BACKGROUNDER
Skills Work For Women® Conferences
Skills Work for Women® Conferences are delivered by Skills Canada Newfoundland and Labrador, a not-for-profit organization that strives to re-position skilled trades and technologies as first-choice career options for young Canadians. Skills Canada NL (a member of Skills Canada) was established in 1998 as part of an effort to maintain Canada’s international competitiveness amidst a declining Canadian labour force.
Women make up a very small percentage of those employed in skilled trades and technologies. In 2010, only 1% of people certified in constructive trades were women and a mere 0.08% of certified automotive trades-workers were female. These figures exemplify the untapped workforce that exists in the Canadian female population. Skills Work For Women® Conferences invite young women to explore the jobs in skilled trades and technologies that are waiting to be filled.
Skills Work for Women® Conferences occur over a two-part day. Participants begin with hands-on Try-A-Trade® demonstrations. This portion of the day allows the young women to handle tools used in various trade and technology areas and to test their abilities on a sample project. In many cases, participants have never worked with such equipment before.
The second part of the day involves panel discussions with female role models. Throughout these sessions, participants can ask women working in non-traditional roles about why they chose their career path, the challenges they have faced in their field and the successes they have achieved at work.
Skills Canada Newfoundland and Labrador’s Skills Work for Women® Conferences have received positive reviews since their inception in 2001. One student’s reflection on the day appropriately sums up the value and influence of this program:
