The UBC emphasizes the importance of early education and exposure to skilled trades. Our Locals each try to do this by providing hands-on training, being involved in local community events, offering safety courses, hosting open house tours, and creating career exploration opportunities for the community and industry partners.
However, our industry still struggles with encouraging young women to pursue a career in the skilled trades. One of the questions we often consider is: what innovative programs could show the next generation of young women that the construction industry is a place for them?
The UBC has partnered with school boards across Ontario to engage young women in practical learning opportunities and help them develop an interest in the trades. When these practical experiences are presented to girls in elementary school, they lay a foundation and reinforce the idea that girls can have a future in the industry. But once these girls are finishing high school, often the most difficult part for them is to begin the initial conversation as to what that looks like. This is where we want to get involved.
One such program, being run through Local 2486 and funded by Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, is a TDA pre-apprenticeship program. CRC Area Training Manager, Alex Cardinal, explains that pre-apprenticeship programs “help bridge the gap for students as they exit high school to become a registered apprentice and give them the opportunity for a successful career in the trades. Despite being in its early stages, our program has shown promising results. The students currently enrolled are eager to get on site and apply what they have learned during their nine weeks with us in class.”
As Alex monitors the effort and accomplishment of the participants in their program, she reiterates how important it is to show girls at an early age what the construction industry has to offer. Over the past few years, Local 2486 has hosted a ‘try a trade day’, an initiative between Sudbury’s District School Board and the UBC. “Girls in grades six to ten that participate get to learn some of the drywall trade, use power tools, measure and cut, learn to mud and tape, in an all-girl environment,” Alex explains. “It’s an integral learning opportunity for young girls to nurture their interest towards the trades and gives them the chance to feel empowered and participate without restraint.”
Since Local 2486 introduced and incorporated early initiatives into elementary schools, many of the participants have developed the confidence to explore new career paths and follow their ambitions in a historically male-dominated industry. Alex says that the ‘try a trade day’ has a long-lasting impact on the girls that take part. “We are now seeing students from the first few years come back and request to be registered as an apprentice thanks to their experience and the ‘try a trade day’ they spent with us.”
“The increase in women enrolling in pre-apprenticeship programs reflects a positive trend toward greater female representation in the trade,” she continues. “It’s uplifting seeing the next generation of women actively pursuing careers in carpentry, and it signals a bright future for inclusion within the industry.”
The current round of students in the program are preparing for their jobsite placements happening soon. “Their enthusiasm for their upcoming placements in September is palpable,” Alex says. She looks forward to seeing the enthusiasm continue for the women participating in future rounds of Local 2486’s pre-apprenticeship program.
