Girls flock to trades training
This April, 200 Greater
Vancouver high school girls got a first-hand look at careers in construction
at the B.C. Construction Association's Women in Construction event. Students
from 10 school districts met with women in construction to learn about the
wide range of opportunities available to women in B.C.'s booming construction
industry.
With a shortage of skilled workers, housing starts near a 15-year high, and
more than $65 billion in commercial and institutional projects on the books,
there has never been a better time for women to start exploring careers in
construction, noted Manley McLachlan, president of the B.C. Construction Association.
"We want to debunk the myth that construction is just a man's world.
There are many areas in the industry - both traditional and non-traditional
- where women can excel," says McLachlan. Students toured a real job
site during a two-hour hard hat tour led by women from the industry.
HB