LA Metro launches website for women in construction

California Construction News staff writer

In celebrating March as Women’s History Month, LA Metro’s Joint Awareness Campaign has  launched on a new website, www.womenbreakground.com, to give women interested in a career in construction an avenue for learning more about how to join an apprenticeship readiness training program and get connected to resources.

The website includes testimonials of women who have worked in the trades and gives an overview of their experience. The website is also a tool for women that are already in the trades to get connected to the unions, contractors, and more resources to be placed on a construction job. 

“We hope that all prospective female construction workers find the site useful and engaging,” organizers said.

Los Angeles Metro is the first transit agency in the nation to adopt a PLA/CCP that includes a targeted hiring emphasis on individuals who are in apprenticeship programs, considered economically disadvantaged, and have been previously excluded from opportunities on construction projects and in the construction trades.  

Los Angeles Metro’s PLA/CCP adheres to Federal Executive Order 11246, which sets a 6.9% hiring goal for female worker participation rate of inclusion. 

While the national average for women in construction remains below 3%, LA Metro has taken significant steps to exceed the numbers outlined in the executive order by attracting and recruiting more women into the industry. In 2023, a “Joint Awareness Campaign” was created in partnership with the Los Angeles/Orange County Building Trades Council, to raise awareness among women about promising opportunities in construction.