Tag: women in skilled trades

Students flock to Cambridge to consider becoming ‘Jill of all Trades’

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Read the full Cambridge Today news article by Joel McGinty.

The skilled trades campus at Conestoga College was packed with employers and students handpicked from around the province to learn more about the trades and finding their place in the workforce.

For the past 10 years, Conestoga College has held the Jill of all Trades (JOAT) event as part of an initiative to get more young women acquainted with the trades and break down barriers in the industry.

Back in 2014, Brenda Gilmore and Rosie Hessian were tasked with creating an event that bridges the gaps in the skilled trades and opens the doors for thousands of young women across the region.

“We started back in 2014 as a response to the school boards asking if we could do something for young women in trades that is hands-on and at the campuses,” said Hessian.

In the early days, JOAT had around 120 girls helping with the event and that has ballooned to nearly 300. This increase in volunteers is a testament to how great these workshops are added Gilmore.

Now set up at the skilled trades campus at 25 Reuter Dr. in Cambridge, the state-of-the-art facility houses some of the newest technology and allows each student to experience what it’s like in each profession.

Hannah Paasila is a grade 12 student from Milton who travelled to the college last year for her first JOAT session. She is now poised to start her apprenticeship next week after completing all of her required classes.

“I was adamant that I was going to be a welder and I was sure I absolutely hated plumbing and no one could convince me otherwise,” said Paasila.

After attending last year’s event, Paasila was exposed to other trades outside of welding and with the hands-on experience, she fell in love with plumbing and is now on the path to a career at 17.

“These programs are so great at giving a glimpse of different trades to young girls especially; it opens your mind to all different options. I was hyper-focused on welding for seven years and it really opened my eyes and showed me something else that I would love to do,” she said.

The confidence and willingness to work that some of these young girls are coming into the programs with is refreshing to Brandi Ferenc, an HVAC mechanic who attended the first JOAT event back in 2014.

“Some of them are ready to go and so motivated like, I don’t even have that much motivation for my job some days, so it is nice to see,” said Ferenc.

The connections and skills are just one part of the puzzle of the event, the representation and seeing people like Ferenc thrive in her field is another aspect that is vital to young women looking to join the industry, added Paasila.

Jessica Barry is another student who attended a JOAT event and has come back to help teach the next generation of young girls and give them a hand in the woodworking shop.

“When I was in high school I had no interest in being in the trades. At my school, trades just weren’t a thing girls go into, but then I found this program and it was one of the best decisions I ever made,” said Barry.

“I love that I can give back and bring in the future and encourage them to do what we did and take that leap.”

Barry is about to graduate from her carpentry program at Conestoga College and start her apprenticeship full-time.

Outside of the carpentry classes and away from the sounds of nail guns and hammers, the main hall was full of employers looking to meet their future employees and apprentices.

Asha Burry is the human resources leader for Owen’s Corning, a building materials manufacturer and seller, she is looking to connect with young women interested in the trades and fill a depleting workforce.

“You look at the skilled trades and there is something like 700,000 tradespeople retiring. We desperately need to fill this void,” said Burry. “Women make up at least 50 per cent of the workforce so we are missing the mark when there are so few girls in the field.”

According to Statistics Canada, women only make up five per cent of all skilled labourers in the country. With events like these, companies like Owen’s Corning look to tap into the well of potential hires at local schools.

“These positions aren’t and shouldn’t be looked at as fallback or second option jobs. The skilled trades pay well and are always going to be needed and right now we need people,” added Burry.

With the growth of the events of the past few years and the rising demand for workers, Gilmore and Hessian are looking to take JOAT nationwide by 2026 and even bring in some partners from the United States.

Already serving over 1,000 students in 2024, Gilmore thinks that thousands more can be brought into the world of skilled trades if they are given the opportunity.

“As this thing keeps on growing we know that we are doing what we can to bring in the next generation,” said Hessian. “We’re creating a movement across North America for young women to choose skilled trades careers and we’re so proud of that.”

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Windsor female high school students given chance to test skills

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Read the full Windsor Star news article by Madeline Mazak

About 60 female high school students from across Windsor-Essex visited St. Clair College Wednesday to learn about life in the skilled trades.

To help inform young women in high school about careers in the skilled trades, St. Clair College hosted the Jill of All Trades event for the first time. 

Throughout the day, students had the chance to test their skills in construction, electrical, motive power, EV, and machining.

“As a high school student, it’s very hard to make a choice,” said St. Clair College’s dean of the school of Skilled Trades, Apprenticeships and Engineering Technologies Lido Zuccato.

“This is presenting the opportunity so that they have an idea of what to choose.”

Jill of All Trades was founded by Conestoga College in 2014 to help increase post-secondary enrolment in non-traditional programs in order to curb Canada’s skilled trades shortage.

