More women entering trades thanks to program

More P.E.I. women are entering male-dominated trades in recent years because of a program that allows them test out these types of careers.

Trade HERizons is a 14-week course, put on by the Women's Network PEI, where women try trades such as welding and plumbing, in the hopes of finding a career.

Since the program started in 2010, the percentage of women apprenticing in these trades has risen from one to 3.3 per cent, after 25 years of almost no change.

It's a small shift, but it's a start, said project manager Sara Roach-Lewis.

"That number can start to increase exponentially as women start to see other women in these roles because it's really hard to imagine yourself as a welder if you never even seen a female welder," Roach-Lewis said.

About a dozen Island women participate in Trade HERizons each year.

Rachel Ballem is completing her on-the-job training for the wood manufacturing and cabinet making program at Holland College.

She learned about the program through Trade HERizons.

Having a career in the trades means Ballem earns enough money to support her family.

"It gives me the opportunity to have that stability. They say if you like what you do you never work a day in your life, so that sounded good to me."