Calgary camp gives high school girls opportunity to explore skilled trades
Women make up less than 5% of workers in the skilled trades
High school girls are getting hands-on exposure to skilled trades, from welding to construction, at a two-day camp held in Calgary this week.
The camp, part of an initiative called Young Women in Trades and Technologies (YWITT), is designed to attract females to enter the skilled trades, careers where they are underrepresented.
"Women kind of get their hands on these tools and think, you know, this is kind of fun, why can't I do this? There's no reason why I can't do this or go into shop class instead of home economics," said Stacey Rishaug, director of marketing and communications for Careers, the not-for-profit foundation that runs YWITT and helps connect youth with employers.
Rishaug said there are usually two of these camps a year in Alberta.
This year, they are holding six — and the 13 spots for this one filled up immediately. On Thursday, participants learned the basics of welding, including plasma cutting and stick welding.
"There's just such a thirst for it with these young women," said Rishaug.
In terms of equality, Rishaug said that many industries have come a long way, but the skilled trades "is just not one of those areas where a lot has moved."
According to 2018 data from Statistics Canada, women represented 47 per cent of the workforce in the country, but only 3.9 per cent of skilled tradespeople.
While some students at this camp are getting their hands on these tools for the first time, Rachel Terretta is one who already knows she loves this kind of work. The 16-year-old is interested in a career in fabrication.
"The flames and everything like that is kind of one of the things I love to deal with," she said. "It is fun just being able to see what you actually made yourself out of what was just a solid piece of metal."
There's a good chance there will be opportunities for her to continue doing just that.
Rishaug said that there will be a shortage of skilled trades workers in Canada in the near future, which makes attracting more youth all the more important.
With files from Terri Trembath