Women in the Building Trades records

The mission of Women in the Building Trades(WIBT), founded in Boston in 1986, was to train and support women entering skilled construction and other trade jobs and to increase the number of women entering those fields. From the Boston-based organization's earliest days, a primary activity was training women for construction jobs; providing information about the various trades and information about the culture of the construction site, survival tools, trade math, and blueprint reading. WIBT was dedicated to ending gender discrimination in trade and technical work, and also worked with unions and contractors on specific issues that face women in non- traditional occupations, such as sexual harassment. The organization was particularly geared toward helping low and moderate income women. Programs included Women in Apprenticeships and Non-Traditional Occupations Program (WANTO), funded by the Women's Bureau of the U.S. Labor Department; the Apprenticeship Preparedness Program (APP), funded by several state agencies to prepare women and people of color for jobs related to the Big Dig Project; Steps to Success, funded by the City of Boston Neighborhood Jobs Trust Fund; and the Construction Industries Training Assistance Program (CITAP), funded by the Federal Highway Administration.

WIBT was also involved in policy and advocacy work, including Close the Gap, legislation intended to modify and monitor hiring goals for women in construction projects funded with state dollars; Northeast Women in Transportation (NEWIT), to establish federal legislation that state transportation agencies may set aside one half of one percent of federal highway funding for training; the founding of the national organization Tradeswomen Now and Tomorow; Lawrence Community Works, a workplace federation of small, progressive organizations in Greater Boston; and various after- school programs for middle school girls, funded primarily by the Rutland Foundation. The organization also worked extensively with the Boston Employment Commission. WIBT ceased to operate in September 2008.