Find a career you wouldn’t trade. A skilled trade is a career path that requires hands-on work and specialty knowledge. Skilled trades workers build and maintain infrastructure like our homes, schools, hospitals, roads, farms and parks. They keep industries running and perform many services we rely on every day, like hairstyling, food preparation or social services. By 2021, one in five new jobs in Ontario is expected to be in trades-related occupations. With an aging workforce, employers are looking for skilled tradespeople who can help build and maintain our province and provide essential services.
Women in Trades
To help women learn the skills they’ll need on the job site and prepare for a career in a male-dominated industry, an increasing number of colleges are offering free or low-cost apprentice training programs geared specifically to women. There are also mentoring groups available to support women in their decision to pursue a career in skilled trades. Learn more.
Popular Resources
- List of Trades
- Finding an Apprenticeship
- Skilled Trades Programs at College
- Apprentice Search: Connecting Employers and Apprentices across Ontario
The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) is a School to Work program that opens the door for students to explore and work in apprenticeship occupations starting in Grade 11 or Grade 12 through the Cooperative Education program.
Listen & Learn from these podcasts:
- Goal Setting for the Apprenticeship Pathway
- Electrician Apprenticeship Opportunities
- Ironworker
- Construction Craft Worker
- OYAP Opportunities
Learn more about OYAP:
WiTT Kits: Women in Technology & Trades (WiTT) STEM Kits
