Photo: Jared Brosnan/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — To kick off Women in Construction Week, Pipefitters Local 537 in Dorchester held a pipe-fitting crash course on Monday.
Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones toured the facility, where more than two dozen women are in an apprenticeship program.
Jones said although men make up the majority of construction jobs, they are making strides towards giving women more opportunities in the field.
"We want to recognize, so many of the women that are in construction and in the building trades now, but also encourage more women, more young women to see this as a career path for themselves as well," Jones said.
She added that they want to make sure that they have a workforce that represents their communities.
"That is exactly why we want to make sure that there are more opportunities for women, people of color and all those that are a part of our workforce, to see themselves in construction," Jones said.
Jones said their goal is to add 100,000 construction apprentices over the next decade.
"We know that we want to make sure there are more opportunities among those next 100,000 for women in the trades and that is exactly why we are celebrating and kicking off women in construction this week," Jones said.
WBZ NewsRadio's Jared Brosnan (@JaredBrosnanWBZ) reports.