Oregon Tradeswomen, a nonprofit group that recruits and prepares women to enter construction and other skilled trades, is seeing a big increase in interest.
About every three months, Oregon Tradeswomen puts a cohort of 24 women at a time through a 192-hour training that includes OSHA-10 certification and field trips to union apprentice training centers. The group had 65 applicants for the training that began in January 2026, 82 for the one that began in April, and 203 for the one set to start in August.
What’s behind the surge? Nami Bigos, the group’s deputy director, thinks unemployment is up and white-collar occupations aren’t offering the same job prospects right now. Another factor may be a new requirement that food stamp recipients work, study, or volunteer in order to continue to receive benefits. But whatever the cause, Bigos says Oregon Tradeswomen is ready to promote careers in the trades…