Merredith Smith works as an Assistant Construction Manager in the wind energy industry. She is vocal and proud about her work on Twitter. She belongs to the Women of Wind Energy and even lives next to established wind turbines at her home in Chatham-Kent, Ontario.
So many gains have been made in the women’s movement so how come only 3% of registered trade apprentices in NB are women? (Genuist: CBC News).
Increasing women’s numbers in the trades is not as easy as you might think. There are recognized as well as invisible barriers women have to face. In order to acquire a trade, one needs to complete an apprenticeship with a journeyman, as you might have guessed, there are not a lot of journeywomen, in other words female mentors to guide young women entering the industry.
However, forward-looking initiatives offer hope that women will become more prominent in this field.
- In New Brunswick, the New Boots apprenticeship program is matching women eager to practice their trade with employers. It is run by NB MAP, a non-profit dedicated to workforce solutions and human resources change management.
- This past February, there was a big trades fair in Happy Valley Goose Bay aimed at high school girls. Several girls showed avid interest in trades traditionally done by men, including heavy equipment operating.
- In Edmonton, Alberta, the Women Building Futures NGO is helping women to break into the field. The NGO has turned an old warehouse into a multi-purpose, dynamic centre which includes a training workshop space, a classroom, and an office which offers basic training in carpentry, plumbing, electrical, steam fitting, pipefitting, welding and sheet metal. Between 2010-2012, 297 women graduated from the program.
- A progressive program in BC, the Women in Trades Training is reserving places just for women at universities and colleges. A marker of its success is the 110 women currently enrolled for the 2015-2016 school year at Okanagan College. The majority are taking car mechanics.
- HydroOne in Ontario, has a positive employment program for women; the Algonquin college offers an Electrical engineering Technical/Technologist program just for women. 22 women are enrolled in the program for this year.
For those women looking to get more involved in the renewable energy industry, check out NB MAP and the Women in Renewable Energy Network.