Women in Trades – CCWESTT

Building Equitable Trades – A Photo-Research Exhibit of Diversity in the Skilled Trades In academic contexts, we often use language related to building and constructing inclusive spaces, yet there is a lack of research focusing on the people who build and construct, literally. So, why have we neglected inequities in this context (vs. academic research) […]

Why aren’t women working in trades? Creating safe and inclusive workplaces for women

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| Resources, Women in Trades

Why aren’t women working in trades? Creating safe and inclusive workplaces for women Bonnie Douglas, Project Manager at CCWESTT, reflects on why there are so few women in trades and what Canadian employers can do about it. Credit: Labour Market Information Council Date: 2021 For more information on this resource click here. View

Pain, pride and pills: Why Canadian trades workers are dying in silence

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Pain, pride and pills: Why Canadian trades workers are dying in silence A new survey links stigma, stoicism and unsafe job sites to high substance use and untreated mental health issues among trades workers. Credit: Alexandra Keeler Date: 2025 For more information on this resource click here. View

Scaling Deep to Make Space for Females in Trades: Transformational Inclusion at a Community College

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Scaling Deep to Make Space for Females in Trades: Transformational Inclusion at a Community College The authors use the skilled trades shortage as a unique context to pilot transformative approaches to changing culture and practice around equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in recruitment, progression, and retention of previously-excluded student groups, focusing on gender. To demonstrate […]

Powering UP: Preparing Canada’s skilled trades for a post-pandemic economy

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Powering UP: Preparing Canada’s skilled trades for a post-pandemic economy This RBC report was developed within our Humans Wanted research program. It is informed by a series of roundtables and interviews with skilled trades workers, employers, educators, and industry leaders beginning in early 2020. It leverages findings from an analysis of specific trades using the […]

Negotiating gender in the male-dominated skilled trades: a systematic literature review

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Negotiating gender in the male-dominated skilled trades: a systematic literature review Occupations in the skilled trades are highly segregated with women comprising 1–3% of this workforce in Western nations. We report on a systematic review of 26 articles, from 1998 to 2019, which explored women’s recruitment and retention in the skilled trades. Two research questions […]

The Role of Public Policy in the Retention and Advancement of Women in the Skilled Trades

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The Role of Public Policy in the Retention and Advancement of Women in the Skilled Trades Women have been continually underrepresented in the skilled trades workforce in Alberta. In 2019, 4,600 of the 44,000 registered apprentices were women, roughly equating to 10% (Alberta 2020a). This report seeks to understand why the representation of women in […]

A Road Map to Supporting Women in Trades

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A Road Map to Supporting Women in Trades In November 2018, CAF-FCA hosted the first-ever Supporting Women in Trades Conference. This action plan outlines the priorities and areas for action identified by the more than 350 delegates in attendance. Credit: Canadian Apprenticeship Forum Date: 2018 For more information on this resource click here. View

Apprenticeship Registration Trends and Completion Rates

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Apprenticeship Registration Trends and Completion Rates CAF-FCA and Prism Economics and Analysis analyzed Statistics Canada data from the Registered Apprenticeship Information System (RAIS). The latest year available is 2022. This report highlights nine key findings. Credit: Canadian Apprenticeship Forum Date: 2024 For more information on this resource click here. View

Women in trades: policy in theory and policy in practice

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Women in trades: policy in theory and policy in practice There have been many pieces of legislation geared to promoting the skilled trades as a viable career option to women, but the main point in this research is that none of these policy initiatives and programs have resulted in distinctly advancing women’s presence in the […]