Skilled trades event looks to grow interest among young girls

As the country faces a shortage in workers when it comes to qualified trades workers, Georgian College is looking to help find at least one solution.

Together with Skills Ontario, the college hosted a free-to-attend Skilled Trade & Technology Event on Saturday for young women in grades 7 and 8.

“You think about the stigmas. You think about it being a male-dominated industry. You think about it as careers that if you’re not bound to go to university, then this is your only other option, but that’s not the case,” said Lindsay Chester of Skills Ontario.

“There was a young girl that was here and she was practicing the soldering and she looks over at me and says this is fun but I loved the electrical,” said Marjorie Cook of Georgian College.

Skills Ontario emphasizes that representation matters, which is why Professional female welders, carpenters and more were on hand to speak to the young girls.

“It’s important to show these young women that there is diversity within the skilled trades and that if it’s something that they want to do, they should be encouraged to consider it,” said Cook.

“It’s an opportunity for them to explore in a fun and safe environment what the skilled trades are. What they really are and to see that they are in fact, something that are meant for anybody and everyone, especially women,” added Chester.

This opportunity provided a chance to show young women what they can do rather than some of the comments some of the organizers said they’d heard over the years.

“Oh, that’s dirty work, or it’s just for men. You wouldn’t like doing that,” recalls Cook.

The event was geared towards elementary school girls so that when they get to high school, they can navigate picking classes with a different perspective.

“If we can get this information out at a younger age, they can start seeing that there are not two options. There’s three or four or more,” said Chester.

“I think it’s just education. Right now, we really are in a shortage for skilled trades, and typically, a lot of people think it’s a man’s trade,” pointed out Cook.

This was the first chance to build on the inaugural event following the pandemic, with this first taking place in 2019. Organizers said it was eye-opening for parents and participants and hoped to make it an annual event.