Women in Nuclear - WiN Canada

The best man for the job may be a woman…

When most people envision a skilled tradesworker they see a man wearing a hard hat and work boots with a heavy tool in hand. Women in Nuclear (WiN) Canada and Skills Canada-Ontario are working together to change that image.

Overlooking the Toronto landscape last Thursday, November 9, WiN and Skills Canada-Ontario launched their new position paper, Women in the Skilled Trades and Technologies – Myths and Realities. The setting was a perfect place to talk about the many new workers needed in the skilled trades and technologies careers over the next ten years to support Canada’s basic structural foundations of today’s society.

Keynote speaker Duncan Hawthorne, President and CEO of Bruce Power, told the audience, made up of government, educators, unions and industry, about the chronic skills shortage in Canada and added that “jobs in the skilled trades in the nuclear industry are long-term. Choosing such a career is a great investment in yourself.” Hawthorne made a strong plea for everyone to work together to help recruit more young people into the skilled trades and technologies.

“With over 40 percent of the skilled workforce set to retire within the next ten years we need to tap into the 50 percent of overall workforce that has largely been ignored in the skilled trades and technologies – women,” said Colleen Sidford, President of Women in Nuclear-Canada.  “Today less than three percent of all apprentices in construction, automotive and industry trades are women.  Considering the average age of skilled workers is 55, the short supply of skilled workers will become urgent within the next few years not only for the nuclear industry but for all the industries that support Canada’s infrastructure,” said Sidford.

Two skilled tradeswomen, Anne Giardini, a General Machinist from AECL, Chalk River Laboratories and Emily Chung, a auto service technician and business owner of AutoNiche also spoke about their journey into the skilled trades, both stating  "it is not about gender, it is about skill.” They went on to talk about how careers in the skilled trades and technologies are creative and develop great problem solving abilities.

The paper came out of a workshop that WiN held during the Canadian Nuclear Association conference last year, “Women in Non-Traditional Roles – Putting Our Skills to Work”, which was facilitated by Gail Smyth, Executive Director of Skills Canada. The discussion and recommendations arising from that workshop became the basis for the paper. WiN & Skills Canada-Ontario identified six myths that they felt discourage women from pursuing careers in the skilled trades and technologies. These six myths became the foundation of the paper and counterpoints were offered to these common misconceptions. Suggestions by the workshop participants were expanded upon and supported by research and data, to offer recommendations that can be instituted by government, educators, unions and industry. 

To view a copy of the paper please click here.

Duncan Hawthorne, President & CEO of Bruce Power, provides keynote address at launch.

WiN member Anne Giardini speaks about her personal experience as a General Machinist at AECL.