“I like troubleshooting. I like tinkering, figuring things out. Electrical allows me to do that on a daily basis — not just when something isn’t working, but figuring out the right positioning of light fixtures, reading prints correctly, running conduit around sprinkler heads, plumbing and HVAC. It’s like a puzzle, and I feel like electrical was the best trade that allowed me to do that.”
“I had spent nearly 15 years as an administrator at Stroger Hospital — I managed three clinics — and COVID really opened my eyes. I thought, ‘Aisha, do you really want to do this for the rest of your life?’ So my husband and I started flipping homes. An electrician who came into one of the houses stayed maybe an hour and a half and charged us $2,000. I said, ‘What did you do for $2,000?’ And he said, ‘You could do it too.’ So I took him at his word and started Googling. My search was ‘women in the trades.’ I didn’t know anything about CWIT, but I felt it was the best way for me to enter a male-dominated field with no prior background. I ran into that electrician later at a union meeting. He was in disbelief. He started taking me around, telling people, ‘I told her about the trades and she entered the trades!’
“CWIT was the best decision I could have ever made. CWIT lets you see yourself in a trade before you even apply, thanks to their access to apprenticeship schools. Spending a week at the Carpenters, a week at IBEW, a week at the Plumbers — you can visualize yourself in that trade. That’s very important for someone like me, a woman coming from behind a desk in heels and suits.”
“Having a support system. Having the conduit out back to practice, having a set of tools assigned to us to take care of, just like you would on a job site. CWIT creates that mindset so that when you do step onto a job site, you’ll be prepared. The fitness instructor put on pressure, that good criticism: how to properly squat, how to properly carry material. And then there’s Miss Kitty, who tutors students struggling before they take the exam. CWIT has it all.
“If I’m unable to pass the hand grip test, I can come back to CWIT, and they have hand grips for me to take home. If I’m struggling to carry conduit, CWIT will call a former IBEW graduate to show me how. It’s a plethora of resources.”
]]>“Honestly, I had no idea what a tech engineer was before Chicago Women in Trades. On the first day of WBI, our teacher asked if anyone knew what a tech engineer does in the trades, and no one did. They encouraged us to take the test anyway—partly for practice before the apprenticeship aptitude test. I had already applied to the electricians, so I figured, why not?
“It’s basically surveying. At my company, we do work for industrial, civil, and commercial sites, looking for property corners—almost everything. Some days I’m in an empty field, other days I’m on a busy construction site. It’s a lot of math (angles and geometry), and I’ve always loved math. I knew going into the trades that I wanted something math-related.
“The more I learn, the more I think it’s one of the coolest jobs. It feels powerful to be the person who helps all the other trades: ‘This is where you need to work from. This is your elevation. This is your grade.’ It’s such an important job.”
“I was researching ways to get into the electrician’s program. I saw that Chicago Women in Trades had openings for the WBI program. I went in with an open mind. If there was another trade that was really cool, I’d consider it.
“I like that they prepare you for the test specifically, which is what I really needed. I had no idea what I was walking into, but I was just researching ways to get an advantage because I knew I wanted to get into the trades.”
“The discipline. I was unemployed for a bit before WBI, and the program really woke me up. I had to focus in class, and when I got home, I had to maintain the same discipline—making sure I was caught up on homework, ready for the next day, and prepared to succeed. They treat it like an apprenticeship program.
“I started committing to everything, both mentally and physically — with the workouts, and mentally with the math. I had to find my weaknesses and fix them.
“That discipline pays off now in my apprenticeship. Being able to focus, ask the right questions, understand the terms and have general industry knowledge. You have to learn things on the fly, and you have to learn as much as you can while you’re an apprentice before you journey out.
“ And being able to quickly find answers when numbers are multiplied or divided by tens or hundreds. That stuff has really helped me in the field.”
