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Construction is still the major industry where you are least likely to meet a woman on the job, and training programs built for women are one of the ways that is changing. This piece began as a short note on one of them. Here is what that program was, what the figures say now, and where a woman in New York City can start.
The program in the name
In February 2018 a Tampa television station reported on Women Building Futures, a 15-week, hands-on construction course for women at The Helen Gordon Davis Centre for Women in Tampa, Florida. It began with how to use hand tools and how to name the tools of the trade (FOX 13).
An older organization carries the same name. Women Building Futures in Edmonton, Alberta, offers free trades training, from the construction trades to heavy equipment, along with coaching and other support (Women Building Futures). Our first version of this post ran the two together. They are separate, and they do the same useful thing: give a beginner the tools, the vocabulary and enough practice to walk onto a site with confidence.
What the numbers say
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts about 12.1 million people employed in the construction industry in 2025, and 11.3 percent of them were women. Across all industries women were 47.1 percent of the employed (BLS). The construction figure counts everyone the industry employs, in offices as well as on sites. When we first wrote this post the share we quoted was 9 percent, so it has moved, but slowly.
Equipment that fits
One practical barrier has been addressed in the rules. In December 2024 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration finalized a rule that explicitly requires personal protective equipment in construction to properly fit each worker who needs it, in effect from January 13, 2025. The agency’s announcement refers to workers, particularly women, who had spoken of equipment that did not fit (OSHA). A harness, a pair of gloves or a hard hat in the wrong size is not a small matter on a job site.
Where to start in New York City
Nontraditional Employment for Women, known as NEW, prepares, trains and places women in the skilled construction, utility and maintenance trades. Its core program is a free pre-apprenticeship course with hands-on training and safety certifications, offered as a full-time day program of five to six weeks or as an evening and Saturday program of eight to nine weeks, in Manhattan and Brooklyn (NEW). It is the nearest local equivalent of the programs above.
Why a renovation company cares
A kitchen or an apartment is built by carpenters, tile setters, plasterers, painters, plumbers and electricians, and the quality of the job is the skill of those hands. Anything that brings capable people into the trades is good for the homeowner at the end of the line.
When you hire, the questions that matter are about licenses, insurance, references and how the job is run, and they are the same whoever holds the tools. Our article on choosing a construction company for a home renovation lists them. How we coordinate the trades on a job is described on our design and build page, and the kinds of work we take on are under home renovation in NYC.
Have a renovation in mind? Call us or send the request form and we will set up a first meeting.
Questions people ask
What does a pre-apprenticeship program teach?
An introduction to the building trades. The New York City program run by Nontraditional Employment for Women describes hands-on training, safety certifications, an overview of the industry and job-readiness preparation, with help toward job placements afterward.
What share of construction workers are women?
By the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2025 figures, women were 11.3 percent of the people employed in the construction industry, against 47.1 percent of the employed in all industries.