I am new to the blog world – Met Eric at Rachel Storch’s re-election party at Craft Alliance.  Thought I would check this out and introduce my organization – Missouri Women In Trades.  

Incorporated in 2008, Missouri Women In Trades began with a group of tradeswomen and their supporters organizing to provide support to each other and seeking a way to create change in the industry.  These tradeswomen enjoyed the work but found the male-dominated industry isolating and sometimes hostile to women.  They also knew that the industry was facing worker shortages and that many women were seeking good paying careers from which they could support themselves and their families.

In September 2006, MOWIT began holding monthly support meetings for tradeswomen and aspiring tradeswomen.  In May 2007, MOWIT received support from the Incarnate Word Foundation and began developing an organization that would promote and support women in the trades.  

Construction is a growing industry with a variety of opportunities for good paying careers.  Many women enjoy careers in the construction trades.  The construction trades are nontraditional for women representing less than 2% of the workforce.

The mission of Missouri Women In Trades (MOWIT) is to promote the professional and personal empowerment of women through careers in the construction trades.  The primary goals of MOWIT are to increase the number of women working in the construction trades, increase the retention rate of women working in the construction trades and educate the community about the possibilities for women in the construction trades.  

Missouri Women In Trades works to achieve these goals by building awareness of the trades as a career choice for women, assisting women entering and completing apprenticeship programs, providing a support network for tradeswomen, providing recruitment and retention assistance for unions, employers and educators, and supporting local and state advocacy efforts.

Current MOWIT programs include monthly support meetings for tradeswomen and aspiring tradeswomen and participation in community activities that promote women in the trades including career and community fairs and the National Association of Women In Construction Week activities.  MOWIT is working with the National Association of Women In Construction St. Louis Chapter to offer Mentoring A Girl In Construction (MAGIC) Summer Camp in July, 2008.  MOWIT will publish its first Tradeswoman Calendar for 2009.  The calendar will go on sale in October 2008.  MOWIT is developing a mentoring and support program for women entering the construction trades and will launch this program in January 2009.  MOWIT is developing a cultural competency training curriculum and consulting program that will address gender diversity issues in the construction industry.  The committee developing this program will begin meeting in the summer of 2008.

For more information about MOWIT or any of its programs or to find out how to get involved please contact Teresa Willis, Director, at (314)680-1973.