You’re in the Right Place
You’re an employer who takes pride in building great projects — and strong teams to match. You care about the quality of your work, the safety of your crew, and your company’s reputation. You want to attract and retain skilled workers, reduce turnover, and create a culture where everyone can perform their best.
You might be:
- A construction contractor, subcontractor, or contractor association seeking to strengthen your workforce and improve jobsite culture.
- An HR professional seeking to address compliance and retention challenges.
- An owner aiming to reduce costly turnover or harassment-related risks.
- A company looking to recruit more women and underrepresented workers into the trades.
- A foreman, site safety manager, or safety personnel ready to learn how inclusive practices can drive productivity and morale for your crew
No matter your role, you’re here because you believe every worker deserves respect — and every company benefits from an equitable, inclusive workplace.
The Equity Resource Center is your partner in creating job sites that are safe, productive, and welcoming to all. We will help you strengthen your teams, meet compliance goals, and build a workforce that lasts.
Let’s Build a Stronger Workforce
The Equity Resource Center offers customized support and training to create inclusive, productive and compliant workplaces.
Partner with us to:
Create a more dynamic and resilient workforce through inclusive hiring and retention strategies.
Meet federal, state and local anti-discrimination requirements with confidence.
Build a jobsite culture that boosts productivity, reduces turnover and strengthens your reputation as an employer of choice.
Through our Health and Safety for Women in Construction (HASWIC) training and our role as a RISE Up affiliate, we provide practical strategies for building safer job sites.
Our team can train your leadership, staff, and craft workers on topics including recruitment, assessment and retention, harassment prevention, and creating a respectful jobsite culture, to name just a few!
Power Construction
“The RISE Up program was a truly transformative experience for our entire team. It was refreshing to have training that was not just targeted at one level, but involved our executive team, project management team, field supervisors and safety supervisors. Lark Jackson was a standout — her deep subject-matter knowledge, combined with her approachable, disarming style, fostered meaningful conversations and valuable feedback from participants. The RISE Up Program has equipped us with the tools to foster a more inclusive, productive, and respectful work environment.”
— Sean Glowacz, Director of Community Development, AICP, Power Construction
Lark Jackson, ERC Director
“My experience as the director of CWIT’s Equity Resource Center has shown me both the immense talent women bring to the skilled trades and the unnecessary barriers that too often stand in their way. I care deeply about this work because I have seen how access to these careers can change not only individual lives, but entire families and communities. When we help organizations build more inclusive systems — from recruitment to retention — we’re not just improving programs, we’re expanding opportunity. We are here to help.”
Gender-Based Violence and Harassment Prevention Policy
A Gender-Based Violence and Harassment (GBVH) Prevention Policy is crucial for construction employers to ensure occupational health and safety, legal compliance, and worker retention. It addresses high-risk environments by reducing injuries, fostering inclusivity, and protecting company reputation, while also mitigating financial and liability risks. Read more.
Why Us?
Chicago Women in Trades understands the pressures contractors, subcontractors, contractor associations and employers face: meeting deadlines, maintaining safety, staying on budget and navigating complex workforce challenges. Our approach is grounded in collaboration and practical, proven strategies to help you strengthen your culture from the inside out. With over four decades of experience, we understand what it takes to create lasting changes.
Working with us means building a reputation as an employer where women and underrepresented workers can thrive — a workplace known for safety, respect and opportunities. It means fostering inclusion that drives morale, productivity and innovation across your team. And it means preventing costly harassment or discrimination issues before they happen, ensuring your worksites meet both compliance standards and your own expectations.
Are You Ready to Get Started?
Make an appointment for a free consultation.
New Illinois Law Brings Basic Workplace Protections to Women in Construction
SB 3465 requires construction sites to provide private restrooms and menstrual products, and expands lactation accommodations.
Chicago Must Lead on Construction Workforce Equity
March is Women’s History Month. But for those of us working in construction, the celebration feels bittersweet—and never more so than this year.
Centering Equity in Workforce Development
How CWIT’s Equity Resource Center supports community organizations in building women’s pathways into the trades