WOMEN'STEC

What WOMEN'STEC does

WOMEN'STEC is a Northern Ireland-based registered charity (Charity Reg No: NIC100185), founded in 1993 and headquartered at 29 Chichester Avenue, Belfast. The organization describes itself as Northern Ireland's largest quality provider of training for women in non-traditional skills, delivering vocational programmes in construction trades (plumbing, tiling, tools and home improvement), driving instruction, and energy-sector careers. It serves multiple beneficiary segments including economically inactive women, young women aged 16-25, girls aged 9-18 in disadvantaged communities, and primary-school girls, with programmes such as Pathways to Energy, Pathways+, Building Futures, Building Girls, and Youth Groups. WOMEN'STEC also operates the #NotJustForBoys campaign, including an annual Champion membership priced at £25.

The organization's revenue model is a hybrid of (a) paid short courses for the general public priced at £100 (Tools & Home Improvement) or £150 (Plumbing, Tiling) per unit, (b) fully funded programmes for eligible participants (unemployed, under-employed, or facing barriers to employment), supported by grants from government bodies, local councils, and charitable foundations, and (c) recurring Champion memberships. Delivery occurs in person at the Belfast headquarters, a North West workshop, and partner venues including NRC Newtownabbey (with NIE Networks), with information events used as lead-generation touchpoints. WOMEN'STEC is ISO-certified, maintains active profiles on six social platforms plus an email newsletter, and reports supporting over 11,000 individuals annually.

Operationally, WOMEN'STEC runs with 1-10 staff and is led by Chief Executive Lynn Carvill, alongside Helen Kerr (Head of Business Development) and Rachel Miles (Programme Manager for Building Futures). Strategic delivery depends on partnerships with Belfast City Council, NIE Networks, CITB NI, NICVA, the Department for the Economy NI, BBC Children in Need, National Lottery Community Fund, and multiple regional colleges. Funding continuity has been publicly flagged as a risk via a Stormont campaign against Local Growth Fund changes, which the organization warned could affect 11,000+ individuals and 400+ skilled jobs in the voluntary sector.

Name

WOMEN'STEC

Legal name

WOMEN'STEC

Website

https://womenstec.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WOMEN'STEC is a Northern Ireland-based non-profit charity providing vocational training and career support for women and girls in construction trades, plumbing, tiling, driving instruction, and the energy sector, plus youth programmes and a community Champions network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Training Services

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Apprenticeship Training (611513), Educational Services (61), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Development & Continuing Education Divisions (Noncredit) (EDAHADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Construction & Trades Licensure (Contractor, Electrician, Plumber, HVAC CE) (EDAAALAH), Skilled Trades, Safety & Compliance Certification Prep (OSHA, HAZMAT, welding, electrical, HVAC) (EDANAIAM)

Keywords

• Vocational skills training
• Women in construction
• Non-traditional trades
• Construction apprenticeship training
• Trade skills courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fee-for-service courses: Evening and weekend paid courses offered to individuals who work full-time or do not qualify for funded programmes. Courses include Tools & Home Improvement (£100), Tiling (£150), and Plumbing (£150). These run at various times throughout the year.
2. Funded training programmes: Fully funded courses for eligible women who meet specific criteria (unemployed, under-employed, or facing barriers to employment). Funded through partnerships with government bodies, local councils, and charitable organisations.
3. Champion Memberships: #NotJustForBoys Champion individual memberships sold at £25, providing digital logos and certificates for supporters. Business Champion memberships offered through a separate application process.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WOMEN'STEC delivers vocational training courses and structured programmes for women in non-traditional industries such as construction, plumbing, tiling, electrical work, energy, and driving instruction. The organization operates both fee-paying short courses (Tools & Home Improvement, Plumbing, Tiling) for the general public and fully funded career pathway programmes (Driving Instructor Training, Pathways to Energy, Building Futures, Pathways+) targeted at eligible women facing employment barriers. It also runs youth programmes for girls aged 9-18 and primary school outreach, supported by the #NotJustForBoys Champion membership community.

Product overview

WOMEN'STEC is Northern Ireland's largest quality provider of training for women in non-traditional skills. The organization offers a portfolio of vocational training programmes and courses focused on construction and related trades, including Tools & Home Improvement, Plumbing, and Tiling courses. These courses are available as both paid public classes and funded programmes for eligible participants. The organization also runs youth education initiatives (Building Girls for primary schools and Youth Groups for ages 9-18), career-focused programmes (Driving Instructor Training, Pathways to Energy, Building Futures, and Pathways+), and a Champion Membership for supporters of gender equality in non-traditional careers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• #NotJustForBoys: Campaign brand promoting real opportunities for women in non-traditional careers, with champion membership program for individuals and businesses.

