Skills Ontario’s Young Women’s Initiatives is a collection of engaging and hands-on events and programs that provide skills development and mentorship opportunities to young women. Our department is excited to share the launch of our new quarterly reports.
These reports are a way for us to highlight the meaningful work our team has been doing throughout the year to inspire and support young women in exploring careers in skilled trades and technologies. These reports also give us an opportunity to recognize and thank the incredible partners, host locations, and collaborators who help make this work possible.
We’d love for you to take a look and see what we’ve been up to!
Annual Calendar of Events
| Dates | Event | Audience |
|---|---|---|
| March 8 (annually) | International Women’s Day Events | Students in grades 6-12 and post-secondary school, apprentices, businesswomen, tradeswomen, and advocates |
| May | Young Women’s Conferences | Grades 6-12 |
| September – June | Skilled Trade & Technology Days for Young Women | Grades 7-11 |
| October 11 (annually) | International Day of the Girl Activity Series | Grades 6-8 |
| December – May | Parent/Guardian Information Events | Grades 7-12 students and their parents/guardians |
Thank you to our Young Women’s Initiatives Partners:
This Employment Ontario program is funded in part by
the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.
Program Partners
Skilled Trade & Tech Days for Young Women
Skills Ontario is proud to present a series of Skilled Trade & Tech Days (formally Career Exploration Events) once again for young women in senior elementary and secondary school. These events provide young women the opportunity to explore a variety of skilled trade and technology careers through hands-on workshops while networking with women in the skilled trades. Hosted across the province, young women will have the opportunity to gain practical experience and valuable information to make informed decisions about their future.
In-Person Events
Audience: Grades 7/8 OR 9-10 *Audience may vary depending on the location.
COST: A $25.00 fee applies to each student registration for select locations only
Skills Ontario is proud to be hosting our popular in-person events again this year! Young women will have to opportunity to travel to a local college or industry location to learn about skilled trades and technology careers! During the event, young women will:
- Gain an understanding of what skilled trade and technology careers are out there and why they are important;
- Learn about different careers in the skilled trades and technologies;
- Learn about and try different day-to-day activities preformed in a skilled trade and technology career while participating in a variety of hands-on workshops.
Industry Events
Audience: Grades 11 & 12
COST: A $25.00 fee applies to each student registration
Skills Ontario is happy to be partnering with Industry locations to offer a day of exploration and learning with local employers. Young women will have the opportunity to attend an Industry Event, meet local representatives, gain an understanding about available opportunities through that employer such CO-OP/OYAP placements, Training opportunities and Apprenticeship programs.
During the event, young women will:
- Gain an understanding of who the employer is, what they do, what they offer in terms of training, apprentice and job opportunities;
- Learn about the different career opportunities available with the employer;
- Try their hand at different day-to-day activities to help familiarize them with different job duties associated with the various careers available with that employer
**NOTE: Depending on the employer, personal protective equipment such as steel toed boots or shoes, may be required in order to attend.
School/Student Registration:
Teachers and board contacts are to register students.
How Registration Works:
Each teacher or Board contact will register a group of young women for their choice of event. For all “regional events”, if a co-host is listed, workshops will be based off their programming/campus offerings. Please keep in a mind that each location will have a maximum capacity.
After registering, you will either receive a confirmation email confirming your total number of spaces or a waitlist email. If you are placed on a waitlist, you will only be contacted if a space becomes available.
Cancellation policy
Cancelled spaces will not be refunded after the registration deadline. However, substitutions are permitted. If spaces have not been cancelled, and there are no shows on the day of the event, you will be invoiced for those spaces.
If you have any questions, please contact lchester@skillsontario.com.
Regional Event Offering
Below is a list of our Skilled Trades and Tech Day event offerings. Once a date is secured, it will be posted online and will not change unless an unforeseen circumstance occurs. At that time, a notice will be posted to our website and all registered participants will be notified. All event details will be updated as each date is secured in the chart below.
IMPORTANT: In select events, some workshops may require an informed consent form to be signed by the parent/guardian depending on the workshop activity. This will be indicated with the event confirmation once participants are registered.
