Women in trades, too

It's a historically male-dominated career path, but a program at Okanagan College has spent ten years trying to make it easier for women to break into the trades. 

The Women in Trades Gateway to the Building Trades program is an 11-week exploratory program tailored just for women who want to get a hands-on feel for a variety of different career paths.

A new group of women started the program just this week at the Penticton campus who will be tackling carpentry, welding, plumbing and more both in the classroom and in the workshop over the coming weeks. 

"We have trained hundreds and hundreds of women, and we have so many success stories. We have success stories in every single trade that Okanagan College offers," said program administrator Nancy Darling. 

The first programs began in 2009, and since then they have remained popular and spread to Okanagan College campuses everywhere. For Darling, it's a personal cause she is passionate about promoting. 

"For me, coming up, I was a single mom with a kid at home, and it was really, really hard for me to go through university and support myself and figure all that out without any type of support and help," Darling said. "I really wanted to find a way to give back to other women like myself who might be struggling to connect with the labour market in a meaningful way."

For some of the new students, a female-only classroom helps take the pressure off. 

"You just feel intimidated if you're surrounded by guys who feel confident around all of this already," said Marilyn Sam. "Being surrounded by other women, it's like we're all in the same learning curve it feels like. It's easy to be here."

Another new student, Alora Cody, is attracted by the chance to try her hand at a host of different skills to find which trade career is the best fit for her. Plus, the financial help offered by the Women in Trades program helps a lot. 

"They have awesome funding programs. It's a huge help for somebody young trying to get up the money to go to school," Cody said. 

There is no age limit on the program — all you need is a genuine interest in the trades.

"I think a lot of women are sometimes just afraid to try something different. And once we provide a supportive environment where they can get their hands on the tools, that really helps," Darling said. 

The program runs multiple times a year at various campuses. For more information, click here.