Mediaplanet’s New Drive to Put Women into Skilled Trades Meets a Workforce Moment

Why Mediaplanet’s new campaign arrives at a pivotal moment

Mediaplanet has rolled out a national campaign called “Women in Skilled Trades” aimed at shining a light on careers like electrical work, plumbing, carpentry and welding—and getting more women into those jobs. The effort uses editorial features, storytelling and outreach to promote trades as solid, well-paid career paths for women who may not see them as an option.

The timing matters. Employers in construction and manufacturing are struggling to fill openings while many current workers move toward retirement. At the same time, women remain under‑represented in hands‑on skilled roles, meaning the labor market is leaving a big pool of talent untapped. Mediaplanet’s campaign is straightforward: raise awareness, link women to training and persuade employers to open doors. For communities and families that need steady work, that combination could make a real difference if it reaches scale.

The scale of the skills shortage and what it means for women

Across the trades, demand for workers looks set to stay strong for years. A large share of today’s skilled workers are nearing retirement, and employers have signaled that hiring will need to stay brisk to complete public projects and meet private demand. That creates steady opportunities for people entering the labor force.

Yet women currently make up a small slice of the hands‑on trades. In many fields, women hold roughly one in ten jobs or fewer. That gap is not explained by skill or interest alone: it reflects recruitment practices, lack of visible role models, family and scheduling pressures, and workplaces that still feel unfamiliar or unwelcoming to many women.

Filling those jobs with more women would help employers and communities. It would ease hiring pressure, diversify teams, and open higher‑paying paths for women who might otherwise be steered into lower‑paying work. But doing that at scale requires more than encouragement; it needs active outreach, accessible training and changes to how employers recruit and retain workers.

How the campaign works: programs, partners, and promised outcomes

Mediaplanet’s campaign is built around a few practical elements. It will publish a series of editorial features and profiles meant to normalize trades as careers for women. Those stories will be paired with resource guides that point readers toward apprenticeships, community college programs and nonprofit training groups.

Outreach will not stop at articles. The campaign plans organized events and local workshops where women can meet trainers and employers, see equipment in person, and get help with application steps. Organizers say they will also work with training partners to create short, accessible pathways—for example, pre‑apprenticeship classes and flexible schedules that fit childcare needs.

On the employer side, the campaign seeks commitments from companies to expand apprentice slots, improve workplace onboarding and track hiring by gender. Success metrics mentioned for the initiative include increases in apprenticeship sign‑ups by women, improved retention rates after the first year on the job, and more employers publicly reporting diversity in hiring.

On the ground: tradeswomen, trainers and employers speak through the campaign

Campaign materials highlight women who describe how visibility and a single connection to a training program changed their career path. Those short profiles show common barriers: a lack of early information, few local role models, and concerns about fitting family life around irregular hours.

Training organizations featured in the launch note that women respond quickly to hands‑on taster sessions and to programs that bundle job search help with technical training. Employers who have taken part in early pilot outreach say that dedicating a staff member to support new hires—and making sure tools and locker rooms are welcoming—reduces early dropout and improves morale.

What success looks like: community, employer and policy implications

If the campaign reaches its goals, results would show up in a few clear ways: more women enrolling in apprenticeships and short vocational programs, higher first‑year retention rates for newly hired women, and a visible change in employer hiring practices. Those are straightforward measures that stakeholders can track.

Beyond metrics, meaningful change will need policy and practical supports: expanded funding for tuition‑free pre‑apprenticeship programs, incentives for employers to diversify apprentice classes, and services such as reliable childcare and transportation that help new entrants stay on the job. Employers will also need to adjust recruiting language, hiring processes and workplace culture to make trades more accessible.

Mediaplanet’s campaign is not a quick fix. Still, by combining storytelling with direct links to training and employer commitments, it takes the right kind of approach for a labor market that needs new people now. If that combination moves beyond awareness to measurable hiring and retention, communities and employers stand to gain—and more women would find a clear, stable path into skilled, well‑paid work.

Photo: This Is Engineering / Pexels

Sources

• prnewswire.com