Tradeswomen, Inc.

What Tradeswomen, Inc. does

Tradeswomen, Inc. (also operating as California Tradeswomen Inc.) is a 501(c)-style nonprofit organization founded in 1979 and headquartered at 736 Gilman Street, Berkeley, California. The organization provides outreach, recruitment, retention, and leadership development services to help women enter and advance in skilled construction trades, including electrician, plumber, carpenter, ironworker, steamfitter, and related occupations. Its core service portfolio comprises a monthly Virtual Entry to Apprenticeship workshop, hands-on Women Can Build career fairs co-hosted with the Bay Area Apprenticeship Coordinators Association and Oakland Unified School District, a Women in Apprenticeship Training Institute for stakeholder education, an online Career Board listing apprenticeship and job opportunities, the Building Comradery program for active tradeswomen, and Math For the Trades preparation classes delivered through partner adult schools and community colleges.

The organization's go-to-market is community-led rather than transactional. All participant-facing services are free, and the organization is funded through a tiered donor program (Platinum Plus, Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Iron Mentors) drawing from construction contractors, utilities, and union locals — named donors include Turner Construction, PG&E, United Association Local 342, NECA ECT, and Contra Costa Build and Construction Trades Council. Distribution is primarily regional, serving Northern California's Bay Area, East Bay, North Bay, South Bay, San Francisco, and the Central Valley counties of San Joaquin, Merced, Sacramento, Fresno, Madera, Kings, and Tulare, with staff recruiters dedicated to each region.

Tradeswomen, Inc. holds core partnerships with the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California (which produces the organization's website), the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau, the Office of Apprenticeship (USDOL), the National Taskforce on Tradeswomen's Issues (TWTF), and Equal Rights Advocates. The organization maintains a federated relationship with sister organizations across 15+ U.S. regions, including Chicago Women in Trades and Oregon Tradeswomen. The organization employs 1-10 staff and does not operate any proprietary technology platform, software product, or AI-enabled offering; its competitive position rests on 46 years of operational history, an embedded role in apprenticeship referral pipelines, and a multi-stakeholder network of unions, contractors, and public agencies rather than on technical differentiation.

Name

Tradeswomen, Inc.

Legal name

Tradeswomen Inc.

Website

https://tradeswomen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tradeswomen, Inc. is a Berkeley, California-based nonprofit founded in 1979 that provides free outreach, recruitment, apprenticeship-support, and retention services to help women enter skilled construction trades across Northern California, funded by donations from construction contractors, unions, and public agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Apprenticeship Training (611513)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs (BPACANAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Incumbent Worker Training & Upskilling (EDAAAOAE)

Keywords

• Workforce development services
• Apprenticeship recruitment programs
• Skilled trades training
• Women in trades advocacy
• Pre-apprenticeship preparation

