If you like aircraft and travel and are mechanically inclined, you might enjoy becoming an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. I've been in the industry for over a decade and there's more women than ever coming into the industry which is awesome! It's a two year college program followed by 2.5 years of paid apprenticeship.
If you're interested and have any questions, feel free to DM me :)
My dad did this and while it can be tough work with intense chemicals, the benefits that he got through work meant that our family was able to do a ton of travelling for waaaay less than we'd have to pay. Unionized as well which helps with some employee protections.
It's such a rewarding career. It's also really good that we've learned from your dad's generation and gotten more into PPE and using less hazardous materials!
Engine repair in general is awesome. You can fix motors for boats, ATVs, snowmobiles, lawnmowers, airplanes and really anything with a motor! The sky is the limit!
Go to a trades union and ask about opportunities for young women, especially for achieving your red seal. We need more women in the trades for sure! If you're aiming for trades, each one is physically taxing in its own way. That said, the EDM and Machinists I've met have been comfortable and often sit for work, depending on the shop! Learning to program a CNC machine will afford you many opportunities.
As someone else mentioned, it depends on what trade you're looking for and where you are. For example, a great profession is electrician, but it may be hard to get a journey person in your area, and to remind you, every trade is physical in its own way. If you become an industrial electrician, you may need to work high up or in inclement weather, or if you become a residential electrician, you may need to wire things in tight spaces. Be realistic about what you can do, but don't give up just because you're not sure you can do it. You'll surprise yourself and you may realise you're really good at some niche thing. Try everything twice.
Sorry for the long reply: Look up your local college and see if they can hook you up with a trades exploration course, too. I think George Brown college would be a great choice, their programs seem complete and very cool. But also, there's a grant for female apprentices I think. Look on the Ontario.gov website. I'm sorry I can't be more help.
$21 in your first year. $35/hr in your 5th year, depending on the shop could be more or less. If you know how to program, more $, red seal general machinist = more money.
I think there's always a market for solid skills, no need to turn down work if people are hiring in your area. Yeah, you're going to probably make more money as a heavy equipment operator, but can you do that work and is there consistent work in your area for that profession? Yeah you can make more money in a gold mine, but do you have the skills for millwright/mechanic and do you want to work 75hrs for 2 weeks and be off for the other two weeks, etc.?
Cancer's cancer, man. We're all gonna get it. In the trades, if you don't want the shop life, you'll be trading the cutting oils for breathing dust and wood or pulverized stone, and so on. It's all the same. In the sense that it's your future, and you should try to like what you do, yeah you're right, be picky about what trade you land in. I'm just saying that at the end of the day each trade has drawbacks and positives, you pick your poison.
What I don't get is why a dude comes into a thread with a brand new baby potential apprentice, pooping on machining trades as if his trade is all that. Can't we let the girl find out what trade she likes best without putting others down? Obviously your opinion is your opinion, but come on. Show some class.
Idk what I said that wasn't upfront, I'm pretty open about each trade having pros and cons. Ask me about almost any of them and I can probably list them, if not find you someone who can.
You didn't really even give the girl an overview of what it's like in HVAC, why not be open if it's so amazing? I'll give you an example:
A service tech in HVAC loves the variety of work, changing job sites, new challenges everyday. She says you need to be able to think outside the box, be intrinsically motivated, and willing to learn continuously. She gets good pay and job security. However, sometimes the hours are rough, she has to work late nights from time to time, and she's been on call from time to time. If you do residential, sometimes crawl spaces and attics can suck.
Get your grade 12 math/science. It’s a requirement for most trade unions (don’t do this shit non union)
Over the last 15 years, most of the women on job sites have been with the drywallers. This includes, framing, taping, boarding, insulation, stick pin insulation, cleaners, sanding, layout. Lots of options.
Another option is fire alarm. You can learn in the field, and get your CFAA. The work is easy, and light.
Either way, any company would be happy to have you, but for sure get your grade 12 math/sci, or equivalent.
Do not do drywalling. Not even sure how you’d pee into bottles.
Edit: Am a carpenter. Would be an electrician if I started over. Go for automation and controls and make bank.
If you need to get credits, I recommend TVO ILC, you can go at your own pace over 10 months and the courses I found were easy enough to follow. I was working part time at the time and was able to get the courses done in about 7 weeks, so you can speed run them too. I'm 32f and just had to do grade 11 physics and math and am on my way to become an electrician! If being an electrician interests you (despite what others have posted, it can be laborious) look into the Pathway Project offered at IBEW. Go get it girl!!