Products and services

• Tools & Home Improvement Course

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports over 11,000 individuals each year
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Belfast City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership with Belfast City Council for Driving Instructor Training Programme targeting women not in paid employment or under-employed in the Belfast City Council area.
• Workforce TrainingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Co-delivery partner for Driving Instructor Training Programme in partnership with Belfast City Council.
• NIE NetworkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025NIE Networks fully funds the Pathways to Energy programme delivered in partnership with WOMEN'STEC to promote careers in the energy sector to young women aged 16-25. Offering 16 places with hands-on electrical training, site visits, and careers guidance.
• NICVAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration with NICVA (Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action) for Local Growth Fund campaign at Stormont to raise awareness of funding changes affecting the voluntary and community sector.
• North West Regional CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership through Pathways+ programme operating across Derry, Newry, and Belfast areas to promote careers in construction, engineering, and mechanics.
• South Eastern Regional CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership through Pathways+ programme covering areas where women are underrepresented in non-traditional careers.
• Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner in Pathways+ offering tailored mentoring, soft skills training, and real-world opportunities for women to start and thrive in construction apprenticeships.
• Housing ExecutivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Pathways+ providing support for women in construction and construction-related apprenticeships across Derry, Newry, and Belfast.
• Construction FuturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Pathways+ offering tailored mentoring and real-world opportunities for women entering construction apprenticeships.
• SERC (South Eastern Regional College)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Pathways+ providing training and apprenticeship support for women in construction sectors.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Building Heroes: UK charity providing construction training and employment pathways, predominantly to under-represented groups. Comparable as a small non-profit vocational training charity delivering hands-on construction skills training with employer partnerships.
• Women in Construction (UK): UK not-for-profit operating in the UK and Ireland to support women entering and progressing in construction careers. Directly comparable mission of getting women into non-traditional trades, with comparable training, employer engagement, and advocacy functions.
• Women's Engineering Society: UK-based membership body and advocacy organisation promoting women in engineering and allied trades. Comparable as a near-identical mission organisation addressing gender inequality in non-traditional sectors, though it leans more towards advocacy and networking than delivery.
• Equate Scotland: Scotland-based not-for-profit working to increase women's participation in STEM, construction, and other non-traditional occupations. Direct peer with overlapping mission, programme design, and a similar regional UK focus.

Broad incumbents

• CITB (Construction Industry Training Board): Statutory training board for the UK construction industry that funds and coordinates vocational training. Comparable as a broader industry training ecosystem player; CITB NI is also a direct WOMEN'STEC funder, making it a hybrid incumbent/partner.
• GoConstruct: CITB-run UK-wide careers platform promoting construction as a career, with dedicated resources for under-represented groups. Adjacent incumbent that complements rather than competes with WOMEN'STEC's delivery model, but addresses the same wider aim of routes into construction trades.
• JTL: UK's leading training provider for electrical, plumbing, and heating & ventilation apprenticeships. Highly relevant as a broad incumbent offering comparable construction trades apprenticeship training, but operating at significantly larger scale and including both genders.

Regional players

• North West Regional College: Northern Ireland further-education college delivering construction and engineering vocational training. WOMEN'STEC's Pathways+ delivery partner, operating as a regional education provider with overlapping trades curriculum and cohort reach.
• South Eastern Regional College (SERC): Northern Ireland further-education college delivering vocational and apprenticeship training including construction trades. Comparable as a regional education delivery body in NI that overlaps with WOMEN'STEC's trades training offering, but on a much larger scale and mixed-gender basis.

Emerging players

• Women in Manual Trades: Grassroots community and advocacy organisation supporting women in hands-on trades. Direct mission overlap with WOMEN'STEC, but operates primarily as an online community and advocacy platform rather than a structured training provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/womenstec
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@womenstec1629
• Facebookfacebook.com/womenstec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/womenstec
• Instagraminstagram.com/womenstec
• TikToktiktok.com/@womenstec?traffic_type=others&referer_url=amp_womenstec&referer_video_id=7106876622103481605

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WOMEN'STEC