“My resilience, probably. I remember when we did material handling—it was really tough. Some things were so heavy, and we were tired. I could see other people kind of met their limits, and that happens.
“I was going through so much emotionally and physically, and I couldn’t believe I came out of each day as a better person—and especially out of the program as a better person. CWIT showed me that I have resilience. I did not realize that.”
“There are some jobs as a surveyor where we’re out before any construction work is done at all. We’ll be staking out where the gas line is, where the easements are—things everyone’s going to need to know before they start working.
“Those days in the middle of a field where there’s literally nobody around, just empty farm areas or being out in nature in the middle of nowhere—those are the days I like most. It’s just cool to be out there by yourself, where you can focus on yourself and your job.
“We go in with a plan, we know what we’re staking, and the office gives us our points. Then we have to find them. Sometimes we use GPS, sometimes we use the robot. I’m familiar with both now, so I can check and find the point.
“We get our equipment out, come up with a plan, then I help set it up. It’s always the same process to start: there’s a planning phase, then we go find our control or check in, and then do whatever we have to do. The actual job is usually easy, as long as nothing goes wrong. It’s pretty straightforward—lots of walking, lots of hiking. A typical day is like 20,000 steps, easily.”
]]>When the Industrial Arts Workshop in Pittsburgh launched its first young all-women’s Weld Scholars cohort in October 2025 — the organization’s first cohort exclusively for young women — 14 students enrolled in an eight-week welding program that resulted in a certification and a clearer sense of where they might go next. While IAW has long supported a diverse range of students, the organization partnered with CWIT to create an all-women welding cohort because it recognized the value of providing young women with a learning environment intentionally designed for them. This program was not incidental; it was purposefully developed from the outset through a gender equity lens provided by CWIT.
Chicago Women in Trades’ Equity Resource Center (ERC) works with community organizations like Industrial Arts Workshop (IAW) to do exactly this kind of work — providing technical assistance and funding through the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grant, a U.S. Department of Labor federal grant administered through the Women’s Bureau. With these resources, IAW didn’t just offer welding instruction; it built a program designed to recruit and retain young women in an industry where women are underrepresented.
]]>This rescission happened with little notice and no opportunity for public comment, despite the significant public input that informed the guidance’s creation. In fact, CWIT was one of more than 38,000 comments supporting the strengthening of EEOC guidance, including clarifications that protections based on sex include sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions.
According to a 2021 national survey conducted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research of 2,600 tradeswomen, one in four reported experiencing near-constant sexual harassment, while one in five women of color described being subjected to always or frequent racial harassment during work. Chicago Women in Trades’ comments reflected on the real-life experiences of tradeswomen facing harassment on the job to ensure the strongest guidance would be issued by the EEOC.
On Wednesday, January 21st, Chicago Women in Trades attended a press conference with Women Employed, survivors, labor leaders and local officials to stand in opposition to the rescission of the guidance. Leaders from the Illinois Department of Human Rights, Cook County Commission on Human Rights, Chicago Commission on Human Rights, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, Equality Illinois, National Employment Lawyers Association of Illinois, and CWIT’s own Cristina Barillas-McEntee stood together to make clear: workplace harassment remains illegal under federal law, and local enforcement agencies will continue protecting workers’ rights.
Cristina shared why tools to fight against harassment are so critical for tradeswomen, describing an environment where “your every moment is being watched; you are under a constant microscope,” and hyper-vigilance is required to stay safe. After the recent murder of a welder, Amber Czech, on her job site in Minnesota, these threats that tradeswomen face can have devastating consequences.
The guidance was a crucial resource when working with employers and apprenticeship programs to understand their obligations under federal law, a key tool to developing safe work sites. It also expanded workers’ understanding of their rights, particularly those who experience harassment across intersectional identities. Its absence will lead to further isolation of women and other gender minorities and people of color in the construction trades, and likely result in lower retention rates across underrepresented groups.
