Approximately 90 female high school students from London and the surrounding region received a hands-on introduction to Red Seal trades, including electrical, plumbing, automotive and carpentry, as part of Fanshawe’s inaugural Jill of All TradesTM event on Thursday, October 5 at the College’s London Campus.
The workshops involved students performing diagnostic testing on both combustion and electric vehicles, using welding techniques to fabricate a metal flower, framing a wall with 2x4s, bending and soldering copper piping and creating a ‘barn star’ out of sheet metal. All students participated in networking opportunities with female mentors and toured the College’s facilities.
Established by Conestoga College in 2014, Jill of All TradesTM is a day-long educational fair with workshops and guest speakers designed to introduce Grade 9 to 12 female students to the benefits of a future in skilled trades and apprenticeships.
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Providing females with opportunities to pursue traditionally male-dominated careers across the skilled trades is critically important on both an individual and societal level. According to Statistics Canada, only about seven per cent of skilled trades workers in Canada identified as female.
“I’m delighted women are becoming more interested in careers in skilled trades,” says Fanshawe’s President Peter Devlin. “Fanshawe is proud to bring the Jill of All Trades program to Southwestern Ontario.”
The keynote speaker was Kristie Thompson, a licensed small engine technician with 28 years of experience who currently works as a service manager with London-based Sunbelt Rentals Inc.
Fanshawe is the sixth Canadian college to join the Jill of All Trades movement; the other partners are Conestoga College, Centennial College, Cambrian College, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (Edmonton, AB) and the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
“Fanshawe is incredibly proud to join the Jill of All Trades program, further emphasizing our commitment to empower women in the trades,” said Stephen Patterson, dean of Fanshawe’s Faculty of Science, Trades and Technology. “With the support of our terrific faculty, staff and community partners, we look forward to hosting many more of these events in the years to come.”
By 2026, Jill of All TradesTM is expected to expand to 25 institutions across Canada, delivering more than 70 events specifically tailored to meet the employment needs of the geographic areas those colleges serve.
The students represented the Thames Valley District School Board, London District Catholic School Board, Avon Maitland District School Board and Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board.
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