Our Story

T.R.A.D.E. — Tradeswomen Ran Association for Diversity and Equity — was founded by a group of courageous and trailblazing women in the construction trades who understood firsthand what it means to enter an industry where women and underrepresented workers are still too often the exception.

Each founder came from a different background, trade pathway, and life experience, but they shared a common truth: the path into construction can change a person’s life, yet it is not always easy to find, enter, or stay on. While climbing the ladder of success, they noticed that many rungs were missing. Women were often left without clear information about apprenticeship opportunities, mentorship, jobsite support, and the resources needed to remain in the trades long enough to advance.

T.R.A.D.E. was created to change that.

Our organization was born from a collective commitment to recruit, retain, and advance women, non-binary individuals, and underrepresented populations in California’s construction industry. We believe that access to a construction career should not depend on who someone knows, what community they come from, or whether they have someone guiding them through the process. Everyone deserves access to clear information, supportive resources, and a fair opportunity to succeed.

T.R.A.D.E.’s mission is to help participants connect to construction career pathways through outreach, apprenticeship navigation, mentorship, leadership development, and worksite culture support. We focus on building bridges among community members, registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, unions, contractors, workforce partners, and supportive service providers.

Our founders know that recruitment is only the first step. True equity in construction also requires retention. That means helping participants prepare for the realities of the jobsite, connecting them with mentors, supporting them through barriers such as childcare, discrimination, harassment, isolation, financial hardship, and health-related challenges, and creating a stronger network of tradeswomen and allies who are invested in their success.

T.R.A.D.E. is more than a community organization. It is a workforce equity partner committed to building stronger construction career pathways for those historically underrepresented in the trades.

Program Model /

Method of Procedure

T.R.A.D.E. will continue developing as a dynamic nonprofit organization focused on increasing access, retention, and advancement for women, non-binary individuals, and underrepresented populations in construction apprenticeship pathways.

Our work will be organized around the following core program areas:

1. Targeted Outreach and Recruitment

T.R.A.D.E. will conduct outreach in communities where women and underrepresented workers may not have clear access to information about construction careers. This includes outreach through community events, schools, workforce partners, social media, women-centered career fairs, virtual information sessions, and hands-on trade exposure opportunities.

Our recruitment efforts will focus on helping participants understand the value of registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship pathways, including wages, benefits, training requirements, application steps, and long-term career opportunities in the building and construction trades.

2. Apprenticeship Navigation

T.R.A.D.E. will help participants move from interest to action by guiding them through the apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship process. Support may include trade exploration, application assistance, interview preparation, referrals for aptitude-test preparation, document-readiness support, and warm referrals to registered construction apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs.

The goal is not only to inspire participants to consider the trades, but to help them take the next measurable step toward enrollment, entry, and long-term participation.

3. Mentorship and Retention Support

T.R.A.D.E. will provide mentorship opportunities that connect aspiring and current tradeswomen with experienced workers who understand the challenges of entering and remaining in the construction industry. Mentorship will focus on jobsite expectations, communication, confidence-building, leadership development, navigating the apprenticeship, and problem-solving to overcome barriers that may otherwise lead to dropout or discouragement.

T.R.A.D.E. will also support retention by creating community-building spaces where participants can share experiences, receive encouragement, access resources, and build a support network.

4. Worksite Culture and Equity Support

T.R.A.D.E. recognizes that increasing representation in construction requires more than recruiting workers into the trades. The industry must also create worksites where women, non-binary individuals, and underrepresented workers can remain, grow, and lead.

T.R.A.D.E. will support a stronger worksite culture through education, mentorship, peer support, and partnerships focused on anti-harassment, anti-discrimination, mental health awareness, safety, communication, and respectful jobsite practices. These efforts are intended to complement existing required trainings and strengthen the culture around apprenticeship retention.

5. Supportive Services and Barrier Reduction

T.R.A.D.E. will work with partners to help participants identify and navigate barriers that may prevent them from entering or remaining in construction careers. These barriers may include childcare, transportation, financial hardship, access to tools or work gear, health-related complications, pregnancy or postpartum-related challenges, and limited access to reliable information.

Where direct assistance is not available through T.R.A.D.E., the organization will connect participants to appropriate community partners, workforce programs, childcare resources, mental health supports, and other supportive service providers.

6. Partnerships and Accountability

T.R.A.D.E. will strengthen partnerships with unions, registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, contractors, workforce boards, community-based organizations, schools, public agencies, and industry allies who share a commitment to equal representation in construction.

T.R.A.D.E. will also continue building internal systems to track outreach, participation, referrals, applications, apprenticeship entry, retention milestones, mentorship engagement, and participant outcomes. This data will help the organization measure impact, improve services, and remain accountable to the communities it serves.

Vision for Impact

T.R.A.D.E.’s long-term vision is to help create a construction industry where women, non-binary individuals, and underrepresented workers are not only recruited into the trades but retained, supported, respected, and advanced.

Our impact begins in California, but our vision reaches beyond one city, one local, or one trade. T.R.A.D.E. seeks to be part of a larger movement that expands opportunity, strengthens apprenticeship pathways, improves worksite culture, and ensures that the next generation of tradeswomen has more support, more access, and more room to lead than the generation before them.

T.R.A.D.E. exists because representation matters — but retention, advancement, and equity matter just as much.