CWIT is opposed to this rescission, and is particularly disheartened that it happened without opportunity for input from the very communities, industries and populations most impacted by workplace harassment. We are grateful for partners, like the Illinois Department of Human Rights, who are upholding worker protections and community education across the state, and will continue to advocate for strong enforcement of laws that create dignity and safety at work for all.
If you are a contractor, an employer, a construction registered apprenticeship program, a training provider or an industry stakeholder who is invested in creating and maintaining a respectful and healthy work environment for trades workers, please contact CWIT’s Equity Resource Center at [email protected] and join us in our effort to establish work environments where everyone can thrive.
]]>Kristy: “When we were bidding on the Obama Presidential Center, the requirements were more meaningful than the typical ‘would you like to be a sub’ approach. It was about creating mentor-protégé strategies and making a real impact. We connected with Chicago Women in Trades through the Lakeside Alliance’s community outreach program (they served as the construction manager on the project) and the relationship just took off.
“For years, I’d been frustrated by hearing that women don’t want to work in flooring—that the work is too hard on backs and knees. I knew that wasn’t true. When CWIT engaged with us, I thought, ‘let’s prove this isn’t just a man’s trade.’
“What made it click was that CWIT came to a PFIA (Professional Flooring Installers Association) meeting and said, ‘We exist, we want to help you with community outreach for the Obama Library.’ I immediately reached out. They kept responding, wanted to help, and we could see the difference they were making. Other organizations might have great programs, but CWIT was the one that kept showing up.”
Michelle: “We bring students into our office for conversations about what Consolidated Flooring does, then our project managers take them to active job sites. They spend the day walking through Chicago, seeing what a real project looks like, meeting project executives and general contractors, and asking questions. Afterward, I take them to lunch, and we talk about what they really thought—what surprised them, what they liked, what they didn’t.
“I’ve never had a project manager turn down these visits. Even when they’re busy, they’re excited to show off their projects and talk with students. It’s rewarding for everyone.”
Kristy: “These experiences are critical because this industry is as much about who you know as what you know. We’re not just trying to convince them to enter flooring—we’re exposing them to the entire field. If someone sees the painters and gets curious, we can connect them. Now they have one more person to call if they’re in a job they’re not loving and don’t know where else to turn.
“The mentoring and guidance Michelle provides is what doesn’t happen early enough for girls. They don’t get that insight or that encouragement. Having those relationships matters.”
Kristy: “When we’re bidding a job, and they list all these requirements—thirty percent for this, twenty-five percent for that, or X amount of women—I just say: ‘Whatever your diversity goals are, check yes for all of them. There’s nothing we need to discuss. There’s nothing we can’t meet or do. Just say yes to everything.’
“We’re the only ones sitting in interviews saying that. Everyone else is saying, ‘Well, if the union doesn’t have them, I don’t know if we can get them.’ We don’t need to find other people to recruit because we have CWIT helping us. That’s the difference. And at this point, it doesn’t feel that special anymore because we should all be doing this anyway.
“A lot of the individuals working on the Obama project we found through CWIT. They just happen to be women. But see them as local, skilled individuals. Sometimes I’m on the job site, and I see women working, and I think, ‘Oh right, these mechanics are women.’ It’s become that natural.
“What’s also interesting is bringing people who live near the project to work on the project. We have a Google map showing the locations of all our installers. If we’re doing a job in Rockford, we’re not sending someone from Indiana. The Obama project helped us get even more micro about this—finding mechanics nearby, training them across different flooring types, then keeping them working on projects in their communities.”
]]>This summer, CWIT welcomed Illinois State Representatives Margaret Croke (12th District), Theresa Mah (24th District), and Kevin Olickal (16th District) during the 2025 legislative break. These visits gave legislators firsthand insight into CWIT’s programs, the impact of the recent federal attacks on equity initiatives and worker protections, and the policy priorities on CWIT’s 2025 State Agenda.