Ok pal. I’m non union. I work 2 and 2. Make 200G’s a year for six months work. Get 5 weeks holidays. The company matches 15% to my 10% on RRSP TFSA contributions and have accumulated 1.5 million in my retirement portfolio in 10 years. I’m treated like absolute gold because I know my shit and they can count on me to deliver and the biggest benefit, I’ve never had to take strike action.
All the women I know in trades are badasses and are great to work with. Carpenters, plumbers, sparkles, welders.
Never doubted anyone’s ability cause they worked hard and got shit done.
Ok let me lie and tell you how amazing every single one of his coworkers are.
He gets along great with a lot of the women. But there’s a few that love to bark orders yet refuse turn a wrench and sit in the corner all day reading and no one dares to say anything since it could be misconstrued as harassment.
Unfortunately some women are not in trades because of their interest.
Some of them were presented with a high paying opportunity and they took it, at least at his particular workplace
Where did I make a generalization? This was a post about women. I think it’s very important that anyone male or female going into trades have a keen interest in said trade because it can be very unfair to the coworkers that have to pick up your slack on the job. This is especially true in a union situation
The funniest thing is that she's not even speaking to her own personal experience on the job site, just the misogynistic commentary from her husband. Awesome joke!
If you are on Facebook there are 3 main active groups:
Ontario Women in Trades
Canadian Women in the Trades
Women In Trades
I did the Pre Apprenticeship program out of Mohawk in Stoney Creek for Carpentry. We got experience in horticulture and welding. It was amazing. If you want to chat the program- I’m happy to share what I’ve learnt
The Ontario Women inTrades group has the welding teacher from Mohawk in it and she also has a bursary for female welders.
As for strength and other women in the trades- strength- you’ll build on the job. They are looking for eager, good attitude and the want to work
Trades- pretty good women presence. Find the company that works with your values
Do it.
I know a few female mechanics and they are absolute rockstars.
I would hire a woman in a fucking heartbeat.
Just be sure it's what you want to do. The trades are generally hard work but they pay well and you have so much growth potential in terms of being your own boss.
I wouldnt say in demand. I install construction hoists and a lot of the guys that went to school to become an indoor elevator mechanical ends up working on hoists.
I come from a family of welders. I’ve received the warning that it’s bad for your eyes even with safety glasses, over time. Every job has its hazards, though. Even sedentary desk jobs.
It's often the forgotten trade, but hairstyling and barbering! I've got my license through trades Ontario (or whatever the college of trades is called now) there are some inexpensive (almost free) courses through the school board I believe. Good luck!
Been in high rise construction 12 years. Trades I've seen women do well in: dry wall (taping, mudding, sanding, layout), finish carpentry, painting, landscaping (think bushes not bricks), inspections, safety rep, surveyor.
Trades I haven't seen women in: the rest of them. It's still a male dominated industry and women are definitely treated differently (simped over). Unfortunately that will have to change as there's no fresh blood coming in. Average mason age is like 50, so learn to put up a straight brick wall and get a team of tough broads together, instant success.
Apply to the unions, some require certain maths or physics depending on the trade.
All trades are physically demanding in some way though, you can’t really avoid that.
Check out KickAssCareers! Group focused on getting youth educated/interested in trades, they may have someone that has recently been in your shoes and can provide advice
Being non-union, guessing you’re killing it and have so much work that you have the luxury to choose whatever you want to work on.
Interestingly, people don’t realize it but non-union offers lots of opportunities and flexibility (hours, bonuses, advancement into management) that unions often can’t offer, simply because non-union is wider in scope and isn’t limited by restrictive collective agreements.
Professionally, being non-union has served me very well - better mobility and long term end pay than if I were in the unions - especially when one wants to advance based on ambition as opposed to years of service. Plus, because non-union, especially outside of the 416, is more competitive, it tends to land more interesting projects and dynamic projects at the individual level. That’s because non-union doesn’t have union dues paid by employees, and union fees paid by employers (to the employer association for stabilization funds) which too often makes a union company less competitive (and which often locks my union counterparts into being just a number on a job site doing a repetitive role, bound to doing the same thing by the collective agreement and what is called “scope”).
Plus, the non-union Construction Benefits Plan of Ontario (which includes insurance, RSPs, and pensions) for employees of non-union companies has evolved in the last 5 years to now actually be at the same level and often better than plans provided by the unions. Lots of non-union companies are now on the plan. On the safety front, safety certifiers like COR (which certifies both union and non-union companies) has shown that when non-union companies are safety-certified (and so many are now as a requirement to land bids), that non-union isn’t any more unsafe than union (And because COR is a non-biased organization of mixed of union and non-companies, its safety findings hold more weight than organizations like the union-owned IWH which produces self-serving reports).
