Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order on Monday to enhance women’s employment in the construction industry. She joined forces with the Biden administration for what might be one of her last public partnerships.
The order, known as Executive Order 638, will instruct state agencies to prioritize creating better job opportunities for women and minorities when issuing construction contracts, according to Healey. She made this announcement at an event held at the Sheet Metal Workers Local 17’s Training Center.
The governor emphasized the importance of implementing apprenticeship programs that specifically target women and people of color. In addition to this, the governor intends to prioritize safety and anti-harassment training programs. Furthermore, supportive services such as child care will be made available to further support these individuals.
Attorney General Maura Healey has established the “Diverse and Equitable Construction Workforce Participation Committee” to oversee and coordinate the inclusion of a diverse workforce in construction projects in Massachusetts. The committee will work across state agencies and will be responsible for monitoring projects that exceed $35 million. Additionally, projects with a value of over $10 million will have the opportunity to participate in this initiative.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who has been a member of President Joseph Biden’s Cabinet since 2021, joined Healey at the event in Dorchester’s Lower Mills. During her speech, she mentioned that she was heading back to Rhode Island for Christmas.
“I am here to tell you I’m proud of you,” Raimondo said, “and to tell all of you, under President Biden’s leadership we are going to continue to fuel a massive amount of manufacturing, construction, infrastructure construction.”
According to Healey, this is probably her last executive order for the year and also her final public event of 2024.
“Look, I can’t think of a better way to wrap what has been a great year, than to sign this executive order here today, which is all about opportunity, it’s about economic growth, it’s about giving people a fair shot at making sure that everybody has access to that, including women, who disproportionately haven’t had as many seats in the construction and building trades industry,” Healey said.