Zuccato said female enrolment in the trades programs at St. Clair College “is still low, but it’s growing.”

“I would say from a percentage perspective, it’s up and down. Some trades are more than others. Like our electrical trade, I’d say we’re probably maybe at 10 to 15 per cent, some trades lower.

“The key is that it’s growing.”

He said the most important part of the day was helping students build confidence.

“To me, that is the key,” he said. “Anybody can do these trades.”

Zuccato said students learned how to weld their own tulips, which they were allowed to take home with them at the end of the day. They also tried out some electrical work by building extension cords and connecting wires.

“We’re also exposing them to other things that we have, like our carpentry lab, and our plumbing lab,” he added.

The day began after St. Clair College President Patricia France addressed the group of students.

That was followed by keynote speaker, Emily Chung, who shared her experience owning and operating an an auto repair shop in Markham.

Students from the Catholic, public, and French school boards participated.

Nearly 20 other academic institutions across the country have hosted a similar event.

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BCIT exposes high school girls to a future in skilled trades

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Watch the full Global News story/read the transcript.

Parts of the Canadian economy are still hobbled by a shortage of skilled workers, and women are vastly under-represented in the trades.

The British Columbia Institute of Technology in Burnaby, B.C. is trying to change both by adopting a one-day event that started in Ontario ten years ago and has spread across the country.

The Jill of All Trades program hosted students from thirty-seven B.C. high schools across ten different school districts.

Global’s Sharron Bates reports.

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Enbridge-sponsored JOAT event held at BCIT in Burnaby

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Read the full Enbridge article.

Wearing an all-black ensemble, pearl earrings and high heels, Tylene Swanson’s Facebook profile picture paints a story of a woman who breathes and lives fashion. But that’s only a part of her story.

During her work hours, this soft-spoken, 28-year-old blonde with a captivating smile dons personal protective equipment, steel-toed shoes and a hardhat bearing her name. Swanson proudly serves as a pipeline inspector at Enbridge, ensuring the safe and reliable delivery of natural gas that’s used to heat homes, schools and businesses in the Lower Mainland.

Swanson’s career started in trades a decade ago, after her father introduced her to pipeline work in their hometown of Hardisty, Alberta.

“When I was in Grade 12, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do. I knew I didn’t want to follow the typical careers for women,” Swanson says. “I ended up working on pipelines with my father, completing my apprenticeship by working on different projects, and then getting my welding certification. Right after welding school, I transitioned into pipeline inspection.”

Swanson is among a small group of female tradeswomen in British Columbia. According to the latest survey by the BC Construction Association, only 4.5% of the province’s 164,000 skilled tradespeople are women.

But Jill of All Trades (JOAT) aims to change that. Since 2014, JOAT has provided hands-on experiences to young women in Grades 9 through 12, introducing them to the possibilities of a career in the trades.

In support of this initiative, Enbridge has partnered with JOAT, donating $125,000 to facilitate the successful delivery of these events. At Enbridge, we strongly believe in a diverse workforce and providing opportunities to women and women-identifying individuals.

On April 4, about 100 female and female-identifying students from the Lower Mainland in BC are joining the BCIT Jill of All Trades all-day event in Burnaby, BC. The event will show participants the multiple opportunities of employment to pursue a career in trades.

“We aim to make skilled trades a viable choice for female high school students who are preparing to make their career decisions,” says Tamara Pongracz, BCIT Trades Access Department Head, who is running the BCIT Jill of All Trades. “BCIT Jill of All Trades offers these students the opportunity to immerse in trades and learn from tradeswomen role models.”

Female students from more than 30 high schools in metro Vancouver, Chilliwack and Hope will get to visit skilled trades stations in areas such as ironworking, sheet metal working and welding, power engineering, plumbing, auto-collision repair, cabinet making, and digital and wireless communications.

They will also get to hear directly from tradeswomen, who will share stories and information about their journey into trades, and the diverse career paths available. Swanson will join this volunteer pool to mentor and inspire young girls.

“Many people wrongly assume the trades industry is a man’s world. But there’s a place for everyone here, and there’s a lot of opportunities. Being in trades is not only empowering, it’s rewarding with lots of opportunities for career growth,” Swanson remarks.

“I never let my career define me, but rather, it has helped me establish the woman I want to be. I’m not sure where I would be today if I decided to take an alternative route, but I am very grateful that this is the path I chose when I was that 18-year-old girl.”

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Event held to encourage young women to learn trade skills

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Read the full Xinhua news article.

Photos by Liang Sen/Xinhua

Female students participate in an ironwork workshop during the Jill of All Trades event at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on April 4, 2024. Female high school students took part in various workshops on Thursday to learn different hands-on trade skills at the ‘Jill of All Trades’, an event aimed at encouraging young women to pursue a career in the skilled trades.

