In a male dominated field, powerful women are breaking through the doors of trades across Massachusetts.
One Marblehead woman in particular Renee Williamson, is an HVAC air balancer for Integra Testing Services and a support system for young women within the trades. Williamson and a multitude of other women are a part of the Massachusetts Girls in Trades (MGIT) organization.
The MGIT began in 2015 working with education, government, and union organizations to help grow the amount of young women looking to have a career in the building trades. On Friday, the MGIT held a career fair where hundreds of young women learned important skills and how to prosper in forming their own careers within the growing industry.
Williamson studied psychology at Cornell University and spent multiple years working as a math and science teacher for the youth. Her accrued history of working with the youth and studies in psychology prepared her well for the position she holds with the MGIT.
An active member of the women’s committee, Williamson and fellow members meet once a month to discuss new resources as the organization is continually growing. After understanding her own strengths, she began offering support for her colleagues and fellow women in trades.
“We’re working in a male dominated field,” Williamson said. “It’s kind of important to have the people who have your back.”
Williamson looked back on her own experiences when she first began in the industry and recalled how important it was to have a mentor. Papa Glenn is what she called him, a colleague who became a mentor for Williamson.
“A lot of people didn’t expect me to make it, but Glenn was just like, ‘no, she’s got this’ and he taught me so much,” Williamson said.
She further expanded on her personal experiences and the importance of a strong, supportive community behind her. Having dealt with harassment, she was taught how to set boundaries and create a safe environment for herself and now passes on those lessons.
Now having spent a few years with the organization, she is that support system for other young women.
“That’s kind of where my calling is, within the union support,” Williamson said. She was able to find this happy medium between what she spent years studying at Cornell and her joy for the trades.
The number of women in trades in 2016 totaled to roughly 939,000 and in 2021 increased to1,241,000 women, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. The increase between 2016 and 2021 was 32.2 percent.
Due to organizations like MGIT and people like Williamson, more women are opening up to working in trades. MGIT continues to work with young women and hope to see the numbers continue to grow in years to come.
