No such thing as a man’s job; women getting into the trades
Posted March 8, 2012 10:48 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – When you think of a plumber, a man in sagging pants might come to mind.
On International Women’s Day, News1130 is speaking with one plumber who doesn’t fit the stereotype — she is a single mother of five.
“I was a stay-at-home mom for 12 years and after I became suddenly single, I realized I needed to do something to provide for my children,” says Cathy Minty, now a first-year apprentice and one of 1,500 women participating in trades training programs in BC.
“I tried a little bit of daycare at home but that wasn’t making ends meet and I started looking for an actual career,” she explains.
Cathy, now 34, couldn’t spend the time or money on four years or more of university and started to look at options in the trades, eventually enrolling in Piping Opportunities for Women, offered through the Piping Industry Apprenticeship Board and funded by the Women in Trades Training Initiative.
“I had a lot of concerns going into this — working with all men. I thought I’d run into a lot of opposition,” she says. “What I’ve learned after going to school with men and now working with men is that the only people who are saying ‘no you can’t’ to the women are the women themselves.”
“All the men I’ve run into are completely supportive of why I’m on the job and what I’m doing. I’ve just had to learn to get the confidence in myself and realize I can do this,” she adds.
Cathy is now earning while she’s learning and encouraging other women to consider the trades. “When I come home with my clothes covered in dirt and dust, I tell my kids what I did at work that day and they think it’s pretty awesome. One of my daughters recently said ‘maybe I’ll be a plumber, too.’ I thought that was pretty awesome.”
The Industry Training Authority Women in Trades Training initiative connects women of all skill levels and backgrounds to funded trades training opportunities. For more information, call 1-866-660-6011, visit their website, or email womenintrades@itabc.ca
