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OVERVIEW
Mission
Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT) is a non-profit organization committed to improving women's economic equity by increasing the number of women working in well-paid, skilled trade jobs traditionally held by men.
US Department of Labor High Growth Job Training Initiative
The Department's High Growth Job Training Initiative is a strategic effort to prepare workers to take advantage of new and increasing job opportunities in high growth/high demand and economically vital industries and sectors of the American economy. The foundation of this initiative is partnerships that include the public workforce system, business and industry, education and training providers, and economic development.
Challenge
Total employment in the construction industry will increase by nearly one million jobs by 2012, requiring industry leaders to tap non-traditional labor pools, like women who represent less than 3% of the construction workforce. In order to recruit, prepare, and retain women in the construction industry, specific strategies must be deployed by various entities that refer and train women.
Strategy for Overcoming Challenge
As part of Women in Skilled Trades (WIST), CWIT will launch an outreach campaign to attract women into high-wage, high-skill jobs in the construction industry. This campaign will include professional outreach and marketing materials, orientation sessions throughout Northeast Illinois, and job fairs that focus on construction industry careers for women. CWIT and its many partners will help women address barriers to employment through an array of education, training, and support services such as pre-apprenticeship training, career awareness, placement, and mentoring by tradeswomen currently working in the industry. CWIT and its partners will work with One-Stop Centers, apprenticeship information centers, and community colleges to enhance their capacity to serve women.
Projected Outcomes
- Over nine thousand women will gain awareness of career opportunities in construction through orientations and career fairs.
- Hundreds of women will gain acceptance into apprenticeship programs.
- Community colleges will tailor curricula for aspiring tradeswomen.
- One-Stop staff, apprenticeship information centers, and community colleges will receive training, recruitment materials, assessment tools, participant handbooks, and guides to help them serve women interested in entering the construction industry.