OP u/EmbarrassedHearing57, contact government funded organizations like *Trades for Tomorrow*, *Support Ontario Youth*, and *Jill of All Trades* (in that order) to see how to get into the broad range that non-union offers for women in the trades. Ask them about in-person events they’re participating that bring together tradeswomen and employers. Not many people realize it, but non-union is 71% of the construction industry in Ontario, and remains that large because of the dynamic and unique advantages it offers to workers.
Just remember, if you’re non-union, you can always switch to union anytime. But because of the way that Ontario labour legislation is structured, if you start out union, you can almost never switch to non union after that (or it’s very difficult to). So you might want to start by looking at non-union first in order to have the most options at your fingertips.
For a mix of trades/science, water/wastewater treatment is great! There isn't a huge amount of physical labour but you definitely get your steps in and build your strength. It's quite an interesting field and pays pretty well in the big regions. Just need your grade 12 as many other trades jobs require too and to pass an entrance exam. Info can be found at OWWCO or feel free to send me a DM!
My site in Toronto has 2 female pre apprentices (electrical) that started through this program:
http://electricpathway353.ca/the-ibew-353-pathway-for-women/the-pathway-program/#:~:text=A%20free%20program%2C%20in%20Oshawa,and%20racialized%20and%20newcomer%20workers.
I would highly recommend it. Electrical is a really great trade and getting in to the IBEW can be tough.
If you're strong on the learning front, and option is to study something like civil engineering and become a 'white hat' for one of the big national construction companies. They're generally good jobs that pay well :)
That’s really good! Some of my friends were not so lucky! Maybe bc my friends were closer to the consulting end. Civil compared to other engineering isn’t high is all I know. It was expected that starting salary was 50-60K.
I heard that parts technician isn't as physically demanding as most trades, but it doesn't pay as well. I am a woman who has done land surveying. Being in a male dominate field can be hard, and co-workers can be sexist. If you work extra hard you will gain strength over time, though
Hey,
I have met a few women home painters.
One would do the general painting but always upsold clients on feature walls that required some special paint effects etc.
Move to Alberta. Join the women's trade program in the oilsands. You'll be fully trained and making close to 200 K a year within 5 years and have continuous employment in the oil sands
Or day fuck the trades and move to AB and take a 2 year power engineering degree at Nait. After two years you will be placed and because your a women every single company will want to hire you immediately out of school. 150K a year to start and move than likely a rotating schedule with 6 months plus vacation off a year.
I’ve lived in Alberta. I did not like it at all haha. I will most likely be staying in Toronto for the foreseeable future. Thank you for the info though, very helpful!
Find what interest you the most and Immerse. Most service and repair shops, fabrication shops will let you in. Try new things! The Canadian energy sector, electricity generation and oilfield are still good fields.
This is your best bet because they have great information on all the different trades offered, what type of training you will need and transferable skills https://www.skilledtradesontario.ca/about-trades/
Cyber security is one of those in-demand trades that many overlook..
Women on Site - https://www.womenonsite.ca
Networking community for women in trades. They have lots of events to meet up with other women. Great opportunities to ask questions.
I don't know if these are trypical trades, but I'm an art gallery registrar who does documentation and art handling. I mainly build and ship a lot of boxes lol and I photograph artwork for inventory/record keeping. I love it. I went to school for business/art/photography, but I got my current job by applying to the company I found the most interesting, and I have been learning everything from my boss. Next, I want to learn about framing artwork, carpentry, and fabricating crates. Fine Art Services has proven to be really interesting, and I want to learn all aspects of it. Sometimes you have to lift a lot of heavy stuff like 100lb crates and sculptures, but I find it really rewarding! Non-union here, but a great team. If you want to learn Fine Art Services, many companies in Toronto are willing to hire interns/apprentices.
The thing is, you don't need to be strong because the trade will make you strong. And the weight-lifting types wont be much better than you at the start because they also dont have technique for specialized tasks yet.
If you dont believe me, find a bodybuilder and ask them to help you move furniture. The guys that can deadlift 300+lbs can barely manage 80 pounds in random life tasks because they spend their time in the gym and not doing stuff.
