What is the Tradeswomen Building Infrastructure (TBI) initiative?
The Tradeswomen Building Infrastructure (TBI) initiative is a nationwide effort led by the Equity Resource Center at Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT) to break down barriers for women in the skilled labor industry.
The initiative’s goal is simple: to ensure that women who choose a career in the trades will thrive!
TBI was launched in response to the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, which created thousands of jobs in the skilled trades. But without targeted support, these high-paying careers will continue to exclude women, leaving them shut out of an industry with growing opportunities. TBI aims to change that by:
- Expanding access to apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeship programs for women.
- Partnering with unions, contractors, and training centers to remove systemic barriers.
- Developing mentorship and leadership networks to help women stay and advance in their careers.
- Advocating for policy change to enforce workforce equity standards on job sites.
TBI looks beyond hiring goals to ensure that women have the tools, support, and safe workplaces to build lasting careers in construction.
Breaking barriers for women in the trades
For too long, women have been severely underrepresented in construction careers, making 4.3% of construction workers nationwide, though they make up 52% of the overall workforce. This isn’t because women aren’t interested or capable—it’s because the system does not support them.
The issues we need to address:
- Limited access to apprenticeships and training: Many women don’t know where to start or face hurdles getting accepted into apprenticeship programs.
- Workplace culture and harassment: Construction sites have traditionally been male-dominated, creating environments where women often feel unwelcome or isolated.
- Retention: Even when women enter the trades, they often leave due to isolation, pervasive harassment, lack of training, and limited opportunities for advancement.
Without interventions such as TBI, women will continue to be shut out of the very jobs that could provide them with economic security, stability, and leadership opportunities to provide for their families and build up their communities.