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: Tradeswomen Inc. operates primarily as a nonprofit organization funded through donations and sponsorships from construction companies, unions, and public agencies. The organization lists donors at various sponsorship tiers (Platinum Plus, Gold Mentors, Silver Mentors, Iron Mentors) including companies like Turner Construction, PG&E, and various union locals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tradeswomen, Inc. is a nonprofit workforce development organization that provides outreach, recruitment, training, mentorship, and retention support to help women enter and advance in skilled construction trades. It operates apprenticeship workshops, hands-on career fairs, an online career board, math preparation classes, and partner support services for unions, contractors, and public agencies. All programs are delivered free of charge to participants and are funded through donations and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Tradeswomen, Inc. is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of workforce development programs and services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include the Entry to Apprenticeship Workshop (virtual monthly sessions guiding women through the apprenticeship application process), the Career Board (listing apprenticeship and job opportunities across trades), Women Can Build Career Fairs (hands-on events for high school students), and the Women in Apprenticeship Training Institute (stakeholder education). Supporting services include Math For the Trades Preparation classes, Building Comradery meetups, Partner Support Services for industry stakeholders, and the Central Valley Project regional initiative. The organization does not offer a technical software product, API, or AI-enabled platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Entry to Apprenticeship Workshop A regularly scheduled workshop helping women understand union construction apprenticeship programs and navigate the application process; offered free to participants.
• Women Can Build Hands-On Career Fairs Annual hands-on career fairs introducing high school junior and senior women to construction trade careers through interactive activities with industry partners.
• Women in Apprenticeship Training Institute A stakeholder education workshop focusing on best practices for engaging women in trades and the effectiveness of pre-apprenticeship programs in apprentice selection and success.
• Career Board An online job board listing apprenticeship opportunities, entry-level positions, journey-level positions, and pre-apprenticeship programs across various trades including electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and ironworkers.
• Math For the Trades Preparation Math preparation classes offered through local adult schools and community colleges to help women build trades-relevant math skills ahead of apprenticeship selection tests.
• Partner Support Services Technical assistance and consulting for apprenticeship programs, unions, contractors, public agencies, and policy organizations to support recruitment, retention, diversity training, and compliance for women in skilled trades.
• Building Comradery Program Recurring meetups and social events for women in the building trades that build camaraderie through volunteer opportunities, Pride events, Women's Marches, and other community activism.
• Central Valley Project A regional initiative establishing a Central Valley Apprenticeship Resource Network providing technical assistance, recruitment, career information, application support, and mentoring for women in Central Valley counties.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 to 1 increase in women in California construction apprenticeships over 10 years (from 1.98% to 2.94%)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Equal Rights Advocates (ERA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerERA fights for gender justice in workplaces and schools across the country. Tradeswomen Inc. partners with ERA as part of coalition work for policy advancement and women's workplace rights.
• National Taskforce on Tradeswomen's Issues (TWTF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTWTF unites local, regional and national expertise to support tradeswomen in achieving access, opportunity, and equity in construction and skilled trades. Tradeswomen Inc. holds key roles in steering committees and drives yearly goals.
• Bay Area Apprenticeship Coordinators Association (BAACA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTradeswomen Inc. sits on the board of BAACA, which is pivotal in developing progressive opportunities for getting more women in the trades. Jointly hosts career fairs.
• State Building and Construction Trades Council of CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduced by the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California in collaboration with TWI. Provides organizational support and policy alignment with California union trades.
• U.S. Department of Labor, Women's BureaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency partner working to get more women working in the building trades through policy initiatives and workforce development programs.
• Office of Apprenticeship USDOLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal apprenticeship agency providing oversight and support for registered apprenticeship programs. Partnered for apprenticeship outreach and retention initiatives.
• Rising Sun Center for OpportunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree construction training and pre-apprenticeship preparation for entry into union apprenticeships and careers. Particularly recruits women ex-offenders and partners with TWI for recruitment.
• Oakland Unified School District (OUSD)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partner for Women Can Build Hands-On Career Fairs, introducing high school students to construction trade careers.
• Chicago Women in the TradessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister organization in Illinois working on similar tradeswomen issues. Part of network of regional tradeswomen organizations across the U.S.
• Oregon TradeswomensecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister organization in Oregon working on similar tradeswomen issues. Part of network of regional tradeswomen organizations across the U.S.
• North America’s Building Trades Unions Women's CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational union committee focused on women's issues in building trades. Key partner in policy initiatives and annual Women Build Nations conference.
• National Association for Women in ConstructionsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization supporting women in construction. Sister organization partner for advocacy and professional development.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Association for Women in Construction (NAWIC): National nonprofit that supports women across all construction roles (not just trades) through education, networking, and advocacy; broader in scope than TWI but operates in the same women-in-construction space and is listed as a TWI sister partner.
• Year Up: Large national workforce-development nonprofit serving young adults through training and corporate partnerships; not focused on trades specifically but represents a comparable at-scale model of nonprofit-led pathways from training to employment.
• National Taskforce on Tradeswomen's Issues (TWTF): National coalition that unites local, regional, and national expertise to support tradeswomen; TWI holds key roles on its steering committee. Acts as an umbrella industry body aggregating the work of organizations like TWI.
• Per Scholas: National nonprofit providing tuition-free technology and skilled-trades workforce training for underserved adults, including pathways into construction-adjacent roles; much larger scale and broader scope than TWI but comparable workforce-development mission.

Others

• ApprenticeshipUSA (U.S. Department of Labor): Federal program that registers apprenticeship sponsors and promotes apprenticeship pathways across industries; TWI partners with the Office of Apprenticeship USDOL and operates as a referral and support layer on top of this federal infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Rising Sun Center for Opportunity: Bay Area nonprofit providing free construction training and pre-apprenticeship preparation, including for women ex-offenders; operates in the same geography and recruit women into union construction apprenticeships, making it a close programmatic peer.
• Tradeswomen Build America (formerly Women Build Nations): National conference and movement affiliated with North America's Building Trades Unions, focused on tradeswomen advocacy and visibility; TWI participates and partners with it, and it serves an overlapping audience of tradeswomen and apprentices.

Regional players

• Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW): NYC-based nonprofit that prepares women for careers in skilled construction, utility, and maintenance trades through pre-apprenticeship training, mirroring TWI's apprenticeship-prep model but operating on the East Coast.
• Oregon Tradeswomen: Sister organization cited in TWI's partnerships, with a directly comparable mission of preparing and supporting women entering skilled trades and apprenticeships, but serving the Oregon/Pacific Northwest market.
• Chicago Women in the Trades: Sister organization explicitly named in TWI's network, focused on the same mission of recruiting and supporting women in skilled construction trades, but operating in the Chicago/Illinois region rather than Northern California.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/tradeswomen
• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/513620356052942/user/61560608212569
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tradeswomen-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Tradeswomen, Inc.