Female-identifying high school students from across Calgary picked up tools and tried their hand at welding Saturday as part of a weekend-long camp to encourage more kids to try the trades.
The non-profit organization Careers: The Next Generation has teamed up with several groups, including Women Building Futures and Boilermakers Union 146, to give students in grades 9-12 a chance to explore different trades.
The two-day camp is led by female industry experts and helps provide a safe and encouraging environment for the teenagers to try welding and construction.
“Events like this are so important because we’re able to connect the next generation of youth into the workforce,” said Nathalie McKean, Careers program director.
“We’re working to reduce the skilled labour shortage that we have here in our province, and the best way to do that is inspiring the local youth towards a career path that’s available to them that they may not have otherwise experienced.”
Last year in Alberta, there were around 5,700 female apprentices — a 20 per cent rise from 2021.
McKean said they make a special effort to get a smaller group of female-identifying students out every year to work with female experts to get a better idea of what working in that environment is like.
This year, 16 students from across Calgary took part in the event.