Twelve female students from Mission Secondary School (MSS) were selected to participate in a Women in Trades Tour last month. This initiative started two years ago to “promote trades to an underrepresented population and break down barriers.”
The students along with three chaperones participated in tours and stayed overnight in Vancouver. The group visited two major employers, including Seaspan, located in North Vancouver, which employs many different trades and plays a vital role in Canada’s marine sector designing, building and repairing ships. The group also visited Heidelberg Materials, located in Vancouver, which is one of the largest integrated manufacturers of building materials and solutions with leading market positions in cement, aggregates and ready-made concrete.
The agenda also featured atop at Vancouver Community College (VCC) and British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) which are post-secondary institutions that provide education in trades training. The tours lead by a team of female instructors detailed expectations, support provided and different opportunities of what their programs provide.
“On this trip, I learned so many new things about every trade, the schooling, actual job sites and what a day in the life of a tradesperson looks like,” said one of the students, adding “it inspired me to continue pushing for my passion in automotive. I would absolutely recommend this trip to anyone going into trades because it was so much fun and educational.”
The tour was made possible thanks to a grant from BC Centre for Women in Trades. Also, Mission’s Industry Workwear equipped the students with steel toe boots for the trip.
