months and you start seeing how it all gets put together. Everybody has to work together. You have to. You have no choice. And then my last is the plumbers and pipefitters union, which is my hall. And she's on they call them halls and so I'm telling you, I'm telling you the game would be the pipe for the game. They are we their own game. They don't but but they have to work together because I'm thinking about it if you're building now think about it Rhonda, you just want me building a house, right? So in building your house, you know, you need to somebody with the plumbing, you needed somebody to lay the bricks, you needed the concrete, you needed the duct work, you needed the electrician, you needed plumbers, the air conditioning man, HVAC, that's the plumber, that's plumbers and sheet metal, that's plumbers and sheet metal, yeah right, because some things go together like you know that they go together, yeah, yeah I need the interior designer, that's all. You want to know what's up. Just figure all that out. Call me when it's done. I can tell you I don't like that. I just like the finished product. That's what my, as they say, you like shiny things. I do. But it's so cool though to see the work you done put together and I can go on the strip now and say, oh wow, I did Turnberry Towers, I did Venetian, I did Wynn, I did Encore, I did Manly Bay, I did Paul Houser. The bones are basically the same. The bones are the same. They gotta have the same structure. It's the outside that makes it. The outside is what you do and then you put everything in to run everything. Why we're doing this, why you sit on the toilet, why you turn the AC on, why you turn the lights on. They make sure all that works.

0:25:08
They make sure everything works. So when you go on your staycation and you get your hotel room or bungalow or suite all those things work. All right So let's just get some contact information because again we went through that Well, let's go through it one more time because we're you know winding down Eligibility requirements and it's good that she's waiting till October because Guess what? You got some time to get your stuff together and some of this stuff is not it's not easy High school diploma you either have one or you need something that is equivalent. And if you're not sure what equivalent is, please contact Evelyn and Evelyn can let you know what is equivalent to your high school diploma. Current driver's license, she said driver's license y'all, not the ID, not the driver's license. So if you're from California, Illinois, Texas, wherever, you need a Nevada driver's license. And it takes, it takes time now. It used to be easy. You used to just go down to the DMV today and you had your driver's license in a couple hours. Now it might take a couple months to get an appointment.

0:26:18
At least.

0:26:19
Right. So you want to get your Nevada driver's license, a birth certificate or proof of eligibility to work. Again, and I know we always talk about documentation. I don't know how many people I know that do not have a copy of their birth certificate.

0:26:33
A lot.

0:26:34
That do not have a copy of their birth certificate.

0:26:36
I have several copies.

0:26:37
Huh, how about that, right? I have several copies. I got my kids copies. I got, yeah, so everybody got a copy. Because a lot of people want originals. Right. And you have to give them the original. So you have to go get more copies and depending on where you were born will determine what the process is for you to get your birth certificate. So you need to find out how to get your birth certificate and that too can take time. I'm from Pennsylvania I have to go through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in order to get my birth certificate daughter from somewhere else we got to go through that area. Whatever state you're in there's a state agency that is over the birth certificates. Get a copy of your birth certificate.

0:27:20
And they also, if you do it at any college, that would help. So they want a copy of your transcripts too. Okay. The trays ask that when you go to apply. I'm not asking, but I tell the ladies, you know, when they start my class, like, order your transcripts right now. Because when you get done in six weeks, it'll be there sitting.

0:27:36
You want to know what's so funny? I went to real estate school here a while, eons ago, 20 years ago. And the man asked me for my high school diploma. I told him I have a college degree. He said, I need your high school diploma. I said, I have a college degree. He said, I need your high school diploma. And I was like, oh, I guess they don't go together. OK, got it. Let me go find a high school diploma. I it was something he wanted to see my high school diploma and it was from another state but he wanted to see my high school diploma and then we talked we and we just had a long conversation about the drug test so contact Miss Pacheco find out what you need to know I mean and if you have a situation talk to her about it I mean like we were talking about the lotion with the with the with the TC but you might not be able to do that if you know you want to get a drug test right so you need to be aware but you can contact her. Her number is 702-801-6591.

0:28:29
Say that again Rhonda.

0:28:35
702-801-6591.

0:28:36
Thank you so much for joining us on the show today. This information was very, very important. Hopefully someone's listening out there and if you know somebody you know somebody tell them that some people need a life-changing experience hey you want to know one you want to because you know those kids man you know you never know you might somebody needs something like change oh and the age oh 18 and up 18 and 18 and 17 if you have graduated you can still get into the traits and also I can help people with culinary. I have access to help with culinary academy and CDLs too. Okay, great. Nice, nice. Okay, well my name is Leah Crawford and I'm Rhonda Nolan. You've been listening to Let's Talk with Leah Crawford and Rhonda Nolan at KUNV. Well, thank you for listening all you entrepreneurs and all you beautiful folks in Las Vegas and all over the country. It is, our time is just about up. We're going to get out of here, but we will see you next Saturday morning, and we will have some more interesting information for you to learn. Have a great weekend.

0:29:43
Bye.

0:29:44
Bye. You have been listening to a paid program sponsored by Crawford Management Group and Smart Time Consultants. Please be advised that the voices and opinions you heard do not necessarily represent the views of KUNV Las Vegas, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents views of KUNV Las Vegas, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Transcribed with Cockatoo