According to data collected by Zippia, there are over 210,722 apprentices currently employed in the United States, with 21 percent being women and 78 percent being men.

The vast majority of apprenticeship programs are in skilled trades, an avenue in that women have seen lower levels of completion. However, women apprentices are trained in different roles and are far more concentrated in social services occupations.

What can women do?

The fields in highest demand in Guilford County are generally not jobs women are eager to explore. However, employers cannot fill all their open positions with one demographic. The labor participation issue can only be resolved by hiring a diverse range of applicants, especially women and other minority groups. We must support women entering male-dominated industries and ensure equity in all career pathways. Foster an overall environment of inclusion in the workplace, especially in traditionally male-dominated jobs.

• In Manufacturing, women make up 30 percent of the workforce
• In Construction, women make up 1 in 10 of the workforce.
• In IT/Cyber Security, women currently make up 25 percent of the tech industry.

Some jobs require significant physical labor and strength, which may exclude some women from these roles. Despite that, women have always proven resilient, creative, intelligent, and capable of doing anything that put their minds to.

Women create a well-rounded workforce. Their emotional intelligence can help assess situations and find better solutions. Women hold high value in relationships and use that to build better connections in the workplace. They are often eminently skilled in communication, negotiation, and analysis. Yet we still aren’t seeing enough women holding jobs in in-demand industries.

How apprenticeship can help your business fill hard-to-fill roles

The importance of women in these fields shouldn’t be overlooked. Though there has been a decent increase in women in STEM and skilled trades occupations, there is still a significant lack of representation. So how do we get more women into these fields? Employers can use an apprenticeship as a tool to bridge that gap.

Apprenticeship programs fit seamlessly into almost any business model and allow the opportunity for apprentices to earn while they learn and gain hands-on experience in an in-demand field. Apprenticeship opportunities are significant for women wanting to enter these fields.

Expanding opportunties

Traditionally, women weren’t always encouraged to pursue pathways relating to sciences, technology, mathematics, or engineering; instead, they may have lived under the expectation of how a “woman’s job” might look. However, if you are a woman interested in expanding your skillset, learning a new skill set, and have an untapped passion for an exciting, unique career opportunity in a high-growth industry, then an apprenticeship may be for you.

Ladies, leave the building of the world to the men? I don’t think so.