Hundreds of young women from high schools across Greater Boston will gather next week in Dorchester to discover hands-on, high-paying careers within the union construction industry. The 10th Annual Massachusetts Girls in Trades (MAGIT) Eastern Conference & Career Fair will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, at IBEW Local 103, where students will meet tradeswomen, apprenticeship providers, and future employers helping shape the state’s skilled workforce.
Held each year to strengthen pathways from career and technical education to the construction trades, the conference showcases how union careers can deliver economic mobility, job stability, and a strong community of mentorship. The event reinforces the message that union trades are open to all — especially young women seeking success in a traditionally male-dominated field.
This milestone year will feature appearances by Governor Maura Healey and Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones, alongside Massachusetts Building Trades Unions President Frank Callahan. Their attendance demonstrates the state’s growing commitment to workforce equity and expanding apprenticeship access.
The conference follows a record-setting 2024 event, which drew more than 650 students from 40 schools across Massachusetts. Organizers expect even higher enthusiasm this year as the construction industry faces a critical labor shortage and a surge in demand for skilled workers to support housing, clean energy, and infrastructure development.
A major highlight for 2025 will be the launch of the new MAGIT Alum Network, designed to support students beyond graduation with:
For many attendees and alumni, MAGIT has provided more than career insight — it has sparked confidence and community.
IBEW Local 103 apprentice Darian Santos says the program connected her to a future she hadn’t originally imagined. She credits MAGIT for giving her “skills, confidence, and a sisterhood.”
Student participant Aileen Fiestas from Medford Vocational Technical School said the initiative helped her embrace her technical strengths — and support others along the way. It inspired her to “find their voice” and unlock a career that values their talent.
Callahan said the construction labor landscape is changing fast. Women now make up over 11% of union building trades apprentices in Massachusetts — triple the national average and double the state's representation in 2012.
Union apprenticeships, he emphasized, offer debt-free, high-wage career pathways with health benefits, pensions, and safety training that create secure middle-class lifestyles.
Launched in 2015, the Massachusetts Girls in Trades collaboration includes schools, unions, government agencies, and contractors who share a mission:
to break down barriers and expand access to high-skill, high-wage careers for young women statewide.
As more school districts and families recognize that college is not the only road to success, leaders say initiatives like MAGIT are crucial to supplying the workforce needed to build the future of Massachusetts — from new homes to green energy facilities.
More information about the conference and statewide programming is available at MassGirlsinTrades.org.
Originally reported by Boston RET.