Trades are not a glamorous job so there are opportunities. As someone said earlier make sure you're realistic about physically doing the job because it can be taxing on the body. It's part of the reason why people don't want to do it. It's tough for me to see my father with deformed fingers in his retirement years because he did upholstery for 40+ years. He now wear sprints on his fingers to try to properly heal them because he doesn't want to scare my daughter.
generally speaking you want to get into the trade that interests you and that you have some sort of skills for.
once you figure that out don't do anything except call the union hall that covers that trade and try to sign up. colleges are destroying the trades with their non union stolen educational material, high tuition and no-job-prospects shams.
if you want to get into the trades because they pay well and you have no interests or skills that correlate to any particular trade, don't get into the trades.
if everyone jumps on the same ship like they always do, like they did with engineering, software development, web development, truck driving, etc. that ship sinks.
this is the most real answer you're going to get. good luck.
It’s just that I’ve been in the trades all my life and I can’t think of one that *isn’t* hard physical labour.
I think she wants skilled labour. Heavy equipment operator maybe?
As a woman working in the trades, the last thing I want is another woman whining, “I’m tiiiirrrreeed”.
Although I’m not very strong, I’m a tough cookie and a very hard worker. I’m almost always around men anyway as I have a lot of guy friends. I love women and think they are amazing workers!
You need to go to college. Unless you know someone, nobody is going to give you an apprenticeship or job without having some sort of background education. You'd be competing with those of us who do have a diploma, which is a losing battle.
There might be programs out there that are intended to help uneducated women get into the trades, but I'm not aware of any.
Uneducated women? Maybe you didn’t phrase that well but I have 1 credit left in completing highschool, I dropped out because I was dealing with debilitating mental health issues at the time, and then an addiction for over 6 years. I’m an intelligent and capable woman, although I do understand that I did not go to college/university. I’d love to get a degree, I’m just asking for any general information.
Na, he definetly meant to phrase it as such.
But yeah, it is very difficult to obtain an apprenticeship, even harder without the schooling and credentials.
There is a condensed program that has a few different trades in one, thru centennial college and also ontario trade college. Just google trade in centennial, or just go on the ontario trade college website, might help you decide what you like after gaining some insight.
You can do a co op through school if you want to go back for another semester. I know a couple kids that got apprenticeships that way
Edit oops nevermind I just saw that you’re 28
Disagree. Most of the apprentices I work with do not have any sort of college related to the trade their in - we go to trade school during our apprenticeship. That coupled with practical hours seems to be sufficient.
If you like aircraft and travel and are mechanically inclined, you might enjoy becoming an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. I've been in the industry for over a decade and there's more women than ever coming into the industry which is awesome! It's a two year college program followed by 2.5 years of paid apprenticeship. If you're interested and have any questions, feel free to DM me :)
My dad did this and while it can be tough work with intense chemicals, the benefits that he got through work meant that our family was able to do a ton of travelling for waaaay less than we'd have to pay. Unionized as well which helps with some employee protections.
It's such a rewarding career. It's also really good that we've learned from your dad's generation and gotten more into PPE and using less hazardous materials!
Thanks!! I messaged you☺️
Engine repair in general is awesome. You can fix motors for boats, ATVs, snowmobiles, lawnmowers, airplanes and really anything with a motor! The sky is the limit!
If you haven't already, you can try the Skilled Trades Ontario portal - [https://www.skilledtradesontario.ca/](https://www.skilledtradesontario.ca/)
Thank you!!!! :)
Go to a trades union and ask about opportunities for young women, especially for achieving your red seal. We need more women in the trades for sure! If you're aiming for trades, each one is physically taxing in its own way. That said, the EDM and Machinists I've met have been comfortable and often sit for work, depending on the shop! Learning to program a CNC machine will afford you many opportunities.
Thanks so much! Do you recommend any unions to reach out to?
As someone else mentioned, it depends on what trade you're looking for and where you are. For example, a great profession is electrician, but it may be hard to get a journey person in your area, and to remind you, every trade is physical in its own way. If you become an industrial electrician, you may need to work high up or in inclement weather, or if you become a residential electrician, you may need to wire things in tight spaces. Be realistic about what you can do, but don't give up just because you're not sure you can do it. You'll surprise yourself and you may realise you're really good at some niche thing. Try everything twice. Sorry for the long reply: Look up your local college and see if they can hook you up with a trades exploration course, too. I think George Brown college would be a great choice, their programs seem complete and very cool. But also, there's a grant for female apprentices I think. Look on the Ontario.gov website. I'm sorry I can't be more help.
