Sister Of NEW Pre-Apprenticeship of South Florida is a women-led, nonprofit pre-apprenticeship program registered with the Florida Department of Education (program P-090) and granted United Nations ECOSOC Special Consultative Status in 2026. Its founder, Luiza Ortiz, is a union carpenter with more than 15 years in the field. We gave Sister Of NEW a complimentary Silver partnership because the work speaks for itself.
In her words
"As a female union carpenter with over 15 years of field experience, I understand the realities of the jobsite and the concerns contractors often carry when hiring women, including liability, misunderstandings, and cultural fit. Sister Of NEW was built from that lived experience, with the goal of creating structured, safe, high-quality training environments that support both participants and employers."
"Sister Of NEW is a women-led, ECOSOC-aligned pre-apprenticeship program dedicated to workforce readiness, skilled trades exposure, wrap-around support, and building career pathways for women and underserved communities. We operate with a full Institutional Binder and Licensing System, including governance, compliance, curriculum quality management, safety protocols, wrap-around support systems, instructor qualification standards, and ISO-aligned quality assurance frameworks."
"We also serve as the U.S. fiscal sponsor for Zero Dropouts Tanzania in Africa, supporting international school construction and SDG-aligned development work."
Luiza Inez Ortiz, CEO and Founder
What they do
- Pre-apprenticeship training for women in South Florida, with a direct line into registered apprenticeships and union careers.
- Wrap-around support so participants can finish: the practical help that keeps someone on a jobsite through the first year.
- A published Institutional Binder covering governance, curriculum quality, safety protocols, and instructor standards, which employers and partners can review before they hire.
- Partnerships with employers, unions, workforce boards, and community organizations that want a reliable pipeline of trained women.
Who should reach out
Women in South Florida who want a structured start in construction; contractors and union locals looking for pre-trained applicants; workforce boards and nonprofits that want a licensed program model rather than starting from zero.