Women in Skilled Trades

The Women in Skilled Trades (WIST) program offered by Skills for Change and funded in part by Employment and Social Development Canada, aims to empower and support women apprentices in Red Seal trades. Our mission is to provide education, leadership development, and networking opportunities, particularly for newcomer and racialized women, in a variety of skilled trades (including and not limited to: welding, carpentry, and horticulture). Collaborating with partners across Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia, we offer specialized training, mentorship and mental health support to create an informed and holistic pathways to skilled trades employment. Our program objectives are to:

  • Increase the presence of women in Red Seal trades,

  • Enhance technical skills and confidence,

  • Foster leadership development,

  • Provide valuable networking opportunities.

Upcoming Cohort: October 2, 2024 

Additional Program Details:

  • Virtual

  • Training twice a week - Wed 6:00PM -8:30PM and Sat 10:30AM-1:00AM

Events

We are proud to present a variety of workshops, trade expos, and networking events throughout Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia from 2024 - 2026. We will be working with national and local partners to provide regionally specific event programming in hopes to build the next generation of leaders in Skilled Trades. These events will emphasize inclusive hiring practices for employers, explore research trades, and provide space for women within the early years of their careers (0-5) to network and understand how to advance their goals in this ever changing industry.

We will be delivering two large scale events in selected provinces each year with the cumulative hope of creating a network of changemakers in the sector. These events will be co-produced with partners with the hope of reaching over 2000 women in the three years of this Women in Skilled Trades Project.

Partnerships

  • Are you a visionary whose story needs to be told? Are you a company or organization that shares our values and mission and are hoping to collaborate?

    Skills for Change is looking to build multi-year partnerships with organizations who have an interest in guiding the conversation of Women in Skilled Trades. We are looking for partners in Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec, and Nova Scotia.

    We’d love to connect with you, if you have strengths in:

  • Research

  • Inclusive Hiring Practices

  • Employer Relations

  • Events

  • Leadership Development

    Contact Us (partnerships@skillsforchange.org)

Leadership Academy

The WIST Leadership Academy will support newcomer and racialized women facing multiple barriers and who are emerging apprentices and interested in a career in the skilled trades to succeed in Red Seal trades.

We will provide participants across the country with specialized leadership training, networking, mentorship, and mental health support to build a holistic pathway to employment in the skilled trades. The objectives of the leadership academy include providing educational training, leadership development, and networking opportunities to increase retention rates of women apprentices.

  • This program will be launched in February 2024 and run until March 2026.

  • We are looking to accept 200 women in four cohorts from across the country.

  • The initiative will be hybrid with opportunities for on-site events.

  • Each cohort will run for 12 weeks.

Contact Us