Honoring Margot Reed's Legacy during National Apprenticeship Week 2023
During National Apprenticeship Week 2023, the Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS) commemorates and honors Margot Reed (February 27th, 1962- May 15th, 2023), a trailblazing leader in apprenticeship who was a source of inspiration.
Margot was a member of the Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (IACA), a leader in the Equal Employment Opportunity Subcommittee and the IACA Public Sector Subcommittee. She was deeply committed to bringing more women and people of color into the building trades, and successfully championed this cause as the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) Apprenticeship, Internship, OTJ Training Programs and Fellowship Manager.
Margot was a former apprentice with Sheet Metal Workers Local 104. She applied the skills she learned in her apprenticeship while serving her country in the US Army, where she worked for five years as a generator mechanic and heavy-duty diesel engine repairer. Margot was a true beacon of inspiration who tirelessly championed apprenticeship and On-The-Job (OTJ) Training.
Margot leaves an indelible imprint on the lives of many. The quotes to follow are a tribute to Margot’s legacy that highlights her unwavering dedication and commitment to the world of apprenticeship and OTJ training.
"It is my hope that we can work to advance any work that is pending as the work on behalf the people, youth, Apprentice, Pre-Apprentice, On-the-Job Training, and Internships does not end," said Rashid D. Herd, Workforce Development Director SFMTA. "Margot would want us to continue to advance inclusion and access, especially for those who have not historically been included or had access. She always represented the voices that weren’t at the table to ensure their voices were heard and represented. She did that publicly and privately. She was an advocate for sure and she lived for that challenge every day. To me, these were her legacy projects. She wanted to plant the seeds and water the work with all the right people at the table, advance ideas, and then get the work done."
“Margot’s life passion was to create a workforce whose demographics matched the demographics of the city. She knew the SFMTA and other agencies were in desperate need of skilled trades workers, and she’d worked her whole life in communities where people lacked access to meaningful jobs,” said Julie Kirschbaum, Director of Transit SFMTA.” She used relationships she developed with nonprofit organizations throughout the city to bridge the gap so that these community members could get access to high-quality, good-paying jobs.”
The Division of Apprenticeship Standards is proud to have benefited from Margot’s dedication, skills, and passion on the IACA Subcommittees. She was a subcommittee member whose legacy is an ongoing narrative, written in the many lives she touched and the careers she helped shape. In Margot’s honor, DAS will carry forward the torch that she lit to continue to exemplify Margot’s dedication to promoting high-quality equitable apprenticeship pathways and inspiring future generations.
Learn more about the SFMTA Apprenticeship program on their website: sfmta.com .
November 2023