In partnership with Skills Ontario and Fleming College, secondary students from I.E. Weldon Secondary School (IEWSS) and Lindsay Collegiate Vocational Institute took part in the annual Skilled Trades and Tech Days for Young Women on October 29.
Offered to female-identifying students in Grades 9 and 10, the opportunity was held at the Fleming College Frost Campus, introducing students to careers in technology and the skilled trades.
Throughout the day, students rotated through four workshops, where they participated in hands-on learning experiences of the programs currently being offered at the campus, including aquaculture, learning about fish species and operating a fish hatchery; arboriculture, where they climbed trees using ropes and harnesses; blasting, which involved setting and igniting explosives; and heavy equipment operation, testing dozer and excavator simulators.
“Today was really fun! I got to learn about a bunch of different trades and it was nice to think I could become a woman in a trade. I am hoping to go into blasting,” said IEWSS student, Evelyn.
“I really liked the heavy equipment simulator and climbing the trees,” said IEWSS student, Novyanna.
“What a fantastic way for our students to really see themselves in the trades,” said Trillium Lakelands District School Board experiential learning consultant, Wendy Nicholson. “These students had authentic opportunities to learn about the skills they need and next steps for them to pursue a career in the skilled trades.”
