WOMEN IN SKILLED TRADES
WHO WE ARE
WIST was co-founded by Tori Menold and Carol Cool, in the late fall of 2016. Both women were looking for a way to have a positive impact on their community, empower women, and help the industry that they have worked in for their entire careers. By combining their passion for helping women and their knowledge of the construction industry, Women In Skilled Trades was formed.
WIST has an amazing group of Advisers from the community and the construction industry, including the Women Center of Greater Lansing, Capital Area Michigan Works!, Associated General Contractors of Michigan, US Department of Labor, and Michigan State University.
WHAT WE DO
Promoting better lives for women through skilled trades.
WIST is working to develop programs and events to help educate and inform women about the exciting and fulfilling career opportunities in the construction skilled trades.
Women make up 40% of the world's workforce but are only ~5% of the construction workforce. In the next decade, there will be a demand for 1/2 million more skilled workers. By exposing more women to the exciting opportunities in the skilled trades, we are hoping to help fill that labor gap AND promote the lives of women in our community.