A group of young women shared an eye-opening experience during a week of hands-on immersion in a variety of skilled trades at the Skills Ontario Trades and Tech Summer Camp, hosted at St. Clair College.
From welding to electrical, CNC machining and automotive to culinary, 18 young women were exposed to not only new skills - but a potential career.
"The idea is basically just to get some of these girls interested in some of these different career options. Not all of them are going to end up going into a skilled trade, but at least they have learned something new," said Jessica Amlin of Skills Ontario.
Through classroom-based projects and activities and exposure to labs in the School of Skilled Trades, the campers - who range in age from 12 to 17 - learned key concepts and skills to introduce them to skilled trades and technology careers.
Campers also picked up extra skills in planning and design, teamwork and collaboration, problem solving, communication, public speaking, and dexterity.
"This is the age where they're really starting to think about what they might want to do when they're older," said Amlin. "We have the opportunity here to catch them at that prime age group where they are thinking about this."
That's exactly what happened with 12-year-old camper Ellie Rousseau.
"I found out that there's so many more trades and there's so many more activities, and it's a good career option," Rousseau said. "It can be really fun - not like being at a desk job - and we're learning stuff."
Rousseau is going into Grade 8 at Tecumseh Vista Academy next year. She said after attending this camp, she will more seriously consider her course selections to make a career in the skilled trades possible.
"I can definitely see myself doing things like this - probably welding. I thought that that was the most fun activity that we did," she said. "I can see myself doing that in the future."
Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie visited the camp on Aug. 1, when the young women were in the culinary lab at St. Clair College making pizza from scratch.
Dowie rolled up his sleeves and joined in on the lesson, which included kneading dough, dressing the pizza and cooking it to perfection.
"Taking part in the Skills Ontario all-girls Trades and Tech Camp at St. Clair College was not only a fantastic experience it was a delicious one too," said Dowie. "Making pizza with such an enthusiastic group of young women was both fun and inspiring. It was a creative way to highlight the teamwork, problem-solving, and hands-on learning that make the skilled trades so rewarding."
Many of the campers were recruited by Women's Enterprise Skills Training (WEST) of Windsor in what's become a strong partnership between the organization, Skills Ontario and St. Clair College.
St. Clair College President Michael Silvaggi with Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie and WEST of Windsor executive director Rose Anguiano Hurst at St. Clair College on Aug. 1, 2025. (Rich Garton/St. Clair College)
Rose Anguiano Hurst is the Executive Director of Women's Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor Inc. and came to the camp to witness the hands-on learning for herself.
"It was great to see the campers so engaged with the learning activities, with many of them experiencing the trades for the first time," Hurst said. "It's also important to expose them to these possibilities at a young age, which helps them with their decision making for the future."
Amlin said the looming skilled trades shortage requires forward thinking, and inviting women who may not have considered a career in the trades is a good start to combat the issue.
"There's lots of opportunity there. If we want a new workforce of skilled tradespeople, then we need to start a little bit younger than I think a lot of people realize," Amlin said. "We just want to let girls know that these are viable career options for them. It's not scary. It's not a negative thing to be a girl in skilled trades."
Amlin went back to school to launch a second career, landing in the welding trade. She spends time with campers helping dispel myths and assumptions about the trades, acting as a role model for the young women at the camp.
She also emphasized the importance of getting into the College environment to introduce campers to the educational opportunities in their home community.
Another Trades and Tech Camp is scheduled at St. Clair College for the week of Aug. 18-22, 2025.
"I find it gets the gears turning because it's showing them this is what a college looks like. This is what it's like to be in a college," Amlin said. "It introduces them to the instructors. It's all those little steps that I think help give them those ideas to prepare them for the future."
