St. Lawrence College hosted the 4th annual Girls Exploring the Trade.
Girls in elementary schools in our region got the opportunity to see what the trades are all about.
Around 100 grade 7 and 8 students from Limestone District School Board and Algonquin Lakeshore Catholic District School Board attended the Girls Exploring the Trades event at St. Lawrence College on Wednesday.
It was hosted by the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program.
Courtney Soucy, the OYAP recruiter at LDSB, says girls got a first-hand look at skilled trades as a career option.
This is the fourth year of Girls Exploring the Trades. It covered areas in skilled trades such as electrical, carpentry, plumbing, and more.
Soucy says men still make up a huge majority in the skill trades and that could deter girls from taking it up.
The event was almost cancelled due to the strike by support staff at SLC and other Ontario colleges. Organizers did manage to save it once the job action was over.
Soucy says there was a lot of positive reaction to the event.
Even if the students decide skills trades is not their ideal career path, Soucy hopes they will be able to use these skills to do their own work at home and help them become more independent.
Story by Ken Hashizume
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