RBC Women in Trades Blog

  Posted by on: May 21, 2014

Illustration from the 1970 book “I’m Glad I’m a Boy!: I’m Glad I’m a Girl!”

We’ve all heard stories about gender discrimination in the workplace, and some of the negative effects that result, including inequitable pay, harassment, and limited opportunities for advancement. Unfortunately, many of these barriers to success persist even today. The GOOD news is that as more and more women find fulfilling and financially rewarding careers, particularly in non-traditional professions, awareness of women’s skills, talents, and determination increases. An image like the one above has no place in the modern world, except as a reminder of how far men and women have come in terms of recognizing everyone’s potential, regardless of gender.

Seeking employment in the skilled trades is an increasingly realistic and attainable goal for women. Numerous programs exist across Canada to introduce women to trades, assist in securing apprenticeships, or to provide support for job-seeking.  The School of Trades and Technology is going one step further and developing a program for mentoring and leadership training. This way, our students will benefit directly from role models who have gone before them, and in turn they will be trained to mentor others.

Stay tuned for more news about trades mentoring and leadership training in the weeks to come.