>> IF YOU'RE NOT FITTING INTO THAT SQUARE PEG, ROUND HOLE, IF YOU'RE FIGHTING IT ALL THE TIME AND NOT FINDING YOUR IN ADDITION IN THE TRADES ARE NOT JUST ABOUT BETTER PAY, IT'S ALSO ABOUT WHERE YOU FIT.

YOU DON'T JUST HAVE TO DO THIS KIND OF JOB.

THERE'S ALL THESE OTHER JOBS THAT ARE AVAILABLE THAT YOU CAN DO IF YOU WANT TO.

VERMONT WORKS FOR WOMEN HAS A PROGRAM CALLED TRAIL BLAZERS, WHERE THEY ARE INTRODUCING WOMEN TO THE TRADES AND AMY AND I ARE EACH TEACHING A PART OF THAT.

I'M DOING THE PLUMBING AND AMY IS DOING THE ELECTRICAL.

I'M MONICA BRAGER.

I'M A PLUMBER.

>> I'M AMY JAMES.

I'M A MEMBER OF IBECATHOLIC CHURCH LOCAL 300.

WE JUST WANT TO SHARE OUR ENTHUSIASM FOR THE TRADES.

>> GOING INTO THE TRADES WAS THE BEST THING I DID FOR BOTH MYSELF AND MY FAMILY.

>> IT'S THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE TOO.

>> I WOULD SAY THE CONFIDENCE AND THE MONEY ARE THE TWO BIG THINGS.

IT'S FUN.

I ENJOY IT A LOT.

>> I JUST LIKE GETTING TO SEE DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS AND YOU CANNOT UNDERESTIMATE THE QUALITY OF THE PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH.

I HAVE HAD SO MANY GREAT COWORKERS AND TOOL PARTNERS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

>> THINK ABOUT VERMONT, BECAUSE IT'S A SMALL STATE, I THINK IT'S FOR ME IT FELT EASIER AS A WOMAN TO GET INTO THE TRADES.

>> THIS IS A STATE THAT REALLY LIKES PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING DIFFERENT THINGS.

I DON'T THINK IT WAS ANY HARDER THAN BREAKING INTO ANY OTHER NEW CAREER.

YOU HAVE JUST AS MUCH TO BRING TO THE TABLE AS ANYBODY ELSE.

>> I GOT INVOLVED WITH VERMONT WORKS FOR WOMEN AND THE TRAIL BLAZERS CLASS BECAUSE I GOT SO MUCH OUT OF WORKING IN THE TRADES THAT I JUST WANTED TO SHARE IT.

>> I'M ANNA, A CARPENTER'S HELPER, CURRENTLY ATTENDING THE TRAIL BLAZERS CLASS.

I HOPE TO GROW TO BE A GENERAL CONTRACTOR OR EVEN POSSIBLY WORK INTO STAGE SETS.

I GREW UP BEING TOLD THAT I COULDN'T DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN THE TRADES, NOW I HAVE A MINDSET OF I CAN AT LEAST APPROACH IT AND TRY.

>> AMY JUDD IS THE PRIME COMPONENT OF THIS PROGRAM.

SHE OWNS HER OWN BUSINESS.

SHE ALSO HAS TO HAVE PEOPLE SKILLS AND THE ABILITY TO DELEGATE AND ARBITRATE.

SHE IS ON A WHOLE DIFFERENT PLAYING FIELD AND IT'S A VERY IMPRESSIVE WAY TO GO.

>> I'M AMY JUDD.

I'M THE CO-OWNER OF JUDD AND WALL, LOCAL RESIDENTIAL REMODELING COMPANY.

I ALSO AM THE LEAD INSTRUCTOR FOR THE TRAIL BLAZERS PROGRAM AND YOU ARE ON OUR JOB STREET IN THE OLD NORTH END CATCHING SOME SAWDUST AND SUNSHINE.

[LAUGHTER] SEW 20 YEARS AGO I TOOK A CLASS THROUGH VERMONT WORKS FOR WOMEN SIMILAR TO TRAIL BLAZERS, CALLED STEP UP BACK THEN.

I JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH CARPENTRY.

IT WAS SORT OF WEEK ONE OF MY CLASS I DECLARED MYSELF A CARPENTER AND I HAVE BEEN DOING THAT EVER SINCE.

>> AS A PERSON WHO IN MY YOUNGER LIFE SKIPPED AROUND FROM $10 AN HOUR JOB TO $8 AN HOUR JOB, FINALLY LANDING IN A CAREER IN THE TRADES HAS REALLY BEEN WONDERFUL FOR ME IN THAT IT'S FUN, YOU CAN MAKE GOOD MONEY.

I AM THE BIG CHEESE, SO I GET TO DO THINGS LIKE -- I THINK WE'LL HAVE LUNCH NOW!

OR I THINK WE'LL GO HOME.

NOW!

IT'S WONDERFUL TO HAVE ALL THIS FLEXIBILITY, DO STUFF THAT'S FUN AND I'M LEARNING AND ENGAGED EVERY DAY.

I CAN MAKE A GOOD LIVING AT IT.

NO ONE IN THE TRADES WAS BORN KNOWING WHAT THEY KNOW.

SO EVERYONE HAD TO LEARN, AND WOMEN ARE JUST AS CAPABLE OF DOING THAT.

WHEN I DISCOVERED THAT I WANTED TO BE A CARPENTER IT WAS SUCH AN INTERNAL BUT ALSO TANGIBLE RELIEF OF LIKE, OH, MY GOODNESS, I COULD BE REALLY HAPPY DOING THIS.

I FIND WHEN I TEACH IF I CAN ENCOURAGE ANOTHER GIRL OR YOUNG WOMAN OR WOMEN TO STEP OUTSIDE THEIR COMFORT ZONE AND TRY IT THAT THEY TOO MIGHT ALSO FIND IT'S SOMETHIG THAT THEY COULD POSSIBLY LOVE THAT THEY HAD NO IDEA THAT THEY WOULD ENJOY.

PLEASE COME.

WOMEN, COME TO US!

[LAUGHTER] WE NEED YOU!