For over a year, ApprenticeSearch.com has been helping women build skills and get jobs through Gateway to the Trades, a career exploration and employment-readiness program, and will continue to help more women enter the skilled trades.

Funded through the Government of Ontario Skills Development Fund, 25% of Gateway to the Trades program participants are women looking to prepare for careers in the skilled trades. This number is well above the national average of women in the trades. A report by BuildForce Canada highlighted that women accounted for only 3.7% of the construction workforce in Ontario.

“Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we've seen an increase in apprenticeship registrations, up 24 percent, and nearly 30 percent for women in the trades." said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. "We are proud to support programs that help more women and young people access the training and supports they need to enter the skilled trades and find a life-changing career."

“HIEC is a fantastic organization that helps skilled individuals find apprenticeships and upscale their skills. There is a high demand for skilled workers in Ontario, and with more women entering the skilled trades the support of programs like Gateway to the Trades are crucial to helping women train and prepare for rewarding, well-paying careers in the trades,” said Natalie Pierre, MPP for Burlington.

The Gateway to the Trades program is a part-time, facilitated skilled trades exploration and employment-readiness program that equips participants with the skills and connections to find meaningful employment in the skilled trades.

"The demand for skilled trades continues to be a top priority, particularly in meeting our province's ambitious goals for housing and infrastructure. To grow our skilled trades community, we need to continue diversifying the workforce and providing support to those historically underrepresented in the industry," remarked Kelly Hoey, Executive Director of ApprenticeSearch.com. "We're really proud at ApprenticeSearch.com that our user base reflects Canada's diversity. For example, we have over 5,000 women registered and using the site - it's over 20% of our user base and well above the national average of women in trades."

Participants also connect with skilled trades employers who are hiring and receive wrap-around support, such as tools and safety equipment, to support their employment needs. Employers who hire Gateway to the Trades graduates are eligible for a wage subsidy to support hiring, onboarding and training costs. Subsidies will cover 50% of wages up to $5,000.

"I have accomplished my dream of getting an apprenticeship as a level 1 sheet metal apprentice. The Gateway to the Trades program was a great introduction into the world of trades and what to expect," said Chelsea Deslauriers, Gateway to the Trades participant. "It was one of my first steps in reaching my goals. It gave me the confidence and basic tools/skills to reach out to a more local pre-apprenticeship program here in Ottawa. Both experiences have changed my life forever in all the right ways."

"Trade work can provide a great work/life balance, good pay, great benefits, a sense of community, stability and an overall physical and mental well-being," continued Deslauriers. "I've come to realize that most people working in the trades love what they do."

Mentoring has been a core aspect of ApprenticeSearch.com for decades. Every month, on the second Thursday, ApprenticeSearch.com brings together women in the skilled trades to share stories, advice, guidance and insight.

In partnership with the Business/Higher Education Roundtable (BHER), ApprenticeSearch.com’s Women in Skilled Trades Peer Mentorship Group was formed just over three years ago to support women in various trades.

Christine began by telling her story of her career in the automotive industry, her successes, her challenges and obstacles as well as including her guidance and advice.

“You don’t have to be 100% confident to have confidence,” Christine told this group of women. “Know you learned something today and you’ll learn something tomorrow.”

Despite all her achievements in her lucrative career, Christine says mentoring has been the most rewarding experience.

“My most rewarding moment is reaching behind me and pulling a woman forward,” she said, adding she created a LinkedIn page for Canadian Women in Automotive for ongoing support to those in her trade.

The majority of women in attendance were new to the industry, most coming “out from behind desk jobs”, as they said, to start a new career, some interested in learning more about working in the trade. There were women looking for apprenticeships, women who were already Ontario apprentices, and women who were already members of Red Seal Canada. And all were from a variety of skilled trades including engineering, manufacturing, carpentry, electrical and welding. 

“The Women In The Skilled Trades Peer Mentorship Group is important for women to feel connected. Many of them may be the only person of their gender on the job site or in their class,” said Emily McCormack, Program Coordinator and Facilitator, ApprenticeSearch.com. “It can be daunting going into a male-dominated field but support from fellow women in the same situation can help these women feel less alone. This group hosts guest speakers that are women who are excelling in the skilled trades. The women who join the group have the opportunity to ask questions of the guest speaker and leave feeling inspired by another woman's journey.”

“Across the country, thousands of skilled tradespeople go to work every day to build the homes Canadians need. But to keep up with the pace and scale required to build more homes faster, our growing country needs to attract even more of the skilled tradespeople and workers who can build the homes required to meet our ambitious housing targets”

 - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, in the 2023 Fall Economic Statement

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Skilled trades careers play a crucial role in our communities, and their continued growth and success are essential for economic prosperity.

Despite the demand for skilled trades professionals and the increasing recognition of the skilled trades as a viable career path, accessing skilled trades talent remains a labour market challenge for the country for five main reasons: 

• Job seekers find the apprenticeship system challenging to navigate. The common theme in feedback from job seekers is that the apprenticeship pathway is fragmented and difficult to navigate. Individuals on the skilled trades pathway must work with multiple agencies to simply register and often don’t have one institution or employer for the duration of their apprenticeship to address their needs. 

• Job seekers lack the networks and connections to find and secure employment. In a recent survey of young people by ApprenticeSearch.com, 55% of respondents identified needing help connecting with employers as their top barrier to developing a career in the skilled trades.

• There is a mismatch in the interests of job seekers and employers. There’s a disconnect between where job seekers and graduates seek opportunities and where the need for talent actually exists. We see this disconnect play out on ApprenticeSearch.com, where the top job searches from applicants don’t match the most in-demand job openings from employers. 

• There are barriers to participation for Individuals from equity-deserving groups. ApprenticeSearch.com’s research, Exploring Apprenticeship Training and Support Needs for Underrepresented Ontario Job Seekers, explored the systemic barriers and roadblocks preventing equity-seeking group members from pursuing employment in the skilled trades. Our project found that individuals are experiencing barriers to entry, barriers to participation, and barriers to retention, and that these experiences of exclusion can be alienating and isolating for folks to navigate without additional support. 

• Employers require support to hire and onboard apprentices.  In a recent survey of skilled trades employers conducted by ApprenticeSearch.com, finding candidates was one of the top barriers faced by employers, often due to a lack of internal capacity. This lack of capacity can dissuade employers from hiring and training apprentices, as they often lack the time and resources to search for candidates, research and understand the apprenticeship process, or inquire about and access available grants and incentives. 

A clear and essential mechanism to ensure there are enough skilled trades professionals to build these homes is a re-investment in the programs and delivery agents within the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy, up for renewal in Budget 2024.

ApprenticeSearch.com is Canada’s only employer-apprentice job-matching platform that connects employers with job seekers in the trades and provides essential wrap-around services to ensure apprentices can secure long-term employment. If they get left behind, so will skilled trades workers. 

In order to ensure new housing gets built, the government must invest in the people building them. The time to support the skilled trades workforce is now.