Organizations for Women & Girls
Skills Ontario is Redefining Skilled Trades, Technologies
Skills Ontario opened its doors in 1989 in Barrie, Ontario with a mission to promote skilled trades and technologies to youth. Since then, Skills Ontario has grown to become a well-known charity that reaches millions of Ontarians annually. But stigmas surrounding the skilled trades and technologies didn’t make this easy.
Misconceptions around skilled careers include that they’re dirty, only suited for men, don’t pay well, and are for those who can’t advance in education. Skills Ontario disproves these myths every day, and through their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity initiatives, they’re making sure that youth know the skilled trades and technologies welcome all.
For over 20 years, Skills Ontario has been running its Young Women’s Initiatives program. Through experiential learning, mentorship, and networking opportunities, they’ve reached thousands of young women with an aim to inspire them to explore career paths they may have never considered before or might have even been discouraged from considering.
Just last year, their annual Young Women’s Conference saw over 7,000 virtual attendees: a record high for Skills Ontario. Along with Career Exploration Events, an International Day of the Girl virtual activity series, and more, young women of all ages are learning that skilled careers are not just for boys.
“We don’t just want more women in trades; we need them,” says Lindsay Chester, Young Women’s Initiatives Program Manager. “There is strength in diversity, and when we make young women feel inspired and empowered, it is a win for everyone.”
Over the past two years, Skills Ontario has expanded its programming to be inclusive of other groups, such as persons with exceptionalities and people of color. Over 2,000 viewed their very first Persons with Exceptionalities Conference in March 2021 and heard from speakers who presented and shared resources. Skills Ontario plans to expand its portfolio to relinquish outdated and exclusionary stigmas, and even launched a new Skills Wear line in summer 2021 with slogans on apparel such as “This is what a tradesperson looks like” and “This is what an apprentice looks like.”
For more information on all the programs that Skills Ontario leads, please visit skillsontario.com.
Quick List: Apprenticeships, Training & Employment
Alaska Works Partnership
ANEW
Association of Women in Metal Industries
BC Centre for Women in the Trades
Bring Back the Trades
Build a Life That Works
Build Together British Columbia
Build Together Manitoba
Building Pathways Boston
California Apprenticeship Coordinators Assn.
Canada’s Building Trades Union
Canadian Assn. of Women in Construction
Canadian Construction Women
Central Ohio Women in the Trades
Chicago Women in Trades
Coalition of Labor Union Women
Empower Women in Trades
Girls at Work
Girls Build
Girls Can Build
Girls in Civil
Goodwill of North Georgia
Hard Hatted Women Ohio
Heartland Women in Trades
Intl. Assn. of Bridge & Structural Ironworkers of America
Kickass Careers
League of Railway Women
Lone Star Construction Trades Training
Massachusetts Girls in Trades
Missouri Women in Trades
Moore Community House
National Association of Black Women in Construction
National Association of Women in Construction
National Task Force on Tradeswomen’s Issues
NOLA Women in Skilled Trades and Manufacturing Careers
Nontraditional Employment for Women
North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters
NYC Coalition for Women in Construction
Office to Advance Women Apprentices
Oregon Tradeswomen
Policy Group on Tradeswomen’s Issues
Pride and a Paycheck
REAL Women in Trucking
Rosie’s Girls
Sisters in the Brotherhood
Sisters in the Building Trades
Sisters in the Trades
Skills Ontario
Southwest Carpenters Training Fund
State Building & Construction Trades Council of California
Texas Women in Trades
Tools & Tiaras Inc.
Tradeswomen Inc.
Tradeswomen Taskforce
Truckers Emergency Assistance Responders
United Association
U.S. Women in Nuclear
Utah Women in Trades
Vermont Works for Women
Washington Women in Trades
West Virginia Women Work
Women Building Futures
Women in Energy
Women’s Enterprise Skills Training
Women in Manufacturing
Women in Non-Traditional Employment Roles
Women in Nontraditional Careers
Women in Rail
Women in Resource Development Corporation
Women in Restoration & Engineering
Women in Skilled Trades
Women in Trucking Association
Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada
Women’s Network PEI
Women Unlimited
Women Who Weld
YWCA Toronto