Cumberland, Pictou Women Workers One Solution to Skills Shortage

Women working in science, trades and technology will be the focus of two celebrations for International Women's Day in Halifax Regional Municipality and in Bridgewater.

On March 8, the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women and Nova Scotia Community College celebrations will highlight Techsploration and Women Unlimited, programs that encourage women to enter trades and technology.

"Women make an important contribution to our province's prosperity, whether they work at paid or unpaid jobs," said Carolyn Bolivar-Getson, minister responsible for the Advisory Council on the Status of Women Act. "And today, we're focusing on women in trades and technology, who are paving exciting career paths for women in Nova Scotia."

Women make up nearly half of the workforce in the province. However, less than five per cent of women work in trades and about 16 per cent in technology occupations in Nova Scotia, despite good job security and pay.

Annette Smith is just one of the women studying a trade or technology program at NSCC's Cumberland campus in Springhill. The first-year carpentry student is a single mom of three and says she looks forward to a rewarding career and doesn't see her gender as a barrier.

"I am focused, driven, and ready to get out there and work," she says. "It is an incredible feeling to see my kids' faces when I bring home a table or a chair I've created. That's all the motivation I need to succeed."

Kristy Waalderbos is only 18, but she is already an accomplished welder, recently capturing the Nova Scotia 4-H championship title for her artistry. Waalderbos is completing her first year of study in the two-year welding program at NSCC's Pictou campus in Stellarton. This summer, the Shinimicas, Cumberland Co., native will perfect her trade in the Netherlands, through a Garfield Weston scholarship.

"I'd encourage any female who has an eye for detail to try this or any other trade,” said Ms. Waalderbos. "Yes it can be challenging, but someday there will be an equal gender split, and women will be able to excel without as many barriers."

Industries that rely on tradespeople and technological workers are experiencing a shortage of skilled workers that will worsen over the next decade. The aging of the trades and technology workforces will have a significant impact; for example 35 per cent of construction workers are older than 45.

Several solutions may be needed. Women in all their diversity are a source of talent for employers. Women's employment in trades and technology is growing as they begin to receive the kinds of encouragement men receive.

Techsploration and Women Unlimited both work to improve the numbers of women in these fields. Techsploration, a partnership of the Department of Education, NSCC and Women in Trades and Technology Nova Scotia (WITTNS), is designed to attract students to these fields. It has expanded across the province, with other provinces and countries looking to replicate its success.

Women Unlimited is a fairly new concept in Nova Scotia that supports women and helps address the barriers they face trying to enter the trades and technology fields. The WEE Society (Women's Economic Equality) and the Hypatia Association developed the three-year program with support from Nova Scotia Community College and the federal and provincial governments, including the Advisory Council on the Status of Women. Hypatia Association works with employers to ensure that workplaces are welcoming to women. Women Unlimited is being tested at the Lunenburg and Institute of Technology campuses of Nova Scotia Community College.