A new program in Tampa, Florida, “Women Building Futures,” aims to train women to work in construction. Women fill every job imaginable capably and confidently, but construction is one job where you still might not expect to see many women. In fact, women make up only 9 percent of the entire construction workforce in America, according to OSHA; that’s less than one in every 10 construction workers.

This program helps women learn the skills and knowledge they need to work in the construction industry. “There’s a big demand for tradesmen and workers in the construction field so this class will give the ladies the opportunity to be able to go out and compete in that arena,” program manager Kimberly Kitchen told Fox 13.

Women Building Futures (WBF) became registered as a non-profit society in 1998 as a small group of women (social workers mostly) who set out to fulfill their shared dream of helping women achieve economic prosperity through trades training and mentorship. Working out of an office space ‘borrowed’ from the City of Edmonton, WBF focused on securing small grants to run a series of three-week classes on carpentry.

As of November 2006, the program is now 17-weeks long and includes introduction to six trades – carpentry, plumbing, electrical, steamfitting/pipefitting, welding and sheet metal. The graduate success rate continued to climb and all staff stayed on board during this period; a true display of the tenacity that makes WBF a success.

To learn more about this program, visit https://womenbuildingfutures.com.