2020 is a benchmark year for the Policy Group on Tradeswomen’s Issues. We set a goal of 20% by 2020, a high target intended to spur progress, after years of minimal progress under more moderate goals.

PGTI’s strategy of aiming high, implementing industry-informed best practices, and integrating supply and demand for diverse workers has more than moved the needle: from 2012 to present, the percent of women in MA union apprenticeship programs has increased every year. Today the percentage of women exceeds 20 percent in two union apprenticeships:  the Boston Plasterers & Cement Masons Local 534 (21.9%) and the Hoisting and Portable Engineers Local 98 in Western MA (27.3%). Currently, 9.5% of all union apprentices in Massachusetts are women. 

From 2018-2019,  six apprenticeship programs increase their count of women by 20% or more. The licensed trades made key and significant gains: Pipefitters Local 537 increased by 60%, IBEW Local 103 by 34% and Plumbers Local 12 by 29.6%,

#20PercentNOW: Share your 20% achievements

Throughout this year, we will be highlighting programs and projects that have reached, exceeded or increased by 20% on “Twenty Percent Day,” a social media campaign in which we will release a new 20% statistic regularly to showcase progress of PGTI’s labor, apprenticeship and contractor partners.  If you have a 20% achievement that you would like PGTI to highlight on “Twenty Percent Day,” please email us at tradeswomenissues@gmail.com.