More than 320 young women joined the Jill of All Trades event at the Conestoga Skilled Trades Campus in Cambridge on May 27 for hands-on workshops led by faculty and female industry mentors.
The day-long event is designed to help young women in Grades 9-12 understand the potential of a skilled trades career. Participants joined from 12 school boards across Southwestern Ontario and were supported by volunteers drawn from industry partners, faculty and graduates, who tried their hand at the basics of the trades taught at Conestoga in the construction, industrial and motive power sectors.
Jill of All Trades was launched by Conestoga in 2014 as part of the college's commitment to fostering and enhancing women's participation, persistence, and academic and career success in engineering, technology and trades. In 2022, the program expanded delivery as an independent entity to inspire young women and promote careers in the skilled trades. Jill of All Trades is now delivered at other institutions throughout Ontario, across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
The demand to keep pace with population growth and changing workforce demographics has led to a growing skills gap. Reports indicate that more than 700,000 skilled tradespeople are expected to retire in Canada by 2028. The country needs more than 167,000 new apprentices alone to keep pace, and Ontario faces shortages in high-demand fields such as electricians, plumbers, welders, millwrights and HVAC technicians. According to Statistics Canada, women account for roughly 4 per cent of workers in under-represented skilled trades occupations.
As part of the opening remarks at the event, Blue-Collar CEO and Jill of All Trades North American ambassador Mandy Rennehan delivered a keynote address encouraging the young women to explore the trades. Multi-award-winning entrepreneur, trade industry advocate, philanthropist, and CEO and founder of multi-million dollar company Freshco, Rennehan has been one of North America's loudest and fiercest voices about skilled trades for the last 30 years, advocating for greater respect towards the industry as a whole, and also for the inclusion of more women and diverse communities within it.
Conestoga is a provincial leader in the delivery of trades and apprenticeship training to serve industry needs and growing communities. Comprehensive programming includes a wide range of programs that provide pathways to employment in skilled trades careers as well as pre-apprenticeship training and in-school training for apprentices.
Visit the School of Trades & Apprenticeship for more information.
For more information
299 Doon Valley Drive
Kitchener Ontario
Canada N2G 4M4
www.conestogac.on.ca/
