World · Latin America · 7 hrs ago
Brazil project trains and employs women in construction
A project in São Paulo is training and employing women in construction, a field where women held only 11.5% of formal jobs in Brazil at the end of 2024.
The Educar Mulheres project is run by construction company Plano&Plano and the CrêSer nonprofit, and its 20 participants include women who have experienced violence.
Participants receive pay and benefits from the start, while taking practical and classroom training and working on plumbing and electrical installation kits.
The first 90 days are a trial period, after which participants may continue working for the company.
Earning their own income can help women leave abusive relationships and support themselves, while learning new skills can also build confidence.
A second initiative, Construdivas, offers free construction training to women facing social vulnerability in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
The Educar Mulheres trial period ends in December, and participants hope to keep working and share what they have learned with other women.
A project in São Paulo trains and employs women who have experienced violence for work in the construction industry.
The Educar Mulheres project is run by construction company Plano&Plano and the CrêSer nonprofit, and currently has 20 participants.
Participants receive a base salary and benefits during a 90-day trial period, alongside theoretical and practical training.
The initiative aims to support women’s financial independence and self-esteem in a sector where women held 11.5% of formal jobs at the end of 2024.
- Who
- Plano&Plano and the CrêSer nonprofit run the project. Its 20 participants are women who have experienced violence.
- What
- Educar Mulheres trains and employs women for construction work.
- When
- Participants are hired for an initial 90-day trial period, which ends in December 2026.
- Where
- At a construction site in the south of São Paulo city.
- Why
- The project seeks to expand women’s presence in a male-dominated industry and support their financial independence.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Women held 11.5% of formal jobs in Brazil’s construction industry, according to the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Plano&Plano and CrêSer ran Educar Mulheres for a second time, with participants paid from the start for the first time.
Participants receive a base salary and benefits while completing theoretical and practical training.
The participants’ trial period is due to end.
- Participants
- 20 women
- Trial period
- 90 days
- Women’s share of formal construction jobs
- 11.5% at the end of 2024
- Worksite
- South of São Paulo city
- Project organizers
- Plano&Plano and CrêSer
What people are saying
We understood that training for two or three months without financial support would make it impossible for these women to take part. They need money right away, they need to earn a day’s wages, they need to put food on the table.
A woman who has experienced violence does not believe she deserves anything; she feels inferior because she was led into that situation. So they see themselves as capable of mastering a new world of skills.
I gave up financial stability for my peace and quiet, but I maintain a household and, unfortunately, the job market narrows and excludes people like me who are older.
Looking at it from the outside, we think it will be a huge challenge, but when you practise here, you can see it is possible, including to improve financially.