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Okanagan College Women in Trades Training will host a free public open house Feb. 28.
The show will be an opportunity for the public to tour the College’s Salmon Arm Trades Centre, and chat with WITT advisors and trade instructors.
Participants will have a chance to get more information on the upcoming intake of the Gateway to the Building Trades for Women program, which starts April 9.
The College says the program has helped young women like Frances Sadowick find “the path to a career she loves” while helping her build the confidence to pursue it.
The 12-week, exploratory program gave Sadowick her introduction to the trades, after she was sponsored by Okanagan College WITT. She credits the program and her instructors with helping her build the confidence to continue her training.
“I was not feeling confident in myself and was hesitant about using the tools but my instructor would notice I was nervous and would make me feel better about trying it,” she says.
While in the Gateway program, she had an opportunity to observe plumbing and piping students and learn about the trade. It was a moment that sparked an interest in plumbing that would prove to be life-changing.
As soon as her Gateway program wrapped, she applied to and was sponsored again by Okanagan College WITT to sign up for the plumbing and piping trades foundation program. Sponsorship included full tuition, textbooks, personal protection equipment and tools required for the program.
The experience has paid off for Sadowick. She is now applying her skilled trades training in the industry, working full time in Penticton for RPR Heating and Air Conditioning threading gas pipe on a commercial project.
“I’ve found my confidence in the workplace and am excited for my future working towards a Red Seal ticket,” she explains. “I’m creating a brighter future for myself and my son.”
More information about the upcoming Gateway to the Building Trades for Women
program in Salmon Arm in April is available here.
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