Finding Your People
How BCCWITT Created Connections
Through events, training, virtual meetups and online support, Journey to Success brought together tradeswomen at different stages of their apprenticeship and careers.
What the BCCWITT team found was that sometimes, the most meaningful outcomes came from simple conversations.
At an in-person event in Burnaby, BCCWITT staff overheard apprentice pipefitter Phoebe talking with two pre-apprentices who were considering electrical because, as they cited, it was the trade most often suggested to them.
Phoebe broadened the conversation. She asked about their interests and aptitudes, introduced them to trades they hadn’t considered, and encouraged them to think about where their strengths might be the best fit.
It was peer mentorship happening naturally with one tradeswoman sharing what she had learned to help others find their own path.
A Community to Turn To
That same kind of support happened virtually as well.
During a monthly meetup, an apprentice shared that she would soon be travelling away from home for technical training. Another woman on the call lived in the community she was travelling to and shared that she would be attending the same school at the same time. That conversation led to helping one apprentice find housing and, just as importantly, both women found familiar faces waiting on their first days of class.
For BCCWITT, moments like these reinforced the value of peer connection. Women and gender-diverse people may not always see themselves represented on job sites or in classrooms. Having a community of people who understand those experiences can provide practical support, mentorship and a reminder that they don’t have to navigate their skilled trades careers alone.
Peer connection and community should be top of mind for those focused on retaining workers, especially women, in the industry. Women and gender-diverse workers need to see themselves represented more often on sites – and when they can’t, they need opportunities to connect in other ways with people who understand the experiences and challenges they are consistently managing.
Kristen Keighley-Wight, Executive Director, BC Centre for Women in the Trades (BCCWITT)
Hear from Phoebe
As an apprentice pipefitter and participant in the Journey to Success community, Phoebe experienced that value firsthand.
Join the ConnectHER Community
Join the conversation, share experiences, build connections, and become part of a growing movement creating change across Canada.