More than 6,000 attendees from throughout North America assembled in Houston to honor advancements and broaden prospects for women working in the building trades.

/PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of tradeswomen, industry representatives, labor leaders, and allied organizations from across North America convened in Houston, Texas, October 9-11 for the 2026 Tradeswomen Build Nations (TWBN) Conference, organized with ongoing host sponsorship from North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU).

With the theme "Breaking Barriers, Expanding Horizons," the event united unionized tradeswomen from the United States and Canada for three days focused on education, professional growth, networking, and teamwork. Main sessions, workshops, and panel talks highlighted women's roles in the building trades while examining strategies to support greater female participation, achievement, and leadership in the union construction sector.

NABTU President and TradesFutures Board Chair, Sean McGarvey said, "Tradeswomen are vital to the power and future of our sector. NABTU is pleased to fully back Tradeswomen Build Nations and stays firmly dedicated to ensuring women receive respect and support in our field with full access to the resources, chances, training, and assistance required for thriving careers in the unionized construction trades."

"Tradeswomen Build Nations demonstrates what can be achieved when women gain entry and receive backing to excel," said TradesFutures Executive Director Marina Zhavoronkova. "The women assembled in Houston are constructing our infrastructure, providing for their families, and creating opportunities for future generations. TradesFutures is honored to unite them and collaborate with partners to improve routes into quality union apprenticeships and enduring careers."

Featured speakers included NABTU President Sean McGarvey; AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler; Megan Armstrong, president of Water Delivery at Kiewit; retired NASA astronaut Marsha Ivins; Ullico President and CEO Brian Hale; International Union of Operating Engineers General President John Downey; and SMART Director of Special Projects Louise Medina.

During the conference, rank-and-file tradeswomen recounted personal stories of how supportive entry programs, Registered Apprenticeships, and unionized construction careers transformed their lives. Talks covered workforce development, apprenticeship and training, physical safety, mental health, and inclusive jobsite environments, stressing the resources and encouragement women require to establish sustainable careers that support a middle-class lifestyle.

TradesFutures, NABTU and their partners will persist in advancing apprenticeship readiness, recruitment, and retention initiatives to assist women in joining and staying within the union construction workforce. The 2027 TWBN conference is set for October 22-24, 2027, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Photo credits to Jake Hamm.

About TradesFutures: TradesFutures is a leading national non-profit organization dedicated to expanding pathways into union Registered Apprenticeships and family-sustaining construction careers. Our network of more than 200 Apprenticeship Readiness Programs works across 32+ states, teaches the award-winning Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3), and removes barriers to opportunity. Through proven strategies, programs, and partnerships, TradesFutures connects workers to quality careers while helping meet the evolving workforce needs of the union construction industry.

About NABTU: North America's Building Trades Unions is an alliance of 14 national and international unions in the building and construction industry that collectively represent over 3.2 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada. Each year, our unions and signatory contractor partners invest over $2.5 billion in private-sector money to fund and operate over 1,900 apprenticeship training and education facilities across North America that produce the safest, most highly trained, and most productive skilled craft workers found anywhere in the world. NABTU is dedicated to creating economic security and employment opportunities for its construction workers by safeguarding wage and benefits standards, promoting responsible private capital investments, investing in renowned apprenticeship and training, and creating more construction career pathways to the middle class for women, communities of color, indigenous people, veterans, and the justice-involved.

SOURCE TradesFutures