STEPW Classes Helping Boost Women’s Interest In The Trades
MONCTON — Since launching skills classes for women to explore a career in the trades two years ago, Katelyn MacDonald says that women’s interest in gaining mentorship and support they didn’t feel before skyrocketed.
“Seeing the success of women being able to get into skilled trades and be successful and be supported is very encouraging,” said MacDonald. “And New Brunswick has a need for skilled trades since a lot of our current skilled tradespeople are retiring, so the demand is there.”
MacDonald, the STEP coordinator for MAP Strategic Workforce Services, said nine students graduated from the first Saint John class in 2019. This year, the program has grown to include 24 women in classes across New Brunswick, all of whom will graduate in the next few weeks.
The 14-week program, which stands for Skilled Trades Exploration Program for Women, allows students to explore essentials needed for electrical, plumbing and carpentry careers, including math, reading blueprints, personal development and workplace safety skills.
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It’s all with the goal for women to enter the New Brunswick workforce upon graduation.
Jess Johnson is a student in the Moncton class who heard about the opportunity from a Facebook advertisement that popped up in her newsfeed. After taking shop classes in high school more than 10 years ago, she liked the idea of getting into a trade and working hands-on.
Johnson also saw it as a way to grow her skills while taking a pause from school. She studies at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, but dropped down to part-time because of the online courses, which she said wasn’t a good experience.
“That lack of structure and accountability by not going to the university,” said Johnson. “I just wasn’t happy and wasn’t confident I could get through the semester. But [STEPW] wasn’t as daunting as doing a four-year degree program at university.”
Each class has a designated employer for whom students will work after graduation, which happens in Moncton on Friday, May 21. SheBuilds Communities For Life sponsored the class in Moncton, and that organization plans to build affordable housing in the area.
SheBuilds’ program coordinator Chrissy Guitard said there’s a significant need for affordable housing in the Moncton region, and it can be tough to make construction cost-effective due to rising lumber and land costs.
“We found avenues where we aligned ourselves with other organizations and non-profits in the area that need affordable housing,” said Guitard, who has worked in the industry as a site supervisor and designer for 19 years.
Guitard and her older sister, co-founder Donna Ferguson, are two of the few females working in New Brunswick carpentry. The pair started SheBuilds to inspire a new generation of women to pursue a career in skilled trades.
“We believe women are an untapped market. They are so capable of doing construction, it’s not rocket science,” said Guitard. “They are articulate, they are very detail-oriented and they come to work with a good attitude.”
RELATED: Saint John Training Program Guarantees Women Irving Trade Jobs That Pay $20-$30 An Hour
According to numbers from NBJobs for April 2021, there were 71,700 jobs in New Brunswick’s Goods-Producing sectors, including 21,900 jobs in construction. Its August 2019 business outlook estimated there would be more than 9,000 job openings by 2027.
“We are on the brink of a situation where there’s not going to be any carpenters or plumbers or electricians because they’re retiring fast,” said Guitard.
On top of gaining a new skill set, the instant gratification of building something by hand and a new appreciation for construction and carpentry, Johnson enjoys that her classes are led by women, for women. But overall, she said the classes have allowed her to grow as a person.
“These past three and a half months really got me out of a funk and I feel like I’ve grown immensely,” said Johnson. “I’ve always considered myself a confident person and it’s given me a sense of pride.”
“Seeing what I’m capable of gave me a boost, like ‘you got this down, what else could you do?’”
Aaron Sousa is a summer intern for Huddle. Send him story suggestions: [email protected].