2025: A Year of Impact, Growth, and Opportunities

As 2025 comes to a close, all of us at Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) would like to thank our friends, partners, donors, and members of the Ambassador Council and Board of Directors for helping us nurture the next generation of tradeswomen.  

This year, we trained approximately 350 individuals through our pre-apprenticeship program and provided them with hands-on instructions, wrap-around services, job preparation and placements, and access to tools and equipment. They arrived at NEW through many paths. Some came after years of uncertainty, others after deciding whether the trades were the right move, and but all seeking a career that not only provides economic security, but also fulfillment and a strong community. Special shout-out to our instructors, who work and guide our students tirelessly throughout the year. 

Thanks to our union and other employer partners, we placed our graduates in apprenticeship programs and connected them with job opportunities—congratulations to our budding sheet metal workers, electricians, plumbers, painters, laborers, and more! 

In 2025, we expanded our childcare support program to include students and graduates of NEW and other affiliates of the Apprenticeship Readiness Collective (ARC): Construction Skills Inc., Helmets to Hardhats, and Pathways to Apprenticeship. We also started a food pantry to help those in our community who face food insecurity, so that they will not go hungry while going through our training.  

We are also dedicated to introducing careers in the trades to young adults. In addition to presenting Career Days in partnership with schools and community-based organizations, we also participated in the inaugural EmpowerHER summer 2025 camp for high school students in Industry City, Brooklyn.  

Students learned about NEW through many ways—word of mouth, social media, transit ad campaigns, job fairs, and referrals from our partners. NEW is a Resident Economic Empowerment & Sustainability (REES) partner of NYCHA, reaching out to NYCHA residents in all boroughs throughout the year.  

We can only do our work with the support of our numerous donors—government agencies, foundations, corporations, and individuals. Our 2025 Equity Leadership Awards Luncheon on June 5 was our biggest fundraising event of the year, drawing nearly 800 leaders in the building and construction industry, philanthropists, and elected officials.  

Thank you to everyone who has helped transform the lives of our tradeswomen. You know this as well as we do:  

When women are given real opportunities and support, they do not just build careers—they build new futures for themselves, their families, and communities. 

We look forward to another year full of impact, growth, and opportunities.  

Sincerely, 

The NEW Team