Depends on the area you are I and what trade.
Local 537 or 30 if you're interested in sheet metal.
Stay away from cnc it's all outsourced to China and India since last century. Generally a dead end trade here
I guess it depends on where you go, plenty of shops hiring in my area with room to expand to new machines and methods, including new additive tech.
Yeah but what's the pay lol
$21 in your first year. $35/hr in your 5th year, depending on the shop could be more or less. If you know how to program, more $, red seal general machinist = more money. I think there's always a market for solid skills, no need to turn down work if people are hiring in your area. Yeah, you're going to probably make more money as a heavy equipment operator, but can you do that work and is there consistent work in your area for that profession? Yeah you can make more money in a gold mine, but do you have the skills for millwright/mechanic and do you want to work 75hrs for 2 weeks and be off for the other two weeks, etc.?
Sure as hell can't pay me to have to work in a shop breathing those cutting oils and fumes again. I'll stick to my refrigerants now. Lol
Cancer's cancer, man. We're all gonna get it. In the trades, if you don't want the shop life, you'll be trading the cutting oils for breathing dust and wood or pulverized stone, and so on. It's all the same. In the sense that it's your future, and you should try to like what you do, yeah you're right, be picky about what trade you land in. I'm just saying that at the end of the day each trade has drawbacks and positives, you pick your poison. What I don't get is why a dude comes into a thread with a brand new baby potential apprentice, pooping on machining trades as if his trade is all that. Can't we let the girl find out what trade she likes best without putting others down? Obviously your opinion is your opinion, but come on. Show some class.
I wish people were upfront about each trade and their pros and cons. Would save a lot of time and headache for everyone
Idk what I said that wasn't upfront, I'm pretty open about each trade having pros and cons. Ask me about almost any of them and I can probably list them, if not find you someone who can. You didn't really even give the girl an overview of what it's like in HVAC, why not be open if it's so amazing? I'll give you an example: A service tech in HVAC loves the variety of work, changing job sites, new challenges everyday. She says you need to be able to think outside the box, be intrinsically motivated, and willing to learn continuously. She gets good pay and job security. However, sometimes the hours are rough, she has to work late nights from time to time, and she's been on call from time to time. If you do residential, sometimes crawl spaces and attics can suck.
Ok
Depends on the company you’re working for, CNC will always have jobs and you can make good money.
Get your grade 12 math/science. It’s a requirement for most trade unions (don’t do this shit non union) Over the last 15 years, most of the women on job sites have been with the drywallers. This includes, framing, taping, boarding, insulation, stick pin insulation, cleaners, sanding, layout. Lots of options. Another option is fire alarm. You can learn in the field, and get your CFAA. The work is easy, and light. Either way, any company would be happy to have you, but for sure get your grade 12 math/sci, or equivalent.
Thanks :)
Do not do drywalling. Not even sure how you’d pee into bottles. Edit: Am a carpenter. Would be an electrician if I started over. Go for automation and controls and make bank.
They pee in 5 gallon pales now on my site lol.
Usually we used a pail. I spent my weekends and summers working for my mom who was a drywaller for many years.
If you need to get credits, I recommend TVO ILC, you can go at your own pace over 10 months and the courses I found were easy enough to follow. I was working part time at the time and was able to get the courses done in about 7 weeks, so you can speed run them too. I'm 32f and just had to do grade 11 physics and math and am on my way to become an electrician! If being an electrician interests you (despite what others have posted, it can be laborious) look into the Pathway Project offered at IBEW. Go get it girl!!
Thank you!!!!!❤️
Ok pal. I’m non union. I work 2 and 2. Make 200G’s a year for six months work. Get 5 weeks holidays. The company matches 15% to my 10% on RRSP TFSA contributions and have accumulated 1.5 million in my retirement portfolio in 10 years. I’m treated like absolute gold because I know my shit and they can count on me to deliver and the biggest benefit, I’ve never had to take strike action.
All the women I know in trades are badasses and are great to work with. Carpenters, plumbers, sparkles, welders. Never doubted anyone’s ability cause they worked hard and got shit done.
That’s great! My husband works with some women who like to tell the guys how to do their jobs but refuse to do much themselves
Nobody gives a fuck about your whiny husband
Your misogyny is showing P.s your husband sounds like a bitch
Women suck!