| Date | Region | Location | Target Audience | Flyer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, October 7, 2025 | Oshawa | Reliance Home Comfort – Industry Event 335 Britannia Reliance Home Comfort – Industry Event 1155 Boundary Rd Unit 8, Oshawa, ON | Gr. 10 – 12 | Flyer |
| Thursday, October 9, 2025 | Ottawa | Canadian Science & Technology Museum 1867 St. Laurent Blvd, Ottawa, ON | Gr. 7 & 8 | Flyer |
| Friday, October 10, 2025 | Bracebridge | Georgian College 111 Wellington St, Bracebridge, ON | Gr. 7 & 8 | Flyer |
| Tuesday, October 21, 2025 | Dryden | Dryden Regional Training & Cultural Centre 100 Casimir Avenue, Dryden, ON | Gr. 9 & 10 | Flyer |
| Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | Peterborough | Fleming College – Sutherland Campus 599 Brealey, Peterborough, ON | Gr. 9 & 10 | Flyer |
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 | Lindsay | Fleming College – Frost Campus 200 Albert Street South, Lindsay, ON | Gr. 9 & 10 | Flyer |
| Wednesday, October 29, 2025 | London | Reliance Home Comfort – Industry Event 16025 Robins Hill Rd, London, ON N5V 0C4 | Gr. 10 -12 | Flyer |
| Tuesday, November 4, 2025 | Virtual | National Skilled Trades Week Virtual Build Solar Powered Car | Gr. 4-6 | Flyer |
| Monday, December 15, 2025 | Peterborough | Fleming College – Sutherland Campus 599 Brealey, Peterborough, ON *In the event of a snow day, this event will be rescheduled to Tuesday, December 16 | Gr. 9-10 | Flyer |
| Wednesday, February 4, 2026 | Ottawa | Convergint – Industry Event 2170 Thurston Dr Suite 1, Ottawa, ON | Gr. 11 & 12 | Coming Soon |
| Thursday, February 26, 2026 | Brampton | Sheridan College 7899 McLaughlin Road, Brampton, ON | Gr. 9-10 | Coming Soon |
| Tuesday, March 3, 2026 | Ottawa | Algonquin College 1385 Woodroffe Ave, Ottawa, ON | Gr. 9 -10 | Coming Soon |
| Thursday, March 5, 2026 | Whitby | Durham College 1610 Champlain Ave, Whitby, ON | Gr. 9 – 10 | Coming Soon |
| Wednesday, March 25, 2026 | Sault Ste. Marie | Quattro Hotel 229 Great North Road, Sault Ste. Marie, ON | Gr. 7-12 | Coming Soon |
| Wednesday, April 22, 2026 | Peterborough | Fleming College – Sutherland Campus 599 Brealey, Peterborough, ON | Gr. 9-10 | Flyer |
| Thursday, April 23, 2026 | Lindsay | Fleming College – Frost Campus 200 Albert Street South, Lindsay, ON | Gr. 9-10 | Flyer |
Register a Guest
A guest is classified as a dignitary, community partner, sponsor, or other interested party who is not part of a school registration. Please email ywc@skillsontario.com to register.
Becoming a Speaker and/or a Workshop Leader
Are you a woman who works in the skilled trades and technologies and looking to share your experience and skilled trade and technology? Volunteer as a mentor or to host a workshop at one of our events! Email ywc@skillsontario.com.
Parent/Guardian Skilled Trade & Technology Information Series
Join us for a six-part series connecting high school programs to apprenticeships to employers, while engaging in thought-provoking conversations that challenge the stigmas behind careers in skilled trades and technologies.
Throughout these events, Parents/Guardians will have the opportunity to learn about the options that are available to youth starting in high school with OYAP (Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program) to what programs are available in college within a specific sector and what partnerships exist between local high schools/colleges and employers. Learn about OYAP, explore local colleges, hear from employers, and more! Each event will also feature a “101 with Milwaukee” segment exploring different tools of the trades.
While these events are geared towards young women in grades 7-10 and their parents/guardians, all are welcome!
| Topic | Date & Time | Co-host(s) | Flyer | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| An Introduction to Women In Trades | December 7, 2021 5 pm (EST) | Conestoga College, Milwaukee, OYAP | Flyer | Watch the recording here |
| A Focus on the Construction Sector | January 25, 2022 5 pm (EST) | OYAP, Milwaukee, Fleming College and Algonquin College | Flyer | Watch the recording here |
| A Focus on the Industrial Sector | February 22, 2022 5 pm (EST) | Milwaukee, OYAP, Fleming College and Linamar | Flyer | Watch the recording here |
| A Focus on the Service Sector | April 27, 2022 5 pm (EST) | Milwaukee, OYAP, Durham Hairstylist Academy, Confederation College, and Loyalist College | Flyer | Watch the recording here |
| A Focus on the Motive Power Sector | April 26, 2022 5 pm (EST) | Milwaukee, OYAP, Tropicana Employment Centre, Centennial College, TTC | Flyer | Watch the recording here |
| Parent/Guardian Skilled Trades and Technology Information Event | November 5, 2022 9:00 am (EST) | Georgian College | Flyer | Register here |
Women in Trades Resource Hub
Collaborating Organizations
Skills Ontario is on the forefront of making change in our province! We are thrilled to be partnering with women in skilled trade and technology organizations and groups to stand together and make an impact. We are united with the same goals and initiatives and will promote exciting opportunities for women through skill development, mentorship, networking, and experiential learning opportunities at our Young Women’s Career Exploration Events and Young Women’s Conference.