Representative Croke said of her visit, “I am inspired by CWIT’s work. They are not only teaching essential skills but are building the necessary support networks and showing women what is possible in a field where they are historically underrepresented.
“And I am proud that HR-161 has been adopted, which affirms Illinois’ commitment to equal employment opportunity and economic equity for women and all people. It is a testament to CWIT’s mission. By investing in workforce development, they ensure that people from all backgrounds have access to stable careers in the trades with strong wages and clear paths for growth.”
]]>Introduced by Leader Lisa Hernandez, this resolution reaffirms Illinois’ steadfast commitment to equity, accountability, and investment in workforce opportunities that serve all Illinoisans, especially women and people of color. On March 5th of this year, over 200 tradeswomen and advocates from across Illinois gathered in Springfield for the second annual Tradeswomen Take Over Springfield advocacy day to push for greater opportunities for women and minorities in construction trades. Chicago Women in Trades staff and tradeswomen met with legislators, shared their stories, and urged adoption of HR 161.
Despite representing nearly 50% of the workforce, women make up less than 5% of those working in the construction trades and tend to be underrepresented in high-wage, unionized careers. Structural barriers like access to affordable childcare and workplace harassment continue to hold women back from these high-quality, family-sustaining jobs. Earlier in May, the Trump Administration gutted the Women’s Bureau, the only federal office dedicated to women’s rights in the workplace. Additionally, recent federal rollbacks have weakened agencies, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), that protect workers from discrimination, harassment, and unsafe working conditions. Across the nation, gender and racial equity in the workplace is under siege.
This resolution reinforces that public dollars must support contractors who uphold the values of inclusion, safety, and fair opportunity. HR 161 lays the groundwork for continued progress and provides the clear guidance contractors need to do better. It builds upon the state’s investments in training and workforce inclusion, setting the expectation that future Illinois projects will not only help build up our infrastructure but also our workforce.
While the adoption of HR 161 is a victory, the fight isn’t over yet. CWIT urges you to sign up for our advocacy list to continue pushing for equity in the trades and to stand with the thousands of women and minorities who are ready to build Illinois.
]]>The legal challenge emerged when federal executive orders threatened to eliminate CWIT’s ability to serve our community. Rather than abandon our mission, we filed suit with representation from the Lawyers’ Committee and other leading civil rights organizations.
In April, we secured a preliminary injunction from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, protecting our federal grant funding and blocking enforcement of key provisions nationwide while the case continues.
“Chicago Women in Trades took the Trump Administration head-on in court,” the Lawyers’ Committee said in announcing the award. “The organization does critical work to empower women to pursue construction industry professions that have been historically denied to them.”
“We were founded by tradeswomen and, from the very beginning, we have been fighters, challenging exclusionary policies and practices and advocating for equitable opportunity in the courts, in the classroom, on the jobsite, and in the union,” said Jayne Vellinga, executive director of Chicago Women in Trades.
Last year alone, CWIT’s training programs added 168 new carpenters, electricians, plumbers, ironworkers, and more to the workforce, putting them on a pathway to middle-class wages.
]]>“I was in my late twenties, right around that age where you fall off your parents’ insurance. My dad was a carpenter with Local 1, so at 26, I was off. I wasn’t doing anything with my college background from DePaul University, and I needed insurance, a pension, and benefits. I was a nanny working for cash, driving for Uber and Lyft to make ends meet.
“My dad was talking to people about me getting into the trades. Word on job sites was that sprinkler fitters were opening their apprenticeship for the first time since the recession. They didn’t take any classes for at least 10 years. Someone I knew was going to apply, and I thought, ‘Why not me too?’ The worst that could happen was I’d find out I didn’t like it.
“After I applied, I searched online for “women in the trades” and found Chicago Women in Trades. The location was close to my home, so I applied for the Technical Opportunities Program (TOP). The timing was perfect—I started the program, and six months later, they scheduled the aptitude test. I’d already been preparing through TOP. After the test came the interview, and I graduated TOP that summer. By year’s end, I got the call saying I was in the first class they were accepting.”