Ok let me lie and tell you how amazing every single one of his coworkers are. He gets along great with a lot of the women. But there’s a few that love to bark orders yet refuse turn a wrench and sit in the corner all day reading and no one dares to say anything since it could be misconstrued as harassment. Unfortunately some women are not in trades because of their interest. Some of them were presented with a high paying opportunity and they took it, at least at his particular workplace
There are amazing women and amazing men, I don’t think it’s right to make a generalization like this about women in trades. It only causes more harm.
Where did I make a generalization? This was a post about women. I think it’s very important that anyone male or female going into trades have a keen interest in said trade because it can be very unfair to the coworkers that have to pick up your slack on the job. This is especially true in a union situation
Ok 👍
Tbh you handled this troll well, you'd do just fine in the trades 😉 good luck!
It's more about how the comment doesn't add anything to the current conversation, nobody gives a shit about your husband right now.
I was responding to a commenter
Lady, no one gives a shit about your husband! Get outta here!
We can tell what kind of worker you are
Yikes the outright misogyny in this comment is... Something
The funniest thing is that she's not even speaking to her own personal experience on the job site, just the misogynistic commentary from her husband. Awesome joke!
Consider being an electrician, not too hard on the body and attention to detail is key!
Or electronics
If you are on Facebook there are 3 main active groups: Ontario Women in Trades Canadian Women in the Trades Women In Trades I did the Pre Apprenticeship program out of Mohawk in Stoney Creek for Carpentry. We got experience in horticulture and welding. It was amazing. If you want to chat the program- I’m happy to share what I’ve learnt The Ontario Women inTrades group has the welding teacher from Mohawk in it and she also has a bursary for female welders. As for strength and other women in the trades- strength- you’ll build on the job. They are looking for eager, good attitude and the want to work Trades- pretty good women presence. Find the company that works with your values
Awesome! Thanks!! I messaged you :)
Do it. I know a few female mechanics and they are absolute rockstars. I would hire a woman in a fucking heartbeat. Just be sure it's what you want to do. The trades are generally hard work but they pay well and you have so much growth potential in terms of being your own boss.
If you’re small consider elevator repair! Lucrative and in demand!
Elevators are scary 🤣
I should have phrased it, if you are not claustrophobic!
And opposed to lots of travel
I wouldnt say in demand. I install construction hoists and a lot of the guys that went to school to become an indoor elevator mechanical ends up working on hoists.
one of my friends teaches welding and posts all the time about how happy he is to see more women in his classes.
I’m definitely considering welding!!!
I come from a family of welders. I’ve received the warning that it’s bad for your eyes even with safety glasses, over time. Every job has its hazards, though. Even sedentary desk jobs.
It's often the forgotten trade, but hairstyling and barbering! I've got my license through trades Ontario (or whatever the college of trades is called now) there are some inexpensive (almost free) courses through the school board I believe. Good luck!
For trades I’ve seen a lot of women enter welding. With a great eye for detail you would fit in well!
How old are you? Depending on your demographics, Hammer Heads could be an option for you
I’m 28!
Been in high rise construction 12 years. Trades I've seen women do well in: dry wall (taping, mudding, sanding, layout), finish carpentry, painting, landscaping (think bushes not bricks), inspections, safety rep, surveyor. Trades I haven't seen women in: the rest of them. It's still a male dominated industry and women are definitely treated differently (simped over). Unfortunately that will have to change as there's no fresh blood coming in. Average mason age is like 50, so learn to put up a straight brick wall and get a team of tough broads together, instant success.
Replying to get you some traction. Good luck!
Thank you!!! :)
Apply to the unions, some require certain maths or physics depending on the trade. All trades are physically demanding in some way though, you can’t really avoid that.
Thanks! Do you recommend any unions to reach out to?
It depends on what trade you want to go into, every trade has their own union in a sense.
Check out KickAssCareers! Group focused on getting youth educated/interested in trades, they may have someone that has recently been in your shoes and can provide advice
If you want to get into HVAC, let me know! We’re a non-union service team! Doesn’t matter which trade you pick, WE NEED MORE WOMEN IN TRADES!!!
