Nontraditional Employment for Women

Hard Hats.

Strong Women.

Building the Future.

Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) prepares, trains, and places women in careers in the skilled construction, utility, and maintenance trades, helping women achieve economic independence and a secure future.

Founded in 1978, NEW is a sector-based workforce development program that prepares women for careers in the construction, transportation, energy, and facilities maintenance industries. NEW focuses on skilled, unionized jobs in the trades with starting wages averaging $15 per hour, benefits, and a path to higher-wage employment. NEW primarily serves low-income minority women from all five boroughs in New York City. These careers enable NEW graduates to provide a secure future for themselves and their families.

Since 2005, NEW has placed over 725 graduates with 32 different regional unions, including 28 in New York City. NEW’s relationships with apprentice directors are strengthened further as NEW continues to refer qualified and successful candidates to each trade. As a result, the Carpenters, Laborers, and Operating Engineers apprenticeship programs each have over 15 percent tradeswomen. In addition, NEW graduates have been placed in over 700 positions in the construction, energy, transportation, green, and facilities maintenance industries.