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  • Women in the Trades

    Women in the Trades

    Let’s be honest how many of us girls grew up dreaming of being a mechanic or a welder? The answer is probably not many, and if you did you probably didn’t tell anybody because of the possibility of them thinking you were weird. When I was little I first wanted to be a marine biologist, I loved animals and wanted to work with them very badly. Then my life goal changed from a stunt car driver, to a photographer, to a mechanic and finally a welder.

    One of the things I was most excited about going to high school was that I was now able to take the auto mechanics and construction classes. I took them all through high school and loved every minute of it. I learned, fixed and made things that a lot of people didn’t, how many of you can honestly say you are comfortable with changing a flat tire on your own? I can say with all honesty I am and that’s because of my awesome auto teacher. My technology teachers not only gave me the skills and knowledge about their trades but also the courage to love the trades. To not be scared of trying something totally out of my comfort zone and to not care about what people think.

    I got the smart remarks in class “Girls can’t do that” and the classic “Don’t break a nail!” Taking those courses gave me the courage to pick something not many girls pick for a college program, Welding Technician. I knew two things that I wanted for sure out of what I picked for a program, I wanted to be able to get a job and I wanted to make money. I know those are not the best driving reasons for someone to pick a program, but they were honest. I had originally wanted to be a mechanic because of how much I loved my auto class but I soon realized there were a lot of mechanics and not a lot of jobs. So I had cut up an exhaust pipe about two times in auto with an old oxy-acetylene torch and I knew welding was an in demand job, so I decided on being a welder. The only knowledge I had on welding was what I learned from those two experiences using the torch, so not a whole lot.

    I remember showing up for my first welding class and them telling me that I would need safety boots, safety glasses and a welding helmet for tomorrow. The first thing I thought to myself is, “What have I done?! I have gotten myself into something I can’t handle, I know nothing about welding this is a horrible idea”. Then it got worse after I got all my equipment and they asked me to actually weld something, I don’t think I have ever sweated that much for a school assignment and it wasn’t from the heat of my torch. But with practice, some really great teachers and perseverance I got the hang of it and now I am actually a good welder. I am able to weld in shielded metal arc welding in flat, horizontal and vertical positions. I can use gas metal arc and flux core arc welding machines and I am learning tungsten arc welding at the moment.

    For those of you out there wondering what kind of woman I am, I would say I am not your typical looking welder, but then again isn’t that what we are trying to change? The notion of what the “typical” welder looks like? So this is what the typical welder looks like, a petite 19 year old woman, who stands at five feet and 2 inches, has a boyfriend and loves to go shopping just as much as anyone. The moral of the story is look at trades when you are deciding on college programs, any trade, believe me it’s a rewarding experience, that is challenging but if I can do it, you can do it.

  • Women in Trades

    Women in Trades

    In the past, asking a girl what she wanted to do when she grew up probably would have resulted in a blank stare. Most girls got married and raised families. Even if they worked, they had only a few choices for the kinds of work they could do, and they were discouraged from getting into other types of work. If they chose another kind of work, they would probably face all kinds of barriers and problems. Many things have changed over the years and women now find it much easier to get into professions like law and medicine. They can work as editors, scientists, and computer analysts. Women are also entering traditionally male-dominated trades and are becoming electricians, plumbers, construction workers, and more.

    The history of women in the trades really began during the Second World War (1939-1945), when many of the men from North America and Europe were away fighting in the war. Their jobs as welders, ship-builders and painters still needed to be done, and women took over and learned to work in job fields that included electricians, insulators, and pipe-fitters. When men returned after the war, many women went back to their regular work while men took over the trades again. However, women had discovered that they could do much more than their traditional work. Slowly, they began to get back into the trades that they had left at the end of the war.

    Getting women back into the trades after so long has not been easy. Teachers and parents have had to encourage girls to consider the trades instead of getting into more traditional fields like teaching or nursing. Training schools have had to make their programs appealing to women so that they would consider trades as possible careers. Even the government has become involved by funding support programs for women entering the trades or lending students the money they need to pay their tuition fees. Other groups have had to help, as well.

    One way that organizations can help is by guiding women into the right training program. Canada has over two hundred different trades, and making a decision about which trade is best can be difficult. The next stage is finding a good training program. Training is important for anyone who wants to be a skilled tradesperson rather than a labourer. Even if no job is available for people after they graduate, their skills are always valuable.

    Most training programs in the trades involve a combination of classroom work and practical training, often ending with a work-placement segment. This is when students get to work at an actual job but still learn at the same time. A typical program might include about seven or eight months of instruction, followed by four or five months of work on the job to gain experience. Sometimes, a full-time job can be the result of the work placement.

    Women are entering the trades in greater numbers than they have in years. If you’re a girl, maybe you should consider being one of these trendsetters!