The 2025 Fair will be held in early May.
If you'd like to the first to know when we open registration, sign up here!
General Fair Info
Work Ready Women, Students and Career Counselors: Curious about women's options in non-traditional careers?
Training Programs: Want to show off your inventive women-friendly apprenticeship program?
Construction Companies: Looking to share your commitment to affirmative action in your job opportunities?
Public Agencies: Want to strut the cool stuff you do and find people to help you do it?
Plan to visit and/or exhibit at the 2024 Women in Trades Fair. It's a fun opportunity to learn about living wage/lucrative careers in the construction trades and exhibitors feature almost every craft imaginable, from carpentry to sheet metal, electrical linework to elevator construction, ironwork to masonry, firefighting to meat cutting. It’s all here, both indoors and outdoors.
Want to see 2024 exhibitors?
Click HERE
Exhibitors!
We annually host more than 100 exhibitors.
They include apprenticeship programs, governmental agencies, colleges, vocational training and corporations,
a true who's who of public and private sectors.
Past participants have included Skanska, Sequoya Electric, King County, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Seattle Fire Department.
Training programs include apprenticeships with the Cement Masons, Sprinkler Fitters, Carpenters,
Laborers, Operating Engineers, Pipefitters and Electricians.
Unfortunately, vendors wishing to sell merchandise cannot be accepted.
Some exhibits are outdoors.
These outdoor spaces are appropriate for display vehicles (think firetrucks) and big activities, (think Ironworkers beam-walk)
Be Dynamic!
Almost all exhibitors provide a hands-on experience while sharing info about opportunities in the construction trades.
We encourage all exhibitors to create interactive and enticing displays.
Not only does it make learning more fun, it gives attendees an inside look at your craft.
(Also, the most creative,innovative and interactive exhibitors win a "best of" ribbon at the end of the day)
Attendees!
Schools
Schools from all over the region attend. Middle & High School aged students are introduced
to the high paying, spirit empowering positions in the skilled trades.
Schools are NOT required to register to attend. It DOES help us track attendance, though. It's helpful to us!
This registration is ONLY for schools with GROUPS of 5 or more students.
Everyone else is welcome to simply show up.
Need Directions or Parking info?
Seattle Center Map
Seattle Center General Info
Parents
If your kid's school is not attending, take the day off, grab the kids and spend the day at the Fair! We find that young people in middle and high school age are great audiences. We've had people contact us years later telling us that they attended the fair as a young teenager and were so inspired they joined an apprenticeship and became a tradesperson!
No need to register, just come on by!
Work Ready Women
Work ready women (and men) attend to explore options, too. Sometimes, a match is made on the spot.
The exhibitor walks away with a new enthusiastic hire and the woman walks away with a living wage job.
No need to register.
Just show up with your notebook full of questions!
And everyone else who'd like to learn about living wage careers in the Pacific Northwest.
This is a FREE Event! There is NO attendee admission fee.
EVERYONE IS WELCOME.
WE ARE THE FUTURE!
Questions? Contact us here
Special Thanks to Seattle Center!
2024 Exhibitor Ribbon Winners
Indoor
1st - Seattle Public Utilities
2nd - Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
3rd - Western WA Sheet Metal
Outdoor
1st - Seattle Parks & Recreation
2nd - King County Facilities
3rd - King County Solid Waste
Special Award
AJAC
2023 Exhibitor Ribbon Winners
Indoor
1st - WW Sheet Metal JATC
2nd - Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
3rd - Seattle Area Pipe Trades
Outdoor
1st - Seattle City Light
2nd - Seattle Public Utilities
3rd - Seattle Parks & Recreation
Special Award
Machhinists Institute
2022 Exhibitor Ribbon Winners
Indoor
1st Place: Whistle Workwear
2nd Place: IBEW Local 46
3rd Place: Cement Masons & Plasterers Local 528
Outdoor
1st Place: Seattle Fire Department
2nd Place: Western WA Sheet Metal
3rd Place: Everett Fire Department
Special Award
The Boeing Company
2019 Exhibitor Ribbon Winners
Indoor
1st Place: Western Washington Sheet Metal
2nd Place: Seattle Area Pipe Fitters
3rd Place: The Boeing Company
Outdoor
1st Place: Vigor Industrial
2nd Place: Seattle Public Utilities
3rd Place: Seattle Parks & Recreation
Special Award:
Che Arsenault
the woman who inspired the 2019 Poster Concept
Some Fair History
44 years ago, a group of women newly working in skilled trades gathered together for support and comradery. Solidarity was important--they were a minority in the workplace and the issues of harassment, pay inequality, improperly fitting work clothing (PPE) and a variety of other frustrating obstacles were everyday occurrences. As the group evolved, they realized that one way to influence change was to encourage more women to venture into trades occupations. (safety in numbers...) That's when the fair was born.
The first Women in Trades Fair was held on Saturday, November 10, 1979 at the Seattle Labor Temple on First Avenue in downtown Seattle. It featured workshops with topics such as How to Enter the Trades, Overcoming Math Anxiety, Affirmative Action - Racism & Sexism on the Job, and How to Survive in the Trades. There were booths & demonstrations that showcased carpentry, electrical, firefighting, appliance repair, forklift driving and more. It was interpreted for the deaf and child care was provided. The event was produced by Mechanica & the University YWCA with support from, to name a few, the King County Women's Program, Operating Engineers Local 302, The Seattle Office of Women's Rights, the DOL Women's Bureau, National Electrical Contractor's Association and more. It was an ambitious undertaking and an inspiration to everyone who attended.
Over forty Trade Fairs have come and gone. Every current tradeswoman, at some time in her career, experiences the same struggles as did those women in 1978. The percentage of women working in skilled trades remains dismal and sometimes the glass ceiling seems to get thicker and thicker. But the modern tradeswoman pushes on like a dandelion growing through a sidewalk crack. One might wonder why we don't just throw up our hands and give up?
The answer is simple: We're Here To Work.