Avery Throckmorton didn’t think a career in construction was within her reach. As a woman, Throckmorton had always seen the male-dominated field as inaccessible until she was recommended for a pre-apprenticeship program at Stephens College.
Following the program, Throckmorton worked full-time for a construction company after transitioning from a student at the women’s liberal arts college in Missouri into a union carpentry apprentice.
Scott Taylor, dean of workforce development and continuing studies at the college, said Throckmorton’s story is one of many that illustrate how addressing workforce shortages in construction trades may depend on rethinking how women are recruited, trained and supported.
“A cultural shift was needed on the job sites—not only in the minds of the workers, but also in the physical layout of a site,” Taylor said. “It may sound trivial, but placing two porta-potties at a build site instead of just one that everyone uses—measures like that are important for developing an inclusive culture.”
While the skilled trades face a labor shortage nationwide, women remain underrepresented. Taylor pointed to limited training opportunities, childcare challenges and job-site culture as key barriers, emphasizing the need for wraparound support and equitable pay.
According to the National Association of Home Builders, women make up just over 11 percent of the construction workforce nationwide—the highest share in 20 years. In Missouri, however, that figure is closer to 5 percent, Taylor said.
Women are underrepresented among apprentices over all, and especially so in the skilled trades, making up just 5 percent of all active construction apprentices, according to one analysis by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
To date, five cohorts of roughly 10 students each have completed the pre-apprenticeship microcredential course at Stephens, with a majority securing jobs in the field immediately afterward. Taylor said the program offers one model for workforce development in the skilled trades, aimed at expanding access for women in construction. But moving the needle toward a sustainable workforce will require intentional, structured pathways.
“We talk a lot about the enrollment cliff in higher ed. The construction industry has experienced a similar drop-off,” Taylor said. “Many seasoned carpenters and journeymen are reaching retirement age, and there’s nobody being trained to replace them.”
“If I can get these women into a pre-apprenticeship program, expose them to the trades in four weeks and connect them with a union training center, they can start earning and learning at a high wage,” he added.
Students in Stephens College’s pre-apprenticeship program work on a construction site.
Intentional pipeline design: Taylor said Stephens’s workforce development program is designed to meet regional labor demands in the construction industry. He pointed to a major infrastructure project in Missouri: the planned expansion of roughly 200 miles of Interstate 70—the state’s busiest corridor—to three lanes.
To support that demand, the college partnered with industry leaders including Susan Hart, president of Missouri-based Reinhardt Construction. By integrating Hart’s and other women’s perspectives into the curriculum, the program teaches both technical skills and the realities of job-site culture.
It was critical that we started by finding an instructor with experience to ensure these women would be safe and accepted on the job site. We wanted these women to not only learn the hard skills needed to be employable, but also develop soft skills.”
—Scott Taylor, dean of workforce development and continuing studies at Stephens College
Taylor said this collaboration helped address barriers that often deter women from entering the trades, including a lack of mentorship, limited support networks and male-dominated work environments. The program ensures that students’ broader needs are met, including access to childcare—an often cited barrier for women entering the workforce—along with transportation and mentoring support.
“We provide childcare if needed,” Taylor said. “We also offer transportation, including a bus that picks up trainees.”
Taylor noted that he serves on the board of a local domestic abuse shelter and offers women in the shelter the opportunity to enroll in the program.
“One of them just said to me, ‘I come here every day from a domestic abuse shelter. I don’t even have a house myself, but I’m getting to help build a house for someone who needs one,’” he said. “The intrinsic value we’re giving these women helps them feel a sense of worth. Even without the funds to sustain themselves, the program allows them to experience that purpose and contribution.”
Through Stephens College’s workforce development program, students transition from the classroom to construction careers.
Why it matters: Taylor said bringing more women into the skilled trades is essential not only to address labor shortages but also to bring their valuable perspectives to construction teams.
Creating clear pathways for women can help redefine the industry as forward-looking and viable for everyone—an important shift for young people deciding where to build their careers, he added.
“A lot of institutions thrive at developing programs to satisfy a grant,” Taylor said. “What we at Stephens try to do is develop an ecosystem, not just a program. The program is part of the ecosystem, but you have to build that ecosystem first—bringing together industry, government, nonprofits and higher education—and then ask, ‘What do we need to design to meet the needs that exist?’”
Taylor said he hopes the program not only meets immediate workforce needs but also encourages participants to continue their education.
“I want to see them come back and get a four-year degree in project management and continue advancing in their careers,” he said. “But at the end of the day, what we’re providing is a work-ready group of individuals who are well-versed in the industry and ready to go to work after four weeks.”
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