Programs

NEW prepares women for nontraditional careers in the building and construction trades, public utilities, transportation, green jobs, and building maintenance and operations industries — jobs that provide structured career pathways to the middle class and economic independence. Through its innovative training programs, NEW graduates successfully compete for skilled trades careers that enable women to achieve economic self-sufficiency.

NEW’s core programming is offered on both day and evening schedules.

BLUE COLLAR PREP

NEW’s daytime offering, Blue Collar Prep (BCP), is a seven-week full-time program geared towards giving women a well-rounded introduction to the building trades and hands-on training experience with tools and building materials. BCP runs Monday-Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm.

NEW AT NIGHT

NEW’s evening offering, NEW at Night (NAN), is a nine-week program geared towards giving women a well-rounded introduction to the building trades and hands on training experience with tools and building materials. NAN is offered for women who have daytime commitments and is held nights per week and every Saturday for 7-9 weeks.

ELIGIBILITY

• NEW welcomes women, transgender, and nonbinary individuals to register

• Must be 18 years or older

• Eligible to work in the United States

• High school diploma or equivalency

• Interested in hands-on training to enter a career in the construction field

OUR CURRICULUM

Our comprehensive, innovative curriculum is developed in collaboration with union apprenticeship directors and employers, and includes:

• Hands-On Instruction: The curriculum includes hands-on training (carpentry, blueprint reading, electrical and painting) all taught by skilled journey-level tradespeople.

• Industry Overview: To connect to careers that align with their interests, students are given a thorough introduction to the breadth of the construction apprenticeships and trades in New York City, as well as the jurisdiction of the trades and the different unions. 

• Job Readiness: To prepare students to successfully connect to and succeed at work, students receive training on navigating the workplace, resume and interview preparation, and the opportunity to connect with tradeswomen currently working in the field.

• Trades Math: NEW provides intensive, structured trades-focused math instruction as a vital component of each cycle of the core training program.  NEW students are given the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of trades-related math areas including whole numbers, fractions, decimals, algebra, and geometry.

• Health and Safety: New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) provides a health and safety training component. The information covered includes an introduction to occupational safety and health, hazardous materials, ergonomics, and women’s health and safety issues.

ADVANCED TRAINING

NEW’s advanced training is offered to NEW graduates and covers topics including trade-specific entrance exam preparation, OSHA certifications, and interview skills that are tailored to provide additional support to graduates as they enter the workforce.

SUPPORTIVE SERVICES

NEW provides supportive services to students and graduates. These services help support NEW graduates to enter the workforce, advance their careers, and thrive on the job. These services can include:

• Transportation (MetroCard or
  public transportation equivalency)

• Tool kits

• Work boots

• Work attire

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT: APPRENTICESHIP READINESS COLLECTIVE (ARC)

“The Apprenticeship Readiness Collective (ARC) will drive union apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship recruitment efforts directly to minority communities in New York City as part of BCTC’s continued efforts to promote and build diversity among its ranks. As New Yorkers grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis, the ARC’s direct and coordinated recruitment efforts will help make union construction a viable career path for New Yorkers living in some of the neighborhoods hit hardest by the pandemic.

The ARC will lead outreach efforts to workers from zip codes where at least 15 percent of the population lives below the federal poverty level and/or are NYCHA residents, to achieve the PLAs goal of ensuring that at least 30 percent of all hours worked under PLA projects are logged by workers from zip codes identified as economically disadvantaged. The collective is made up of The Edward J. Malloy Initiative for Construction Skills, Inc., Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW), NY Helmets to Hardhats (H2H), and Pathways to Apprenticeship (P2A), each of which has individually connected thousands of New Yorkers to union apprenticeship programs.” Read more.