Graduate Testimonials

Women who have completed NEW programs are proud of their accomplishments and offer you an insider's view of what they've learned—about their skills, their industry, and themselves. Here's what NEW graduates are saying:

"This program did more than merely train me for a new career. It opened my eyes to the beauty and satisfaction that comes from creating something with my own hands. It taught me teamwork. It taught me patience. It taught me I could still be a woman, in a nontraditional role."

"And it brought me new friends in my life, among both the student body and the staff. I found people who listened, who cared, and who shared their knowledge and thoughts with me."

"NEW fulfilled all of my expectations. I got a variety of skills and I learned a lot about commercial construction and about safety. And I became a more well-rounded person."

"I like the sense of community here. And learning that I have more life skills than I thought I did is wonderful."

"NEW gave me a lot of insight ... because they taught me everything I needed to know: tool recognition, women's history in construction, which we do have."

"NEW was totally instrumental. They told us pretty much what to expect in terms of how the men might treat you on the job. They also prepared us in terms of the discipline that was required of us. We had to be here every day and be here on time. It was really an issue for me, but it served me well. When I got my first construction job, I never missed a day on the site and I was never late."

"Just being able to do the work and see the results is satisfying. One of the really neat things about construction is that you're always making something and you get to see what you do. It used to be really neat for me to walk around the city and say, 'Oh, I worked here and I worked there.'"

"I love seeing my customers' faces when you've done something and they really love it. I remember this one woman just coming downstairs and watching me scribing a cabinet to a wall, and she just said, 'It feels so good to see a woman doing this.' She brought her son downstairs and wanted him to see me working. So that's nice."

"I think the most satisfying thing that I find is when a job is completed and you see everything running. I get goose bumps up and down my back just seeing how everything meshes together and works."

Over half of the most common trades in New York City's construction industry pay more than $20 per hour.