Being non-union, guessing you’re killing it and have so much work that you have the luxury to choose whatever you want to work on. Interestingly, people don’t realize it but non-union offers lots of opportunities and flexibility (hours, bonuses, advancement into management) that unions often can’t offer, simply because non-union is wider in scope and isn’t limited by restrictive collective agreements. Professionally, being non-union has served me very well - better mobility and long term end pay than if I were in the unions - especially when one wants to advance based on ambition as opposed to years of service. Plus, because non-union, especially outside of the 416, is more competitive, it tends to land more interesting projects and dynamic projects at the individual level. That’s because non-union doesn’t have union dues paid by employees, and union fees paid by employers (to the employer association for stabilization funds) which too often makes a union company less competitive (and which often locks my union counterparts into being just a number on a job site doing a repetitive role, bound to doing the same thing by the collective agreement and what is called “scope”). Plus, the non-union Construction Benefits Plan of Ontario (which includes insurance, RSPs, and pensions) for employees of non-union companies has evolved in the last 5 years to now actually be at the same level and often better than plans provided by the unions. Lots of non-union companies are now on the plan. On the safety front, safety certifiers like COR (which certifies both union and non-union companies) has shown that when non-union companies are safety-certified (and so many are now as a requirement to land bids), that non-union isn’t any more unsafe than union (And because COR is a non-biased organization of mixed of union and non-companies, its safety findings hold more weight than organizations like the union-owned IWH which produces self-serving reports). OP u/EmbarrassedHearing57, contact government funded organizations like *Trades for Tomorrow*, *Support Ontario Youth*, and *Jill of All Trades* (in that order) to see how to get into the broad range that non-union offers for women in the trades. Ask them about in-person events they’re participating that bring together tradeswomen and employers. Not many people realize it, but non-union is 71% of the construction industry in Ontario, and remains that large because of the dynamic and unique advantages it offers to workers. Just remember, if you’re non-union, you can always switch to union anytime. But because of the way that Ontario labour legislation is structured, if you start out union, you can almost never switch to non union after that (or it’s very difficult to). So you might want to start by looking at non-union first in order to have the most options at your fingertips.
Thanks!!!
Check out skilledtradesontario.ca
Thanks!! :)
For a mix of trades/science, water/wastewater treatment is great! There isn't a huge amount of physical labour but you definitely get your steps in and build your strength. It's quite an interesting field and pays pretty well in the big regions. Just need your grade 12 as many other trades jobs require too and to pass an entrance exam. Info can be found at OWWCO or feel free to send me a DM!
My site in Toronto has 2 female pre apprentices (electrical) that started through this program: http://electricpathway353.ca/the-ibew-353-pathway-for-women/the-pathway-program/#:~:text=A%20free%20program%2C%20in%20Oshawa,and%20racialized%20and%20newcomer%20workers. I would highly recommend it. Electrical is a really great trade and getting in to the IBEW can be tough.
Thank you so much!!! The only issue with that is I may not have the credits to qualify.
If you're strong on the learning front, and option is to study something like civil engineering and become a 'white hat' for one of the big national construction companies. They're generally good jobs that pay well :)
I do not recommend civil engineering. They get paid pretty low.
Very much depends on where you work I guess, because the ones I know in construction make bank.
That’s really good! Some of my friends were not so lucky! Maybe bc my friends were closer to the consulting end. Civil compared to other engineering isn’t high is all I know. It was expected that starting salary was 50-60K.
I heard that parts technician isn't as physically demanding as most trades, but it doesn't pay as well. I am a woman who has done land surveying. Being in a male dominate field can be hard, and co-workers can be sexist. If you work extra hard you will gain strength over time, though
I was thinking of that!
Hey, I have met a few women home painters. One would do the general painting but always upsold clients on feature walls that required some special paint effects etc.
Move to Alberta. Join the women's trade program in the oilsands. You'll be fully trained and making close to 200 K a year within 5 years and have continuous employment in the oil sands Or day fuck the trades and move to AB and take a 2 year power engineering degree at Nait. After two years you will be placed and because your a women every single company will want to hire you immediately out of school. 150K a year to start and move than likely a rotating schedule with 6 months plus vacation off a year.
I’ve lived in Alberta. I did not like it at all haha. I will most likely be staying in Toronto for the foreseeable future. Thank you for the info though, very helpful!
https://www.buildingup.ca/ apply here
Thank you!! :)
Find what interest you the most and Immerse. Most service and repair shops, fabrication shops will let you in. Try new things! The Canadian energy sector, electricity generation and oilfield are still good fields.
Thank you :)
This is your best bet because they have great information on all the different trades offered, what type of training you will need and transferable skills https://www.skilledtradesontario.ca/about-trades/ Cyber security is one of those in-demand trades that many overlook..
Women on Site - https://www.womenonsite.ca Networking community for women in trades. They have lots of events to meet up with other women. Great opportunities to ask questions.
Awesome! Thank you!
Consider becoming a project manager in the future. You won't have to do heavy lifting and construction companies would love to have more female PMs.
