Building Bridges
Connecting Working Women, Skilled Trades and Changemakers Across Canada
Building more inclusive workplaces is not only about opening the door. It is about creating spaces where women and gender-diverse people can be heard, supported, connected and able to succeed.
The Gender Equality Coalition of Ontario (GECO) brought to life the Building Bridges for Working Women Across Canada event at Fanshawe College Innovation Village in London, Ontario. The conference created a shared space for working women, tradeswomen, mentors, allies, labour activists, educators, industry voices and community advocates to exchange experiences and build relationships across sectors.
The conference opened on International Workers’ Day with a May Day reception, welcome and celebration words from Mary Lou Smoke, a labour award presentation, food, music and community. The days that followed combined keynote speakers, breakout learning, skilled-trades conversations, networking and opportunities for participants to connect outside formal sessions.
Building Bridges was about getting people out of their silos and into the same room. When working women, tradeswomen, labour, educators and community leaders share what they are seeing and what is working, we stop solving the same problems alone and start building change together.
Dani Bartlett, Gender Equality Coalition of Ontario
More Than a Conference
Connection was intentionally built into the program. “Spill the Tea” activities between sessions gave participants time to keep conversations going, reflect on what they had heard and meet people doing similar work in other communities.
The program also featured Test the Trades discussion panels, keeping women in skilled trades at the centre of the conversation. Across Friday and Saturday, the conference offered 11 breakout-session time blocks alongside the skilled-trades panels, creating opportunities to explore workplace equity, leadership, anti-racism, allyship, entrepreneurship, economic participation and the experiences of women in traditionally male-dominated work.
A free screening of Pioneers in Skirts added another way to explore the barriers that can chip away at girls’ and women’s ambitions, while evening receptions created informal space for music, networking and relationship-building.
Building Bridges At A Glance
- International Workers’ Day / May Day conference kickoff
- 11 breakout-session time blocks across Friday and Saturday
- 2 Test the Trades discussion panels
- Spill the Tea connecting activities between sessions
- Free Pioneers in Skirts documentary screening
- Keynotes, receptions, music and networking
Building on What Was Shared
Building Bridges reflected the purpose behind ConnectHER: strengthen networks, amplify the experiences of women in skilled trades and create practical opportunities for people and organizations to learn from one another.
For GECO, the conference was part of a larger approach to change – creating spaces where people can speak honestly about what they experience at work, building relationships across communities, and carrying those conversations forward into tools, partnerships and action that can support more respectful and equitable workplaces.
Connected to ConnectHER
ConnectHER welcomes employers, industry leaders, associations, and organizations committed in supporting more inclusive and supportive skilled trades pathways for women across Canada.
To learn more about industry engagement and partnership opportunities, contact [email protected].