Celebrating Careers in Construction Month

By: Jillian Scannell, Engagement Manager

Happy Careers in Construction Month! This October we are highlighting women working in construction.

Vermont Works for Women provides career exploration opportunities, job search support, and trades training programs to support women and gender-expansive folks who are interested in entering the trades. If you or someone you know is interested, reach out to us!

We asked two female tradeswomen a series of questions about their jobs and experiences as women with careers in construction.

Sophia Di Mattia

Sophia is a 2022 Trailblazers graduate and has been working as a carpenter’s assistant for about 11 months at Montpelier Construction.

What inspired you to pursue a career in the skilled trades?

I always loved building and working with my hands as a kid.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

It’s mentally and physically stimulating. I love creating things whether it’s fine woodworking or building a new house.

What barriers or challenges have you faced in a traditionally male-dominated field, and what supports helped (or would have helped) you overcome them?

I’ve had the unique pleasure of working with exceptionally open-minded, welcoming, and supportive male coworkers so I haven’t had to deal with any of the uninviting attitudes that many other women have had to deal with. Clothes and equipment are generally not designed with women in mind but it can also be fun to find workarounds.

How has being involved in Trailblazers supported your trades career trajectory? What aspects of the program were most valuable to you?

I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life career-wise so it [Trailblazers] was quite literally a life-changing program. Trailblazers connected me with my current employer, Montpelier Construction. It’s great to know there’s a safe space that empowers and supports women. I loved all the hands-on work; getting more familiar with tools in the classroom, the internship, and the two Saturdays volunteering at a Habitat for Humanity build site.

Precious Violette

Precious has been working in the trades for the past six months at Yellow Dog Contracting.

What inspired you to pursue a career in the skilled trades?

I was trying to career pivot for a while out of working in medical billing, office, and customer service-type roles. This [working in the trades] was a chance to earn skills I could use one day when I own my own tiny home, create a higher income, and work with my hands. I’ve also lost some weight and have gotten stronger.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I enjoy the process of making beautiful things people use every day and seeing them so happy with the results. I also like demolition; It’s weirdly satisfying breaking stuff up and creating a blank canvas, it’s also a great workout for me. Also, I’m not in an office, I get fresh air and get to move around and I enjoy the freedom of not being chained to a desk, having to check emails, and working under lots of pressure.

What barriers or challenges have you faced in a traditionally male-dominated field, and what supports helped (or would have helped) you overcome them?

I’ve only once faced something challenging that related to my gender. I worked a week at another much larger commercial contracting company and kept getting offered office roles when I explicitly explained that I wanted to work with my hands…granted I do have those skill sets. I just noticed more women in their offices than out on the job sites. Other than that, at the small residential contracting company I’m at now, I’m one of two females, and all of the team seems pretty accepting of female co-workers. The sub-contractors seem accepting of it and one of the electricians told me how cool he thought it was to see me in the trades and asked me about what it’s like as a female, and a Black person.

How has being involved in Trailblazers supported your trades career trajectory? What aspects of the program were most valuable to you?

Trailblazers staff helped link me up with classes with ReSource, since no Trailblazers classes were available in my area at the time of my start. VWW provided me with my first pair of work boots free of charge from Keen, checked in on me and supported me this whole time, and connected me with tradeswomen in other trades who have been offering me mentorship over email.