Young women get their hands dirty at a 'Jill of All Trades' event

Hundreds of female high school students got their hands dirty in Confederation College's Tec Hub for the Jill of All Trades in Thunder Bay, Ont. this Wednesday. 

They were there for a one-day event encouraging more women to enter the skilled trades by providing some hands-on experience. It is part of a larger nationwide initiative to empower young women.  

Students participated first-hand in three different workshops in different sectors of the trades. There were also mentorship sessions led by industry leaders and alumni and they were able to look at potential careers at a job fair.

Molly Forneri, a grade 12 student from Westgate High School, took part in the event because she's looking into the trades for the future. She said she 'really loves welding and really wanted to try it out.'

"I've actually come here before last year and it really, really helped me with just like being involved. It really fuelled me to go into that type of trade because I was really nervous before, but I've been getting better and better," said Forneri.

She said she really hopes that 'more girls, especially younger girls, really get into the trades and get into welding and construction and just anything like that.'

"I find one thing challenging is actually being in a really male-dominated class. It could be very intimidating," said Forneri. "When I first got into it, I was really intimidated, but I've gotten to learn, become friends with all of them, and it's become really easy now."

Pathways to the trades

John Kantola, the Dean of the School of Engineering, Technology Trades and Apprenticeship at Confederation College, said the range of activities and sessions would also show young women the potential of a career in the trades. 

"I would say look seriously at the trades. There's lots of opportunities, successful opportunities, money to be made and jobs are available," said Kantola. "I think that the workforce now is accepting females equally as in the past; it might have been sort of a difference in terms of just all male-dominated areas and such. So just stay focused on something if you have an interest, pursue it."

He said the college overall hopes to provide exposure to the trades and spark an interest in students, so that down the road, they might sign up as an apprentice in one of the trades or come to one of the programs at Confederation College.

Jessy Kantola spoke at the event and is an architectural technician who graduated from Confederation College. She said she would have been interested in an event like this in high school.

"I've had some thoughts that it wasn't a program available for me while I was in high school decades ago. However, had it been, it would have been the direction I would have gone," said Kantola.

"But I think this program is definitely needed. And if anything, the carpentry program really gives women the ability to learn basic skills with tools, power tools, safety, to really just give a life kind of advantage for them of being able to do things on their own and safely."

Kantola added that the event gives women an opportunity to choose what they want to do in the industry, which may be a different route than getting the typical university degree, and some life experiences that could open 'a whole different area of a job that they may have never considered.'

"I would say don't be afraid to apply yourself. There are many opportunities and being in the industry, a lot of employers look for young women. We tend to be more driven, more focused and end up being a really good employee. And they're starting to value and see this of women in the trades," said Kantola.

Explore diverse opportunities in male-dominated fields

Katelyn McCreary, the Activities and Events coordinator at Conestoga College, helped with the logistics for the event. She said the trades are additionally really hurting right now, not just in North America, but across the world. 

"These events are so important, especially for women," said McCreary. "They're not traditional trades that women would be exposed to, so we're hoping to alleviate that kind of stigma around women in the trades in the workplace and hoping to have them be able to see that they can get their hands dirty, that it's fun and that they're actually built for the workplace too."

McCreary added that through these one-day events, girls are offered the chance to come to the college and participate in three different workshops in preferably three different sectors of trades to give them a wide variety of options that they may not have experienced at their high school.

She said there are more events planned all the way up until next fall and they're on a yearly basis. 

"We're hoping these events continue until we don't need them anymore," said McCreary.