The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum has published a strategy document that sets out a series of items to increase the representation of women in the skilled trades.

Published on October 1, National Strategy for Supporting Women in Trades is the product of work by 60 skilled trades stakeholders. It sets out four action items that are intended to generate awareness, trigger policy change, recognize best practices and create skilled trade workplace environments to increase women’s representation.

The actions include:

• developing a national call-to-action campaign that recognizes champions and provides tools for change,
• working with all levels of government to implement diversity targets on infrastructure projects, and holding employers and unions accountable by publishing actual hiring numbers,
• developing toolboxes for employers, labour organizations, educators and tradeswomen and their allies where they can access information and tools for creating a respectful workplace, and
• creating awareness of actual proportion of women in the workplace, setting measurable targets for representation, and outlining a plan to increase the representation of women.

 “The Supporting Women in Trades (SWiT) Strategy has brought together groups and organizations doing the work to recruit and retain tradeswomen in the construction industry,” says Lindsay Amundsen, Director of Workforce Development at Canada’s Building Trades Unions. Amundsen sat on the CAF task force that developed the strategy document. “Together, through identifying barriers and developing strategies for success, SWiT will help change the face of construction and increase diversity within our industry.”

According to Statistics Canada data from 2018, women represented 4.5 percent of apprentice registrations in the construction, manufacturing and transportation sectors. Although that figure is up from the 3.9 percent recorded in 2014, it remains low. The SWiT task force established a national target to increase participation and retention of women in skilled trades careers to 15 percent by 2030.

Another priority of the strategy was to identify tactics to create respectful workplaces.

“CAF is committed to being a catalyst for diverse and inclusive workplaces,” says CAF executive director France Daviault. “Under-represented groups including women, transgender, two-spirited, intersexed or gender non-binary have a fundamental right to a safe, healthy and equitable workplace, free of harassment, bullying and discrimination.”

To learn more about the strategy, visit switcanada.ca.