RBC Women in Trades Blog

  Posted by on: June 20, 2014

Mentoring was on the agenda at a recent Vancouver Regional Construction Association Learning Forum (Whistler, May 2014). Presenters Andy Cleven (Electrical Joint Training Committee) and Kyle Downie (Skillplan) shared insights about the benefits of formal mentoring programs. Cleven noted that “…80% of a trade is taught on a job site, but there isn’t a system to pass that knowledge forward.” According to Downy, in addition to transfer of skills, mentoring also improves workplace wellness, safety and productivity. Formalized mentoring is important for women in trades for an additional reason as well: It can address some of the ways that workplace culture may still exclude women from informal mentoring relationships.

The RBC WITT Success Initiative provides the opportunity for tradeswomen to receive training to become mentors. We are currently inviting Red Seal tradeswomen to consider participating in this progressive program. Are you a female Journeyman who is interested in sharing what you know? Please contact me for more information about how you can get involved! We’ll be selecting our first protégés soon, so if you are a trades student/apprentice keep checking back here for updates.