Over 200 young women from grades seven to 12 got a unique opportunity Wednesday to explore a potential career in the skilled trades and technologies sector.
It’s a sector dominated by men, but Skills Ontario is trying to change that.
The organization hosted the ‘Young Women’s Career Exploration’ event at Linamar’s Frank Hasenfratz Centre on Woodlawn Road in Guelph where students got to meet women in various fields and take part in hands-on workshops.
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Manager of Communications for Skills Ontario, Anne Ramsay, said it was a good way to change the misconceptions about skilled trades and technologies.
“We’ve got about a dozen mentors, women working in skilled trades and technologies are here to share their insights and advice,” Ramsay explained.
“That’s what this event is all about, featuring women in those skilled trades and technologies careers so that these young girls can really see themselves in a job like that.”
According to a 2015 Statistics Canada survey, only about 14 per cent of registered apprentices in Canada are female.
“It’s still not an equal representation between men and women, but we’re still working on pushing that awareness that there are opportunities for women as well,” Ramsay said.
She explained there is a significant misconception that the jobs are dirty, low-paying and not meant for women.
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In fact, the Ontario College of Trades reports that the starting salaries for many journeypersons in the skilled trades are above $80,000 per year.
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Organizations such as Hydro One, Conestoga College, Fanshawe College, and various plumbing, heating and electric companies took part in the event.
One of the mentors speaking to the students was Tara Chambers, a welding engineering technology student at Conestoga College.
“I’m here to tell these young girls that it’s never too late for them to decide what they want to do for a career because I decided really late in life that I wanted to go into welding,” Chambers explained.
“I wanted to not sit in a chair anymore because that’s what I was doing for 12-hour shifts,” she added. “I wanted to do something hands-on and I wish that I got into a trade out of high school.”
But Chambers said the option wasn’t even there for her at the time and she wants to change that.
“(The students) are asking a lot of questions and they think welding is very neat, and they know about welding, which is a very good first step,” she said.
Skills Ontario said about 12,500 female students have attended the event in the last decade and 93 per cent of them said they are more likely to investigate a career in the skilled trades and technologies after attending.
That is significant with the Ontario College of Trades reporting that by 2025 about 40 per cent of all occupations will be in the skilled trades.
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