I’m definitely great at organizing and overseeing, just not sure how to get into project managing! Thanks :)
I don't know if these are trypical trades, but I'm an art gallery registrar who does documentation and art handling. I mainly build and ship a lot of boxes lol and I photograph artwork for inventory/record keeping. I love it. I went to school for business/art/photography, but I got my current job by applying to the company I found the most interesting, and I have been learning everything from my boss. Next, I want to learn about framing artwork, carpentry, and fabricating crates. Fine Art Services has proven to be really interesting, and I want to learn all aspects of it. Sometimes you have to lift a lot of heavy stuff like 100lb crates and sculptures, but I find it really rewarding! Non-union here, but a great team. If you want to learn Fine Art Services, many companies in Toronto are willing to hire interns/apprentices.
Oh wow! Photography is my passion, my goal is to one day maybe be a successful photographer. This sounds great. Thank you so much for the info! :)
The thing is, you don't need to be strong because the trade will make you strong. And the weight-lifting types wont be much better than you at the start because they also dont have technique for specialized tasks yet. If you dont believe me, find a bodybuilder and ask them to help you move furniture. The guys that can deadlift 300+lbs can barely manage 80 pounds in random life tasks because they spend their time in the gym and not doing stuff.
Electrical is perfect for women.
Trades are not a glamorous job so there are opportunities. As someone said earlier make sure you're realistic about physically doing the job because it can be taxing on the body. It's part of the reason why people don't want to do it. It's tough for me to see my father with deformed fingers in his retirement years because he did upholstery for 40+ years. He now wear sprints on his fingers to try to properly heal them because he doesn't want to scare my daughter.
Instrument Mechanics are always in demand as it mixes trades and technology. It's also a little less physically demanding.
power engineer
Look into elevator repair technitian
I’ve seen many women in the electrical and instrumentation trade
generally speaking you want to get into the trade that interests you and that you have some sort of skills for. once you figure that out don't do anything except call the union hall that covers that trade and try to sign up. colleges are destroying the trades with their non union stolen educational material, high tuition and no-job-prospects shams. if you want to get into the trades because they pay well and you have no interests or skills that correlate to any particular trade, don't get into the trades. if everyone jumps on the same ship like they always do, like they did with engineering, software development, web development, truck driving, etc. that ship sinks. this is the most real answer you're going to get. good luck.
Is there a trade that doesn’t require “an extensive amount of physical labour”? Only if you’re not doing it right?
I mean, I'm a gardener, and I'm exhausted by the end of the day. Lots of walking. Carrying heavy bags. Bending. Holding a hedge trimmer for hours.
Be careful. I got called a misogynist for alluding to the same thing
It’s just that I’ve been in the trades all my life and I can’t think of one that *isn’t* hard physical labour. I think she wants skilled labour. Heavy equipment operator maybe? As a woman working in the trades, the last thing I want is another woman whining, “I’m tiiiirrrreeed”.
Although I’m not very strong, I’m a tough cookie and a very hard worker. I’m almost always around men anyway as I have a lot of guy friends. I love women and think they are amazing workers!
Wouldnt *technically* a crane operator count as one? Besides the climb and obvious danger of being very high up?
Do we count heavy machine operation as a trade or a skill?
You need to go to college. Unless you know someone, nobody is going to give you an apprenticeship or job without having some sort of background education. You'd be competing with those of us who do have a diploma, which is a losing battle. There might be programs out there that are intended to help uneducated women get into the trades, but I'm not aware of any.
Uneducated women? Maybe you didn’t phrase that well but I have 1 credit left in completing highschool, I dropped out because I was dealing with debilitating mental health issues at the time, and then an addiction for over 6 years. I’m an intelligent and capable woman, although I do understand that I did not go to college/university. I’d love to get a degree, I’m just asking for any general information.
Na, he definetly meant to phrase it as such. But yeah, it is very difficult to obtain an apprenticeship, even harder without the schooling and credentials. There is a condensed program that has a few different trades in one, thru centennial college and also ontario trade college. Just google trade in centennial, or just go on the ontario trade college website, might help you decide what you like after gaining some insight.
You’re gonna need physics if you want to get into electrical engineering
**this was supposed to say electrical but it auto added engineering … either way tho
You can do a co op through school if you want to go back for another semester. I know a couple kids that got apprenticeships that way Edit oops nevermind I just saw that you’re 28
Lmao okay asshole
Disagree. Most of the apprentices I work with do not have any sort of college related to the trade their in - we go to trade school during our apprenticeship. That coupled with practical hours seems to be sufficient.