About 100 female high school students will get a day of hands-on experience, introducing them to the skilled trades.
The Jill of All Trades event is for grade 9 to grade 12 students, providing a safe and engaging environment where female mentors, members of the faculty at St. Clair College, and students enrolled in skilled trades will host interactive workshops.
The students will be split into four groups and will visit four trades workshops with a focus on electrical, welding, powerline, and sheet metal.
"Jill of All Trades provides a valuable opportunity for young women to gain hands-on experience and explore a variety of skilled trades in a practical way," said Chair of the School of Skilled Trades at St. Clair College, Lido Zuccato. "Often the hardest part is simply getting started, and having the opportunity to build and create something firsthand is an important step in developing the confidence to consider a future career in the trades."
Over the next five years, Canada will need at least 75,000 new tradespersons to fill vacancies left by retirements.
Only five per cent of skilled tradespeople in Canada are identified as women, and only two per cent of 15-year-old female students say they want to pursue a career in the skilled trades.