“The hands-on days were incredibly valuable. My dad, being a carpenter, made me a do-it-yourselfer, but that didn’t mean I was mechanically inclined yet. TOP introduced me to all the mechanical and finishing trades and how they all work together to complete a project. When I got into the field, I could identify what I was looking at, and I knew who to talk to if I had a conflict.
“The test prep was excellent, too. I was never stronger at math than when I was in TOP. We practiced multiple times a week. I’ve forgotten those multiplication tables now, but eight years ago, I could recite them perfectly.
“TOP also provides amazing resources. When we toured the electricians’ program, they mentioned their Jumpstart program—three Saturdays before their aptitude test, where they review math and share tips. Even though I wasn’t planning to be an electrician, I attended those classes to do better on the aptitude test.”
“Sprinkler fitters install, maintain, service, test, and inspect fire protection systems.
“When I was an apprentice, I mostly did new construction. You learn to read blueprints, find your marks and elevations off bare floors and walls, and suspend the whole piping system in the air. You’re watching the building go up and the entire piping system come together. You drill anchors or hang beam clamps to support the pipe, bring it up—sometimes 21-foot lengths that are four or six inches wide—and connect it piece by piece. If you’re in a warehouse, you keep that elevation for hundreds of feet. In a school, you’re coming down hallways, turning into classrooms, and making sure every area, including closets, is protected by a sprinkler head.
“Once everything’s installed, we test the system—first pressurizing it with air, then introducing water. We pump systems up to 200 psi, and they have to hold for two hours to pass the fire department inspection.
“When working on an existing system, a fitter could be repairing or modifying a system that has already been in service. Right now, I’m a foreman with FE Moran, working downtown on relocation projects—a law firm remodels three floors, guts everything, and leaves the existing sprinkler system. Once they put up new walls, we will modify the system for the new office space.
“Here’s something people don’t know: sprinkler water smells terrible because it’s been trapped for at least a year and comes out black! When people complain about the smell, we joke that it smells like money.
“I’ve worked on residential buildings, schools, fire departments, police stations, car washes, airplane hangars, and O’Hare Airport’s international baggage terminal. You have to be comfortable with heights—you could be 45 or 50 feet high in a gymnasium or on a boom lift. For me, the most satisfying part is looking back at what I physically created.”
]]>In 1986, Lauren became CWIT’s first executive director, expanding it from an all-volunteer group of advocates to a multi-program institution that offers women the training and support they need to succeed in the construction workforce, while leading the charge for change in policies and practices that have historically limited women’s participation in these fields.
Her leadership, mentorship and dogged advocacy had a profound impact on the growth of the tradeswomen’s movement both locally and nationally. She organized national conferences, published ground-breaking research, co-founded a national tradeswomen’s organization, won federal, state, and city legislation, fought for safer working conditions for women, trained hundreds of industry stakeholders, and founded CWIT’s National Center for Women’s Equity in Apprenticeship and Employment, now known as the Equity Resource Center. In addition to her achievements in opening doors for women in nontraditional occupations, Lauren’s legacy is in the very fabric of Chicago Women in Trades. After 45 years, CWIT remains a tradeswoman-led organization, with its community as its most important and defining asset.
Most recently, Lauren served as a strategic advisor to CWIT, continuing to share the vision, perseverance, and commitment that have defined her work throughout the years. Earlier this year, Lauren contributed a powerful response to the rollback of Executive Order 11246, drawing on decades of experience to articulate what’s at stake when we abandon commitments to equity in the trades. Her voice remains essential to these conversations.
We’re excited to see what Lauren builds in her next chapter. The movement she helped launch continues, strengthened by the foundation she has laid for Chicago Women in Trades and the tradeswomen’s movement.