Massachusetts Gaming Commission

Companies

In November 2017, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission funded the creation of newly-formed Northeast Center for Tradeswomen Equity and together launched a first-of-its-kind, statewide recruitment initiative to encourage more women to pursue a career in the union building trades. This initiative is the result of a unique collaboration of dedicated organizations that joined forces and our collective resolve to address a chronic challenge. The Build A Life That Works campaign seeks to address an ongoing challenge in an innovative and impactful way by inspiring women to pursue a career in the union building trades as a viable path to equal pay for equal work, excellent benefits, and a better future. At launch date Massachusetts tradeswomen comprise 5% of the workforce. This statewide effort aims to increase tradeswomen in the building trades to 20% by 2020. The Build A Life That Works campaign through advertising and grass roots efforts, taps into the insight that women could enjoy a rewarding career in the construction trades, if they would only consider the opportunity. To break down the barriers of awareness and consideration, Build A Life That Works illustrates not just the benefits of a career with promising growth but also shares the great pride in building a legacy of Massachusetts developments. The campaign (developed by KHJ Brand Activation) features real women in the building trades, now enjoying home ownership, quality time with their families, world travel and many more life moments and experiences, made possible with a career in construction. The core educational component of this effort is a mobile-enabled, user-friendly website BuildALifeMA.org. The site provides a hub of valuable career information and practical guidance. As part of a sustained outreach and education effort, the Build A Life That Works campaign will promote its message through advertising, marketing, grassroots events and digital strategies. Build A Life That Works advertising will be highly visible through in-kind signage donation from the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA), the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) , the New England Regional Council of Carpenters (NERCC), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103 (IBEW), the City of Boston and the City of Everett. Printed posters, brochures, and fliers will be distributed at career centers, community centers, vocational-technical schools and other targeted locations including construction sites. Advancing this important diversity initiative from concept to reality has been a rewarding experience for the Gaming Commission. We hope that this tangible, long-term solution will be a catalyst for a future of economic opportunity for women.