Hands-on event sparks interest in trades; some students worry about finding work

Girls in high school were invited to St. Clair College to learn about the trades on Wednesday. CTV Windsor’s Sanjay Maru has more.

Cassidy Young hoped that pursuing a career in the skilled trades would offer a stable future. But the 18-year-old Belle River District High School student said Wednesday’s job market has made that path less predictable.

“There’s the struggle with the job and finding jobs in Windsor-Essex County,” Young said Wednesday at St. Clair College’s second annual Jill of All Trades expo.

“You’ll see so many women travelling out west, out east, up north, to go find work because there’s not as much here now.”

Young is one of 100 girls from high schools in Windsor-Essex who attended the Jill of All Trades event.

The career showcase at St. Clair College is designed to encourage girls in Grades 9 through 12 to explore skilled trades through hands-on workshops.

The event comes at a time when Canada faces an urgent shortage of tradespeople, yet many recent graduates — especially women — report difficulty breaking into these fields.

Young, who’s interested in home renovations and restoration, said some trades face oversaturation due to recent promotion campaigns.

Welding, she said, is a prime example.

“There’s a huge push, especially in welding, but there’s a lack of jobs in that area,” Young explained.

“A lot of people are chasing money, so there’s always that competition as well.”

Kendra Serecin, a powerline technician approaching journeyperson certification, said some students leave school without qualifications essential for employment.

“You need your DZ licence. A lot of kids coming out don’t have that, and that’s a step back,” she said.

“It’s not just about doing well in school. Some trades have barriers that students don’t even realize until they graduate.”

Women face additional challenges in trades traditionally dominated by men.

According to Statistics Canada, women represent just five per cent of skilled trades workers nationwide.

Serecin, who is also a national tradeswomen committee member for the Canadian Union of Skilled Workers, said the jobsite culture can still be intimidating for female newcomers.

“When I first started, I felt like I had cooties,” she said.

“Nobody wanted to come talk to me. Nobody wanted to work with me, because they thought I was going to get them fired if they said the wrong thing.”

She said young women interested in trades should be prepared not only for the physical and technical demands but also for the workplace culture.

“The culture needs to be talked about to students in grade school and high school, because it’s not that easy,” she said.

“Women need to have a voice and not be scared to speak up.”

The event aims to address some of those barriers by giving students direct experience in welding, HVAC, electrical, and powerline work.

Lido Zuccato, chair of the college’s School of Skilled Trades, said events like this help students discover whether the trades are a good fit — but even if they aren’t, the skills learned are highly transferable.

“If you take electrical techniques, it doesn’t mean you’re going to be an electrical apprentice. It could apply to plumbing, it could apply to carpentry, automotive — whatever you feel is good for you," said Zuccato.

“Out of the percentage of people that are in a skilled trades program, there’s a small percentage that may go into an apprenticeship.”

The Jill of All Trades event has grown from 60 participants last year to 100 participants this year. Students completed practical projects including wiring extension cords, welding sheet-metal tulips and crafting toolboxes.

Despite Young’s concerns about employment prospects, she remains optimistic about the potential rewards.

She hopes her passion for renovation work will eventually translate into a fulfilling career.

“When I was a little girl, I always thought I wanted to take down homes. I wanted to just tear them out and rebuild them,” she said.

“So just the idea of really finding the beauty in things that already exist is what inspires me. Driving by a place and being like, ‘I did that. I worked on that.’ It feels really good.”