Conestoga graduate and electrical apprentice Dee Durant regularly lends a hand at skilled trades events specifically for young girls knowing the tremendous impact of meeting women in the industry.
Girls with Tools and Toast is the newest event hosted by Conestoga to give young girls a chance to learn about the skilled trades.
“If you see it, you can be it.”
Durant was a mentor at Conestoga’s inaugural Girls with Tools and Toast brunch hosted by the college’s ETT4W (Engineering, Technology and Trades for Women) initiative, in partnership with the Canerector Foundation, Schulich Builders and Magna in June at the Cambridge - Reuter Drive campus.
“By having female mentors of different trades and different journeys, young ladies are able to see a part of themselves in the mentors. Once they can see themselves like that, they can see themselves having a successful career in the trades,” said Durant, who graduated from the Electrical Technician - Industrial program in 2021.
Girls with Tools and Toast welcomed young girls, trans or non-binary youth entering Grades 6 to 10 to the free morning event that included a hot buffet brunch and keynote address from Megan Dobbin, Conestoga graduate and welding specialist with Magna International, followed by a hands-on trades activity to take home with them. The girls could also go on a tour the Conestoga Skilled Trades Campus and try the college’s state-of-the-art virtual reality welding simulator.
And they weren’t the only ones who joined the fun, said Nadine McPhee, liaison officer for women’s initiatives.
“Girls with Tools and Toast also invited the youths’ influencers to attend. We were elated to have moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents and family friends in attendance to encourage participants. The support of influencers in the lives of these young girls is priceless and too often not addressed when encouraging girls into the skilled trades.”
Plumbing apprentice Amanda Steffler was also driven to share the skilled trades with young girls, knowing firsthand how her life changed when she decided to find a new career after being laid off after more than two decades in an office job.
“My hope for the girls is that they realize there are so many opportunities in the trades for them. I hope that by doing the activities and speaking to other women in the trades, they will see an opportunity for a career that will set them up for life. There are so many opportunities to be financially and professionally successful within the trades.”
Steffler enrolled in Conestoga’s Mechanical Techniques - Plumbing program, securing a position with a local company right after finishing and shortly after signed on as an apprentice.
“I wanted to be involved with this event because I think it’s important to show young girls that even older women can do this. If I can do this at 49, they can do it at 12 or 16 or 20,” Steffler said.
“One of the things I like best about the event is just talking to the girls and hearing their thoughts about the hands-on activities. I like to see them get right into it and to encourage the ones that are a bit apprehensive. It’s really nice to see them come out of their shells and see how proud they are of themselves when they’ve completed the activities.”
At Girls with Tools and Toast, participants put together a wooden box with fairy lights illuminating a bulb on the top and decorated their creation with coloured markers. Hands-on activities are a great way to give youth a confidence boost when it comes to thinking about a career in the trades, Durant said.
“Events like the Girls with Tools and Toast are so incredibly important to encouraging today’s youth to step outside of their comfort zone. You never know what will happen; you could find something that you’re very passionate about and it changes your life. I am a perfect example of trying a trade and finding a new passion that changed my life.”
Conestoga is committed to fostering and enhancing women's participation, persistence, and academic and career success in engineering, technology and trades. Educational programs, outreach and events, and student supports reinforce this commitment as part of the ETT4W initiative, which has helped many women pursue rewarding, in-demand and secure careers in those traditionally male-dominated fields.
Girls with Tools and Toast expanded the host of ETT4W events and programming, including Jill of All Trades, Go ENG Girl, Women in Skilled Trades (WIST) and Go CODE Girl.