How Are Provinces Diversifying the Future of Trades?

Skills Ontario has offered experiential, mentor-led learning opportunities for young women within our Young Women’s Initiatives program since 2000. With year-round programming across the province, we host career exploration events for female students in grades 7 through 12, as well as parent/guardian evening events, partnered with our sponsors. We currently host 17 young women’s events across Ontario each year, including the largest conference in Canada for young women in conjunction with the Skills Ontario Competition every May, with over 2,000 participants.

It’s essential to showcase careers that can be considered untraditional for women, not only to address the employment gap within the trade workforce, but also to allow young women the opportunities to explore, ask questions, and learn in an environment they feel comfortable in.

Skills Canada BC Regional competitions are open to all genders. Skills Canada BC has for many years hosted a Trades and Technology Conference for women at provincials. This Provincial event is evolving to include more contact with women tradesperson and technologist mentors at Provincials. I have a goal of moving a Trades and Technologies for Women event out to the 13 Regions and expose a larger set of young women to female tradespersons, technologists, and women in motivating careers. Skills BC also provided the InSPIRE presentations to over 15,000 students in 2017/2018 fiscal year. In this one hour presentation students explore the emerging job market within the skilled trades and technologies field through fun and thought provoking hands on activities.

Skills Canada Alberta is a passionate advocate for inclusivity in the trades and technologies, and in all industries. Our Girls Exploring Trades and Technologies Conference encourages girls to think outside the box and try new things. It’s an opportunity for young women to connect with leading industry influencers in the trades and technologies, and to test drive various careers. Girls have the chance to connect with and learn from the experiences of female professionals in areas like Electrical Engineering, Welding, Crane Operating, Graphic Design, and more.

Young women in Alberta and around the world deserve to be aware of the many rewarding career options available to them that they may not consider a traditional option. One of the first steps to getting more young women in the trades and technologies is to expose them to those career options.