Skills Ontario celebrates International Day of the Girl in Ottawa with workshops

Introducing girls to skilled trades Dozens of girls from the Ottawa region were introduced to careers in the skilled trades industry. CTV’s Dave Charbonneau reports.

Skills Ontario is celebrating International Day of the Girl with a special event at the Canadian Science and Technology Museum, offering young women an opportunity to explore careers in skilled trades and technologies.

The event, part of the Skills Ontario Young Women’s Initiative, features hands-on workshops, exhibitors, and a keynote address by Jasmine Gauthier, project manager at Sega Electric. Gauthier shared personal experiences, highlighting the challenges and successes of working in the skilled trades.

“Since 2021, Skills Ontario celebrates International Day of the Girl to recognize and inspire girls ages 10-13 across the province to build their skills, conquer boundaries, and explore their pathways,” said Lindsay Chester, Skills Ontario Young Women’s Initiatives Program Manager.

Attendees have the chance to meet with local employers, including the Canadian Union of Skilled Workers, Corrections Ontario, Milwaukee Tools, and Ontario Power Generation, among others.

"I just love it all," Aoife Pixley, St. Pats Harrowsmith student, said. "I love being hands on with everything."

"Most of these are male dominated, I'd say. And it'd be pretty cool if more girls got into it," PJ Dawe, a student at Louis-Riel, said.

Teachers say it opens students up to new career paths in skilled trades and technologies.

"I think it's very important that they're shown every different path that they can have, whether it be for school or the future jobs," Meghan Polowin, teacher at Fisher Park Summit Alternative, said.

"It's important that they know that there are careers like this. There's education like this in colleges."

In addition to the Ottawa event, Skills Ontario is hosting a celebration in Sudbury and virtual workshops throughout the day, including a series of conversations with women working in skilled trades.

"They get to learn about a variety of skilled trade technology careers," Lindsay Chester, Skills Ontario Youth Women's Initiative program manager, said.

"They're going to come across some that are very male dominated. So, we want them to feel a sense of encouragement and empowerment to be like, hey, we can do this too."

For more information, visit www.skillsontario.com/idg.