Kalamazoo Valley Community College will hold a virtual panel, keynote, and speaking event on March 25 to highlight distinguished figures in non-traditional roles in the skilled trades and medical field such as women in construction and men in nursing. The event is free and will be on Zoom, moderated by renowned Michigan broadcaster Lori Moore with a keynote from Krystle Schnell.
On March 25, 2022, Kalamazoo Valley Community College will host a Non-Traditional Roles in Skilled Trades and Health Careers event. The event will be a virtual panel and keynote address from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. EDT.
Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s Associate Vice President for Collaboration, Compliance, and Analytics, Tracy Labadie, spoke on the event in a press release: “We’re looking forward to learning how area educators and employers can support and encourage men and women to pursue careers in non-traditional roles.”
Labadie also mentioned the need to encourage women into traditionally male-dominated trades in order to fill positions left empty by the post-COVID-19 pandemic labor shortage in fields such as HVAC and electric industries.
The event will also focus on men who work in fields not generally associated with male workers, such as nursing.
The Keynote Speaker is Krystle Schnell who works in construction. She started work in the construction industry after the factory at which she was previously employed shut down. Since then, she has received multiple awards as an apprentice and became an instructor of Operational Engineers 324. She has been recognized as a “Woman of Impact” by the National Association of Women in Construction, and works with women and girls to promote the skilled trades to women.
Another scheduled speaker for the event is Patrick Jostwick, who is the director of nursing at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, and Eric Lentz, a 2020 graduate of KVCC and traveling nurse. There are also more speakers being added to the event.
The virtual event will be moderated by Lori Moore, a longtime broadcaster in Southwest Michigan. Moore is also a former student of Kalamazoo Valley Community College, a Hope College graduate, and has worked in television and morning drive radio for almost 40 years. She has also been the recipient of several honors, including in 2006 when then-Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan declared November 14, 2006 as “Lori Moore Day.”
After the talks, viewers of the event will be able to watch a panel discussion with Kalamazoo Valley Community College graduates and professionals who work in non-traditional roles.
Those interested in the event can register to receive the Zoom link.
For more information on Kalamazoo Valley Community College, including registration for its upcoming fall semester, visit their website.