Women in Construction Training Program

Women in Construction Training Program (WiCTP) has a dual mission of providing training to low-income individuals to lead to economic self-sufficiency and providing living-wage jobs by building primarily affordable housing options for and with low-income individuals; and promoting economic justice through creating awareness of opportunities to under-represented populations within business, particularly within the construction trades. WiCTP achieves this through its on-the-job training program and its subsidiary construction company. WiCTP actively recruits low-income women, people of color and gay/lesbian individuals who have been denied opportunities within the construction trades. WiCTP provides paid on-the-job training so that employees can earn a living while being trained. In addition, WiCTP builds high quality, affordable market rate housing that is energy efficient and environmentally responsible. The organization operates all its programs from income derived from sales.

The construction industry in northern Minnesota is over 96% male and predominantly white. WiCTP actively works within the community to challenge these barriers and to bring awareness of opportunities for women, people of color and gay/lesbian individuals. WiCTP challenges the construction trades to become more active in recruiting, training & hiring these under-represented groups.

WiCTP has developed a variety of strategies: creating public awareness through the media and presentations in the schools and at community events; development of a website that offers information and solutions to a national audience; formation of a successful construction company that is 60% female, 25% people of color and 20% gay/lesbian. The company has created a diverse workforce and an extensive portfolio of completed projects ranging from single-family new construction to large multi-family renovation. WiCTP partners with a wide-variety of diverse community organizations and businesses to ensure the success of training project and business.

The impact on the local community has been great. Since 2000, over 44 women and 21 men have completed the training program. Currently WiCTP has 22 full-time employees, 75% of whom had no construction experience before entering the program. WiCTP currently has 100 people on a waiting list and 13 low-income women are on an active waiting list to get into the program. Since 2002 when the organization was formed, WiCTP has completed the substantial renovation of 95 units of affordable housing, completed over 25 remodels and built 22 units of housing (single family and multi-family). In 2000, over 90% of the organization's funding came from private foundations, state and federal sources. In 2007, 100% of WiCTP's funding derives from sales so the organization is totally self-sufficient and all profits go back to support the training program. An added impact has been a focus on building energy efficient/green and through education have impacted local consumers in their quest to build more efficient homes. WiCTP recently completed an Eco-Home, a solar demonstration project that is open for two years as an energy resource center through a partnership with local and state agencies