Approximately 90 female high school students from London and the surrounding region received a hands-on introduction to Red Seal trades, including electrical, plumbing, automotive, carpentry and aviation composites, as part of a Jill of All TradesTM event hosted by Fanshawe on Thursday, February 20 at the College's London Campus.
The workshops involved students performing tire changes and diagnostic testing on both combustion and electric vehicles, creating a toolbox out of sheet metal, working with composite materials found in the aviation industry, programming a CNC machine to laser etch a hammer, framing a wall with 2x4s and bending, piercing and soldering copper piping to create a sprinkler.
All students participated in networking opportunities with female mentors and toured the College's facilities.
Established by Conestoga College in 2014, Jill of All TradesTM is a day-long educational fair with workshops and guest speakers designed to introduce Grade 9 to 12 female students to the benefits of a future in skilled trades and apprenticeships.
Providing females with opportunities to pursue traditionally male-dominated careers across the skilled trades is critically important on both an individual and societal level. According to Statistics Canada data from 2024, only about eight per cent of skilled trades workers in Canada identified as female.
"I'm delighted women are becoming more interested in careers in skilled trades," says Susan Cluett, Fanshawe's senior vice president academic. "Jill of All Trades is a great example of what can happen when colleges, industry, students and faculty come together to make change."
The keynote speaker was Jen Cowdrey, a two-time Fanshawe graduate (Motive Power Technician, 2009; Mechanical Engineering Technician, 2011) and manufacturing engineer with 14 years' experience working at General Motors CAMI Assembly, where she currently works as an assembly business manager.
Fanshawe was the sixth Canadian college to join the Jill of All TradesTM movement when hosting its inaugural event in October 2023. Currently, 19 colleges host Jill of All TradesTM events.
"Fanshawe is proud to continue our partnership with the Jill of All Trades program, reinforcing our commitment to empowering women in the trades," said Stephen Patterson, dean of Fanshawe's Faculty of Science, Trades and Technology. "Thanks to the support of our outstanding faculty, staff and community partners, we are excited to build on the success of our inaugural event to once again welcome participants and showcase the opportunities available in skilled trades."
By 2026, Jill of All TradesTM plans to expand to 35 locations in Canada and the United States, delivering more than 100 events specifically tailored to meet the employment needs of the geographic areas.
The students represented the Thames Valley District School Board, London District Catholic School Board, Avon Maitland District School Board and Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board.