The North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (NASRCC) has launched its annual Sisters in the Brotherhood recruitment program. The effort is aimed at providing women the opportunity to establish a career in carpentry, which the NASRCC says is an “industry that is traditionally overlooked,” per its March 19 announcement. It cites data from the […]
The North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (NASRCC) has launched its annual Sisters in the Brotherhood recruitment program.
The effort is aimed at providing women the opportunity to establish a career in carpentry, which the NASRCC says is an “industry that is traditionally overlooked,” per its March 19 announcement.
It cites data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as indicating women continue to be “underrepresented” within the industry. In 2023, just 10.8 percent of construction workers in the U.S. were women.
The NASRCC also cites Construction Coverage analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data that indicates only 9.4 percent of construction workers in New York State are women.
The Sisters in the Brotherhood program has launched the carpentry careers of over 150 women across New York since 2015, the NASRCC noted.
To begin the program, the NASRCC will be holding a virtual information session on April 11 at 6 p.m. for women who are interested in learning more about a career in carpentry. The session will provide the chance to learn about the 8-week pre-apprenticeship program that will begin this spring at NASRCC training centers across New York state.
The NASRCC Syracuse Training Center is located at 6920 Princeton Ct. in the town of Salina.
The program also represents the first step toward a five-level apprenticeship program with the Carpenters’ union.
The pre-apprenticeship program provides women with the “valuable opportunity” to gain experience and become skilled, qualified carpenters, “offering them a path to a career with excellent wages, benefits and independence through trade education,” per the NASRCC announcement.
“The Sisters-in-the-Brotherhood pre-apprentice program was created to open the doors of opportunity for women who may not have considered a career as a carpenter,” Nicole Grodner, Carpenters Local 290 Council representative and New York chair of the Sisters in the Brotherhood committee, said in a statement. “We hope to inform and motivate a new generation of carpenters that reflect our communities, and we look forward to supporting new members as they begin their career as a union carpenter.”
The NASRCC’s pre-apprentice program provides an opportunity for women 17 years or older with a high-school degree or equivalent in New York, outside of the five boroughs of New York City, to find out if carpentry fits their career path.
Those interested can register for a virtual information session by visiting: nasrcc.org/sib.
