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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio)— More women in Massachusetts are working in the trades than ever before, according to a report from The Policy Group on Tradeswomen's Issues.
The report found that for the 2021-22 school year, 21.1 percent of students enrolled in construction-related programs at vocational schools in the state are female. This is up 1.4 percent from the 2020-21 school year.
"The times are changing," Liz Skidmore, a carpenter and co-convener of the PGTI told WBZ's Karyn Regal (@karynregal). "There's been a lot of work that's gone in to changing these numbers."
The report also found that the number of women enrolled in union apprenticeships is now over 10 percent in Massachusetts. Both the figures for women enrolling in vocational schools and union apprenticeships have been steadily increasing for the last eight years.
Skidmore said the next step is to make sure employers start to hire women to work in the trades, especially on publicly funded jobs.
"These are good careers, these are good wages. There's benefits, there's free training," Skidmore said.
WBZ's Karyn Regal (@karynregal) has the story.
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