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What We Are Building Now

Programs

There are a lot of ways to get involved with Tradeswomen, Inc. We work with all Women, engaging school-age girls to help familiarize them with non-traditional careers, and helping women who are looking for a lifelong career.

Monthly Introduction Apprenticeship Workshop

Our programs supporting California women entering into trades careers

Our goal is to meet you where you are, and help you get where you strive to go. We have free Introduction to Apprenticeship workshops, Central valley event connected, EB, Peninsula Events.

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Career Fairs

Women Can Build Hands On Career Fairs

TWI works in conjunction with Bay Area Apprenticeship Coordinators Associaiton (BAACA) and the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) to introduce high school junior and senior women to the various construction trade careers. We use a hands-on approach to build familiarity -and therefore, confidence- in young women so they know they have what it takes to join a building trade.

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Women in Apprenticeship Training Institute

Make the BEST impact in engaging with women looking to make a career in the trades.

This Workshop is aimed to educate the key stakeholders how to make the BEST impact in engaging with women looking to make a career in the trades. Pre-Apprenticeship programs have proven effective in the selection and success of entering apprentices. TWI considers increasing the numbers of women in pre-apprenticeship as an important component in opening the pipeline. TWI partners with programs to recruit women and to increase the capacity of pre-apprenticeship to train and place women successfully.

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Building Comradery

An effective way to enter apprenticeship programs across all trades.

Our main focus is Women Construction; From helping women find their life’s passion, to providing support through resources and comradery , We are here to help assure you in your path.

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Our Annual Gala

Join us for our annual fall celebration.
Stay Tuned!

We look forward to seeing you there.

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Partnerships with Various Organizations

Technical assistance and support services.

Tradeswomen Inc. offers technical assistance and support services to our partners to increase the percentage of  women working in the skilled trades. We offer a range of support services for the stakeholders that are involved in helping women get careers.

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Coalitions

Our programs supporting California women entering into trades careers:

  • Equal Rights Advocates:
  • National Taskforce on Tradeswomen’s Issues (or, TWTF, meaning Tradeswomen Taskforce) Partnership
    • The National Taskforce on Tradeswomen’s Issues mission is to unite local, regional and national expertise and action to support tradeswomen and women in achieving access, opportunity, and equity in the construction industry, and other skilled trades occupations. The National Taskforce on Tradeswomen Issues does this through promoting a federal public policy platform and advocacy initiatives which includes efforts at the national level to improve, enforce, fund, and promote best practices in apprenticeship, training, workforce development, career tech, nontraditional employment, and job site equity.
    • As a member of TWTF, Tradeswomen, Inc:
      • Holds key roles in the groups steering committees. 
      • Direct action in the Taskforce, drive the yearly goals.
      • Facilitates tradeswomen engaging their elected officials to help propel policies that women in the skilled trade need and deserve. 
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Programs In Your Area

Learn about opportunities where you live.

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Moving Towards Critical Mass

Whatever number industry advocates peg as critical mass, California tradeswomen are far from it. In the past 10 years, California women in construction apprenticeships have moved from a low of 1.98% to 2.94%.

The number of women has increased three fold. TWI works to build tradeswomen numbers through direct service programs as well as advocacy. TWI staff counsel individual women to assess their apprenticeship readiness and provide application assistance and other appropriate resources.

Here are some of the TWI programs to support California women in trades careers:

Entry to Apprenticeship Workshops

This regularly scheduled Entry to Apprenticeship for Women workshop is one of the ways that Tradeswomen, Inc. (TWI) works closely with union construction apprenticeship programs to recruit and retain quality women craft workers. TWI believes that apprenticeships with union contractors offer family-supporting wages and benefits as well as the training necessary to establish California women in a life-long career. TWI sponsors Entry Workshops and other programs to increase the pipeline of qualified female into high wage blue-collar skilled trades occupations.

Women Can Build Hands-On Career Fairs

In November 2018, TWI co-hosted the 4th annual Women Can Build Hands-On Career Fair in Hayward with the Bay Area Apprenticeship Coordinators Association (BAACA). The Fair brings in 300 young women from area high schools, pre-apprenticeship programs, community colleges, and community-based-organizations.

TWI and BAACA work closely with Oakland Schools and other Northern California school districts. BAACA staff and tradeswomen volunteers provide hands-on activities with their women apprenticeship training staff there to speak directly about careers for women in the trades. Some women have gone in apprenticeship directly through contacts made at the fair.

Women in Apprenticeship Training Institute

Pre-Apprenticeship programs have proven effective in the selection and success of entering apprentices. TWI considers increasing the numbers of women in pre-apprenticeship as an important component in opening the pipeline. TWI partners with programs to recruit women and to increase the capacity of pre-apprenticeship to train and place women successfully. Some programs include all-women’s classes, notably Rising Sun Energy Center with whom we work closely particularly to recruit women exoffenders. TWI supports recruitment for the Field Iron Workers national all-women’s classes in Benicia. TWI partners with the Northern California Carpenters to recruit female apprentices with an aspiration to reach 20% women’s participation in Carpenter preapprenticeship classes.

Building Comradery

Our main focus is Women Construction; From helping women find their life's passion, to providing support through resources and comradery , We are here to help assure you in your path.

Meetups: Pride, Women’s Marches and other Activism.
Volunteer: From providing testimonials to politicians or kids who are exploring the trades, to helping us set up for events. We would greatly appreciate your help please fill out our form to help us know how to help get your immediate support.

Women In Trades Outside Of Construction

TWI is part of a new co-ed Automotive Mechanic pre-apprentice program with the City and County of San Francisco, Jewish Vocational Services, United Automotive Workers Local 1414 and San Francisco City College to bring women into this industry.

Central Valley Project

TWI is establishing a Tradeswomen Central Valley Apprenticeship Resource Network to provide technical assistance and recruitment services to Valley apprenticeship programs as well as career information, application support and mentoring for Valley women interested in the trades.

Mentoring & Leadership Training

Retention of skilled trained workers through their apprenticeship and through the ups and downs of a construction career is another challenge. Tradeswomen are often isolated on the jobsite. This isolation impedes basic retention, overall training and career success. TWI partners in numerous networking, mentoring and support frameworks to help tradeswomen: Tradeswomen Fall Celebration: TWI’s annual fall Celebration brings together over 300 tradeswomen. The event is an important social and networking event for women in the trades as well as providing critical funding for TWI programs. TWI provides complementary tickets for women pre-apprentices to attend and each year sponsors 30-40 young women on their way to a career in the trades.

Women Build Nations

For 14 years beginning in 2002, TWI partnered with the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California to host the Women Building California Conference. This event grew in attendance and stature to become the Women Build Nations now sponsored by the North American Building Trades Unions. TWI continues to be a lead organization in several components of the WBN weekend including the Friday Tradeswomen Strategic Planning Day, the Sunday Tradeswomen Policy Workshop and the Monday Training Institute for Practitioners. Tradeswomen Meetups: TWI sponsors social and mentoring events for tradeswomen using Facebook Meetup and other tools to bring together Bay area tradeswomen.