There is a high demand for workers in the trades and Saskatchewan Polytechnic is working to fill that gap, and part of that effort is bringing awareness to women about the jobs that are available. In particular, Sask Polytech’s Women in Trades and Technology, which provides career exploration opportunities, held an event in person in Saskatoon and online in the north for Indigenous women and girls. WITT is sponsored by Orano and the event was sponsored by Sask Power.

WITT coordinator, Lorraine McGown says the one-day event brought prospective Indigenous students to learn from Indigenous women who are already in the trades and hear about their experiences. She notes that only four per cent of workers in the trades are women, and even lower for Indigenous women, but “given there are 75 First Nations in the province, we need to start marketing to these areas and create more awareness.”

There is still a stigma in some cases that women can’t do these jobs, McGown says, but the industry is learning that women are good at what they do because of their attention to detail and their desire to prove themselves. As a former worker in the trades, McGown’s advice is to work hard and get the job done.