The female high school students assembled in the Frank Hasenfratz Centre of Excellence in Manufacturing Thursday heard many things that tweaked their interest in skilled trades. Perhaps none more intriguing than the figure $82,000.
That was the sum revealed by Linamar CEO Linda Hasenfratz as the average annual salary of skilled tradespeople and technicians working at the company’s facilities in Guelph – a tidy sum paid to workers who are in high demand.
The Mentor Build and Skills Ontario Career Exploration Event brought females from area high schools to the research and development centre for a series of inspirational presentations and hands-on workshops, all geared to spur interest in careers in the trades.
Hasenfratz told about 100 girls from high schools in the Guelph and Kitchener-Waterloo area, that her company absolutely depends on skilled workers in a great many areas of the automotive parts manufacturer’s operation. The company has just over 20 manufacturing facilities in Guelph, and about 30 more around the world.
“We really rely on great technical people in almost every area of our company,” she said.
And while women are “seriously underrepresented” in these trades, that is beginning to change. More young women are becoming interested.
Due to pending retirement in skilled trades areas, an estimated 400,000 people will need to be replaced over the next 15 years, she added. Linamar has a number of apprenticeship and scholarship programs to help women get into these fields.
“The worrisome fact is that we are so reliant on really technical people for our success, and yet we and many other Canadian businesses are always short of great technical people,” Hasenfratz said. “We just don’t have enough people choosing a career in skilled trades, technology and engineering, where we really need them.”
Skills Ontario is working to turn the underrepresentation of women in trades and technology around, as the shortage of tradespeople intensifies.
The charitable non-profit organization organizes the events to connect female students with women who are already working or training in a skilled trade or technology career. Mentor Build hosts professional development workshops aimed at training skilled tradeswomen to become mentors with Skills Ontario.
“The whole idea behind today is to introduce female students from grades nine to 12 to career opportunities in the skilled trades and technology,” said Anne Ramsay, Skills Ontario manager of communications. “There are lots of opportunities for females to thrive in these areas.”
She said in recent times there has been more of a push for diversity in the workplace, and that includes ensuring there are more women in the workplace.
“Encouraging girls to go into these careers will help meet the higher demand for these jobs,” Ramsay added.
Sponsored by Linamar Corporation, Thursday’s event brought together 15 mentors from a host of employers, including the City of Guelph, Conestoga College, Toyota, and Hydro One.
Ramsay said exit surveys from Career Exploration Events show that an average of 93 per cent of girls are more interested in pursuing a skilled trade or technology career after attending the event.
“It’s a great job,” said Hasenfratz. “You can earn a fantastic living, and there is lots of opportunity to grow in a company like Linamar and many others.”
The company is always looking for apprentices, she said, especially female ones.
