At WorldSkills 2009 Calgary last week, I was proud to see Team Canada competing in a world-class competition. But as I saw the hundreds of competitors cross the stage in the opening ceremonies, I kept wondering: Where are all the young women?
Out of the almost 850 competitors, only 140 were female -- and that's including all skills categories, both 'traditional' and 'non-traditional' for women. There were women competing in lots of 'traditional' female roles like hairdressing, floristry and pastry chef, but not in carpentry, plumbing or cabinet-making.
I don't like to think that way. It seems old-fashioned to me, and not really relevant to how people really are. The only reason hairdressing or floristry are 'traditional' and automobile-painting or welding aren't is because women weren't encouraged to do those trades in the past. (Or they weren't allowed to.) There is no reason they can't or shouldn't; in my opinion, women are better than men in certain skill areas.
I'm hearing more and more about renovation contractors and custom home builders who are 'all-female', or female-led. They advertise that they bring a new approach: a better way of dealing with customers, attention to detail, commitment and caring for the job and empathy for the client -- all very important professional qualities that homeowners should look for in a contractor.
There might be something in that. I've always said women are better at dealing with problems, with critical thinking, with multi-tasking -- all the kinds of skills a contractor needs to bring to the site.
And, on the client side, women make most of the buying decisions when it comes to what's going into a renovation -- what kind of finishes, etc. Sounds like a meeting of the minds, if the contractor is a woman too.
As long as it's not just window-dressing. I'd hate to see women just being used as a marketing tool in a specialty contracting business. The women on my team -- my daughter Sherry among them -- work as hard as the guys. Sure, they may be just starting out, so their skills aren't as developed yet, but you better believe they are working every day.
Young women don't usually see examples of women working successfully in construction trades, so they don't consider them as opportunities for them to pursue. Only about three per cent of people working in the construction trades are women, which includes labour, costing, drafting, designing and management.
More than half our country's population is female, but a very small percentage of skilled tradespeople are women, and only about 10 per cent of people who register for apprenticeships are female. Less than five per cent of skilled workers in the construction industry are women. They just don't think of it, or they aren't encouraged to do so. And that's a shame, because a lot of young women aren't able to realize their earning potential, and they often end up stuck in lower-paying jobs as a result.
But the percentage of women signing on for apprenticeships in the building trades is growing, as it is in the mechanical and industrial trades. That's good news, I think.
Working in the trades is a great chance for women to have job mobility -- from province to province or even to other countries. It's flexible and the opportunities are there for career advancement -- to grow and learn. It's very possible for women in the construction trades to earn six figures a year. That's impressive!
So parents, tell your daughters to look to the skilled trades, where they can build a great future.
Great 38
Team Canada, the "Great 38", did a fantastic job and won eight medals last week at WorldSkills Calgary 2009, where they competed against 50 countries from around the world in 45 trades and technology competitions:
Gold in Cabinetmaking, Graphic Design Technology, Restaurant Service
Silver in Aircraft Maintenance, Beauty Therapy and Web Design
Bronze in Fashion Technology and Offset Printing
They were also awarded Medallions for Excellence in IT/PC Network Support, Refrigeration, Cooking, Automobile Technology, Confectioner/Pastry Cook, Ladies/Men's Hairdressing, Floristry, Joinery, Electrical Installations, Welding, IT/Software Applications, CNC Turning, Mechanical Engineering Design/CAD.
For more information on home renovations go to makeitright.ca.
