Workforce Inclusion

Why the Trades Need a Cultural Reset to Attract and Retain the Next Generation

The skilled trades are at a critical crossroads. According to an August 2025 report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), the number of women working in construction and extraction occupations rose to 366,360 in 2024, the highest level ever recorded. Yet despite that growth, women still account for only about 4.3% of construction…

Inclusion Beyond Compliance: What It Really Takes to Build Workplace Cultures Where People Feel Seen, Supported, and Free to Belong

Inclusion is often reduced to policies and checklists, but its true measure shows up in everyday experiences — in whether people feel seen, supported, and able to contribute without hiding parts of who they are. When organizations move beyond compliance and toward genuine understanding, they open the door to talent, perspective, and potential that…

Women in HVACR Are Driving Change Across the Skilled Trades

Trade school enrollment climbed 4.9% between fall 2020 and fall 2023, signaling a national shift toward skills-based careers as alternatives to four-year degrees. This modest but meaningful rebound underscores growing interest in trades like HVACR, where demand is high, but representation remains lopsided. For decades, women in the field have been overlooked despite playing…

Early Education in Skilled Trades Opens Doors to Solving Workforce Shortages

Hands-on classroom experiences are proving key to filling the nation's critical shortage of skilled trade workers

Empowering Women in Construction: Candice Offonry’s Vision for Diversity and Leadership in the Industry

Women are breaking through construction's gender barriers by building intentional pathways from entry-level positions to executive leadership roles