February 25, 2023

Centering Equity in Workforce Development

Photo credit: Murphy Moschetta

How CWIT’s Equity Resource Center supports community organizations in building women’s pathways into the trades

By Lark Jackson

When the Industrial Arts Workshop in Pittsburgh launched its first young all-women’s Weld Scholars cohort in October 2025 — the organization’s first cohort exclusively for young women — 14 students enrolled in an eight-week welding program that resulted in a certification and a clearer sense of where they might go next. While IAW has long supported a diverse range of students, the organization partnered with CWIT to create an all-women welding cohort because it recognized the value of providing young women with a learning environment intentionally designed for them. This program was not incidental; it was purposefully developed from the outset through a gender equity lens provided by CWIT.

Chicago Women in Trades’ Equity Resource Center (ERC) works with community organizations like Industrial Arts Workshop (IAW) to do exactly this kind of work — providing technical assistance and funding through the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grant, a U.S. Department of Labor federal grant administered through the Women’s Bureau. With these resources, IAW didn’t just offer welding instruction; it built a program designed to recruit and retain young women in an industry where women are underrepresented.

Photos: Murphy Moschetta

Photos: Murphy Moschetta

CWIT trained IAW staff on best practices for supporting women in the skilled construction and manufacturing trades, and provided guidance on helping students build resilience and confidence. The curriculum reflected that intentionality: video content featuring tradeswomen sharing their career journeys, health and safety best practices, an overview of students’ rights as young workers, interview strategies and employer expectations, and a trades self-assessment to help students evaluate whether the skilled trades are a good fit — now or in the future. The results speak for themselves: at the program’s conclusion, 100% of students said they would return for more training at IAW. Every student who completed the survey reported a better understanding of what a tradeswoman is and of their rights in the workplace. Students also reported improvements in self-confidence, teamwork and problem-solving. In November 2025, IAW added a mentorship program that connects graduates with Pittsburgh-area tradeswomen and female- and minority-owned contractors.

The response has been strong enough that IAW is now running two additional cohorts and continuing its mentorship program. CWIT continues to support IAW as these programs expand by identifying strategic opportunities and providing guidance to strengthen and sustain their impact.

IAW is well-positioned to do this work. Since 2014, the organization has cultivated talent and created opportunities for Pittsburgh-area youth and adults to enter the skilled trades, careers in the arts and other industries through hands-on sculpture design and welding programs. Its approach is rooted in four pillars: quality youth programming, investment in the Hazelwood community, an innovative approach to workforce development, and serving as an artist resource hub. IAW’s culture, which centers community, creativity and the whole person, made them a natural partner to pilot a young women–focused cohort built on a curriculum shaped through a gender equity lens.

The trades industry needs to prepare the next generation with intention — identifying overlooked communities and untapped talent. There is something powerful, even transformative, in that work. That’s what IAW is doing, and in the process, strengthening its local workforce and positively impacting its local economy. And for the new Weld Scholars graduates, the future is defined by options, not limitations: they leave the program with the information, skills, and confidence to build something meaningful for themselves and their future.