A female student operates a computer numerical control (CNC) machine in a machinist workshop during the Jill of All Trades event at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on April 4, 2024. Female high school students took part in various workshops on Thursday to learn different hands-on trade skills at the ‘Jill of All Trades’, an event aimed at encouraging young women to pursue a career in the skilled trades.

Female students participate in a sheet metal cutting workshop during the Jill of All Trades event at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on April 4, 2024. Female high school students took part in various workshops on Thursday to learn different hands-on trade skills at the ‘Jill of All Trades’, an event aimed at encouraging young women to pursue a career in the skilled trades.

Female students participate in a piping workshop during the Jill of All Trades event at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on April 4, 2024. Female high school students took part in various workshops on Thursday to learn different hands-on trade skills at the ‘Jill of All Trades’, an event aimed at encouraging young women to pursue a career in the skilled trades.

A female student polishes a damaged car surface in a workshop during the Jill of All Trades event at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on April 4, 2024. Female high school students took part in various workshops on Thursday to learn different hands-on trade skills at the ‘Jill of All Trades’, an event aimed at encouraging young women to pursue a career in the skilled trades.

Female students secure iron bars with wire rods in a workshop during the Jill of All Trades event at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on April 4, 2024. Female high school students took part in various workshops on Thursday to learn different hands-on trade skills at the ‘Jill of All Trades’, an event aimed at encouraging young women to pursue a career in the skilled trades.

Female students repair a motorcycle in a workshop during the Jill of All Trades event at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on April 4, 2024. Female high school students took part in various workshops on Thursday to learn different hands-on trade skills at the ‘Jill of All Trades’, an event aimed at encouraging young women to pursue a career in the skilled trades.

A female student participates in a woodworking workshop during the Jill of All Trades event at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on April 4, 2024. Female high school students took part in various workshops on Thursday to learn different hands-on trade skills at the ‘Jill of All Trades’, an event aimed at encouraging young women to pursue a career in the skilled trades.

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Jill of All Trades program continues to make an impact – GVCA

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Read the full deConstructed news article by GVCA.

The Jill of All Trades program has continued to make an impact ten years after its founding. Launched in 2014, it introduces young women in grades 9 through 12 to the possibilities of a career in the skilled trades.

We caught up with Rosie Hessian, chair of Conestoga College’s School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Director of Jill of All Trades, to learn about the program’s impact across Canada and the U.S. and its plans to grow even further.

We last spoke with you after your Jill of All Trades event at Conestoga College. How has the last year been for the program? We have grown quite a bit! In 2023, we had eleven deliveries of Jill of All Trades events, ten across Canada and our first in the U.S. It was thrilling to have our first U.S. delivery at Owens Community College, just outside Toledo, Ohio.

We’re already a few months into 2024—what have been your highlights? We’ve brought on more sponsors this year and are excited about that. We have 17 deliveries planned in Canada and five in the U.S.

Are there differences in how you deliver Jill of All Trades in the U.S. versus Canada? The structure in the U.S. is slightly different from that in Canada, so it’s exciting to learn the nuances. They have career colleges, but they’re quite different from here. They are just as thrilled to have the events on campus—and they also open them to girls in high school.

How has the feedback been from students and the colleges? We hear stories from the participants—and it happens at every single event—that Jill of All Trades has changed their lives. Many of them tell us that they had no idea what the skilled trades were or the career opportunities available. These are “a-ah” moments that we love to hear.

One of the colleges mentioned that even their faculty and staff that participated said it was the best event of the year—and they want us back. They’re incredibly supportive because it is a day full of energy. Those girls are there to learn and are so open to the experiences and opportunities.

One of the barriers you mentioned the last time we spoke was having women tradespeople talk about their careers. How has that changed since the program’s launch? Our community partners, women electricians, plumbers, etc., are often past Jill of All Trades participants. They want to be role models for young women looking at the trades. That’s what was missing when we started in 2014. Today, it’s much different. It’s primarily women speaking in the workshops now. We can see that change at our events.

Representation is critical. How has this changed the events over the last few years? That was one of the challenges—just raising that awareness. There was no chat around the dinner table for a young woman to be able to ask about the trades. This is changing. The conversations are happening. We even notice this when our young women come to campus for the Jill of All Trades event. Right away, they start approaching employer booths, asking what their company offers them and what they need to progress in their career at that employer.

The sponsors said the questions were becoming more complex, so these conversations must be happening at home for these young women to have the confidence to go to these companies right away at a Jill of All Trades event and ask these questions.

It’s incredible progress that’s making an impact across Canada. Where do you think Jill of All Trades will be in the next ten years? We started to go across Canada in 2020, and we’ve had tremendous growth. In the next couple of years, we will have 25 events across Canada and 20 in the U.S. Beyond that, it will continue to grow. There is considerable interest, and we’re just starting the curve.

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