Tradeswoman and Homeowner: “I Built This Life By Building Skylines”

Tradeswomen Recruitment Initiative Expands Outreach with Transit Advertising

The Northeast Center for Tradeswomen’s Equity (NCTE) is excited to announce the strategic expansion of the “Build A Life That Works” campaign. The campaign’s new public service announcements aim to raise awareness about the recruitment program and influence aspiring tradeswomen to pursue a career in the building trades.  The newly created advertisements will be on display across Greater Boston on public transportation and at bus rest stops.

Initially launched in November 2017 by NCTE and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC), “Build A Life That Works” is an award-winning campaign that strives to inspire 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. This first-of-its-kind, statewide effort strives to increase the number of women in the building trades to 20% by 2020.

The transit advertisements will include strategic placement on Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority buses and JCDecaux bus shelters. The PSAs will be prominently displayed throughout the Greater Boston area for the next several months. In addition to transit advertising, the “Build A Life That Works” campaign recently concluded a one-month promotion on the local radio station, HOT 96.9 Boston.

The new transit campaign features local tradeswomen and highlights real stories about real women, 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 PSAs feature images of Massachusetts women in both a professional and personal setting. The ads include taglines such as, “I built this life by building skylines” or “I built this life by building roads.” The campaign 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.

“I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, JCDecaux and the MBTA for providing us the opportunity to expand our outreach.  In conjunction with all of our dedicated partners, our shared goal is to continually identify new and targeted ways to encourage women to join our movement – 20% by 2020,” said Mary Vogel, NCTE co-founder and Building Pathways executive director. “Since the launch of this effort, women’s interest in this program continues to be remarkable and proves that when given the information and invitation, women want to pursue this work.”

The core educational component of this initiative 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 campaign promotes its message through advertising, marketing, grassroots events and digital strategies. Advertising includes 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 are also available for distribution at career centers, community centers, vocational-technical schools and other targeted locations including construction sites.

Massachusetts is a nationally recognized leader in the movement to employ women in the union trades; however, female construction workers, currently representing 7.6% in apprenticeships statewide, remain underrepresented in these high wage careers. As a response to the ongoing challenge of underrepresentation, MGC and NCTE formed a unique partnership and sought the collaboration of additional strategic partners to develop a tradeswomen recruitment initiative that offers a tangible, long-term solution to a chronic issue.

MGC and NCTE contracted with a marketing firm, KHJ Brand Activation, to develop the full brand concept and comprehensive communications campaign including a website, promotional materials, and digital and mobile strategies to increase awareness and outreach. The “Build A Life That Works” campaign recently received the prestigious Rosoff Award for effective diversity campaigns by the Ad Club

ADDITIONAL LINKS

Website: www.BuildALifeMa.org

Twitter: @BuildALifeMA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuildALifeMA/

PROGRAM PARTNERS

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission, Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield, Penn National (Plainridge Park Casino), the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, the City of Boston, the City of Everett, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Northeast Center for Tradeswomen’s Equity whose principal partners include the Building Pathways Inc., the Building and Construction Trades Council of the Metropolitan District (MetroBTC), the New England Regional Council of Carpenters, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and the Policy Group on Tradeswomen’s Issues

About NCTE

The Northeast Center for Tradeswomen’s Equity (NCTE) is a Massachusetts-based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping women find careers in the union building trades. This isn’t just a campaign; it’s a movement with a big goal: to have 20% women in the building trades by 2020. The principal partner groups include Massachusetts AFL-CIO (MA AFL-CIO), Building Pathways (BPI), the Building and Construction Trades Council of the Metropolitan District (MetroBTC), the New England Regional Council of Carpenters (NERCC) and the Policy Group on Tradeswomen’s Issues (PGTI). This multi-stakeholder collaboration brings together a leadership team with decades of experience and a proven track record of success in increasing access and opportunities for women and people of color to enter careers in the union building trades in Massachusetts.