Skilled Trades Blog

On March 8, the Niagara Skilled Trades Academy joins the world in celebrating International Women’s Day. If you know us, you know that this day is very important to us as we recognize the value of female trades workers and encourage young women to pursue opportunities in the gas technician industry. Since World War 2, when women were a critical part of the skilled trades industries, the number of women entering our field has dwindled, but in recent years we are happy to report that the number of female workers in the trades has once again started to rise as more women are embracing the trades as an exciting and rewarding career opportunity!  

Whether you are just leaving secondary school to pursue the trades or are making a career switch, skilled trades training can be expensive. However, it isn’t impossible. There are skilled trades funding options available specific to trades women to help encourage a more diverse workforce in the skilled trades.

Women are more commonly being recruited into Ontario skilled trades training as the trades workforce continues to become more diverse. By 2020, it is expected that the need for skilled trades labourers will rise to almost 1.8 million workers Canada-wide.

We’ve talked before about why it is important for women to join the trades, but it isn’t just important for the industry, but valuable for the women themselves to join the trades. Many young women overlook the trades because they feel it isn’t a viable option for them, and don’t realize that choosing gas technician training can lead to all of the things they want out of a career. We’ve listed some of the reasons why gas technician training is an attractive option for young women when deciding their career.

The skilled trades in Canada is a predominantly male-dominated field, with only about 5% of trade jobs being performed by women. But here at the Skilled Trades Academies, we strongly believe that we are about to see this number rise dramatically. With current trades people getting closer to retirement age, there is about to be a gap in the workforce, and it would be amazing for that shortage to be filled with women in the trades.

On March 8, the Niagara Skilled Trades Academy joined the world in celebrating International Women’s Day. If you know us, you know that this day is very important to us as we recognize the value of female trades workers and encourage young women to pursue opportunities in the gas technician industry. Since World War 2, when women were a critical part of the skilled trades industries, the number of women entering our field has dwindled, but in recent years we are happy to report that the number of female workers in the trades has once again started to rise as more women are embracing the trades as an exciting and rewarding career opportunity!  

The trades in Canada face the threat of a major skilled trades shortage. Between 2014 and 2020 an expected 219,000 skilled trades workers will retire, leaving the workforce in a shortage. The labour shortage gap needs to be closed, and there is a group of people in Canada who traditionally haven't been turned to to solve this problem: women.

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Close your eyes and imagine a typical skilled tradesperson. We are willing to bet that you are picturing a man in a hard hat, work boots, jeans and a tool belt.

Not many people will picture a skilled tradeswoman, and that's because women only make up 5% of skilled trades workers in nationwide, according to Statistics Canada — and that's with 84% of people working in trades like hairstyling adnd aesthtics being women. So, where are the women in the skilled trades industry jobs?

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We've been getting excited about the promotion of the skilled trades to young people across the country lately — and now it's happening in our own backyard! Yesterday, 180 Niagara Catholic District School Board high school students came together at Ball's Falls Conservation Centre for a skilled trades for women networking luncheon.

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The skilled trades industry is an important part of our society and economy — trades people touch almost every aspect of our daily lives. They build our homes and our cars. They work in manufacturing, mining, oil and gas. Canada is depends on the skilled trades, they keep our country going.

That said, the skilled trades have gotten a bad reputation, and we aren't sure why. With myths like these spreading, it's no wonder Canada is suffering from a severe skilled trades shortage. And so, over the next few weeks, we are going to be exposing myths about the skilled trades and revealing the truth. 

Myth 3: Skilled trades jobs are for men

Traditionally, the skilled trades have been an industry dominated by men. Typically, less than 3% of all skilled trades workers are women, but that doesn't mean they don't belong. In fact, with the growing need for trades people, women are getting trained and certified and working alongside men in what have, in the past, been male-dominated fields.