Building Equitable Pathways for Women in the Trades

The Michigan AFL-CIO Workforce Development Institute (WDI) is a statewide workforce organization with a long track record of connecting women to high-wage, unionized trades through debt-free, stipend-supported, cohort-based apprenticeship readiness training. This three-year initiative builds on that success by expanding women-centered cohorts in high-impact communities, paired with mentoring, supportive services such as childcare assistance, and gender-equity and bystander-intervention training. Together, these strategies strengthen retention, advancement, and long-term pay equity for women across Michigan.