International Day of the Girl

“The girl I am, the change I lead”

October 11, annually

International Day of the Girl is “a day dedicated to celebrating the voices and power of girls, championing their rights worldwide, and reflecting on the challenges they continue to face because of their gender.” (Source) Since 2021, Skills Ontario celebrates International Day of the Girl to recognize and inspire girls ages 10-13 across the province to build their skills, conquer boundaries, and explore their pathways. Join us every second week of October for the Skills Ontario International Day of the Girl Celebration Event – we’re hosting an in-person event and a virtual celebration! 

Post about your attendance on social media by tagging us at @SkillsOntario and @SkillsYWI and using hashtag #SkillsIDG2025!

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Student Registration opens Tuesday, September 9, 2025

*School Registration is now FULL for in-person events*

Exhibitor Registration Now Closed!

Thank you to our Premium Conferences – Event Sponsor [Sudbury]: 

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Virtual Celebration Events

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CHALLENGE SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Wednesday, October 22, 2025

In this pre-recorded virtual workshop, participants will learn how to bring stories and ideas to life through simple character animation using Google Slides. The session introduces step-by-step techniques for creating movement, adding dialogue, and designing original characters with basic shapes. Learners will also explore how animation can be used to imagine future careers—such as eco-friendly construction specialists, farm-to-table culinary innovators, or green energy electricians—by showcasing a “day in the life” through animated storytelling. 

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We are pleased to offer this virtual series dedicated to sitting down with passionate tradeswomen to learn about their journey in the industry. During this one-on-one sit down, we will:

• Introduce young women to a select skilled trade and/or technology career;
• Discuss why we should encourage young women to consider a career in the skilled trades;
• Discuss how to be an advocate and ally for young women in the skilled trades.

Meet: 

Laurin Padolina: a dynamic speaker, dedicated mentor, and proud tradesperson who proves that a fulfilling career isn’t just a job — it’s a cornerstone of a meaningful life. She’s living proof that purpose, resilience, and grit can build something truly extraordinary.  

Before discovering welding, Laurin spent years performing in musical theatre across Canada and the U.S., including on Broadway. Motherhood inspired her to take a bold new direction — trading performance for precision welding. With grit and determination, she successfully embraced the skilled trades, proving that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself and build a career filled with purpose. Craving both financial stability and a new kind of adrenaline rush, Laurin swapped sequins for steel and never looked back.  

In 2018, she jumped into a pre-apprenticeship program, fell in love with the trades, and started a new career as a welder. Now, she’s passionate about showing students that the skilled trades are full of opportunities, creativity, and excitement. 

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Teri-Anna Libby: a 5th-term Electrician Apprentice with IBEW Local 353, Teri-Anna is deeply committed to promoting equality and safety within the skilled trades. She actively advocates for fair opportunities, ensures health and safety standards on-site as a certified member of the Joint Health and Safety Committee, and works to raise awareness and support for mental health within the trades community. 

Her involvement in various women’s committees highlights her dedication to fostering inclusivity, sisterhood, and solidarity among women in the trades. As a mentor and leader both on and off-site, Teri-Anna takes pride in guiding others in their professional journeys and contributing to the growth and success of the skilled trades community.

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Samantha Moon: is in her second year at Sault College studying to become a Mechanical Engineering Technician.  After graduation she hopes to continue her education to become a Mechanical Engineering Technologist. 

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Alanna Massey: Alanna is 22 years old and works as a Regional Maintainer Electrician at Hydro One, where she is in her 3rd year of the 309A Electrical Apprenticeship and has completed Level 1 of her Regional Maintainer qualification. Her passion for the trades began in high school through shop classes and an OYAP Carpentry Apprenticeship, which sparked her interest in electrical and led her to study Electrical Engineering Technology at Fleming College. She went on to gain experience at Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington Nuclear as a Control Technician and later as a contractor with the Canadian Union of Skilled Workers before joining Hydro One. Today, Alanna maintains distribution and transformer stations, overhauls equipment, and is proud to serve her community while building a career she loves.

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Annette Argyle is a 3rd-term electrical apprentice who began her apprenticeship journey in 2022 with Black & McDonald, working in the Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional (ICI) sector and now specializing in water treatment projects. Her interest in the trade began in high school, where she participated in a dual credit carpentry and electrical course in 2018, followed by a trades co-op in 2019 that provided hands-on residential experience under a licensed journeyperson. Building on that foundation, Annette completed the intensive Electrical Techniques program at Sir Sandford Fleming College in 2020–2021 before joining the inaugural cohort of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers’ (IBEW) Women in the Electrical Trade Pathway Program in 2022. With a strong commitment to learning both in the classroom and on the jobsite, Annette takes pride in contributing to meaningful projects while helping to break barriers for women in the skilled trades.

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Cathleen Lake is a graduate of Crestwood Secondary School and Sir Sandford Fleming College, she originally thought her future was in the food and hospitality industry. While working at a factory in Lindsay, she became fascinated by the work plumbers and other skilled trades professionals were doing, which sparked her passion for plumbing. After exploring several programs at Fleming, she discovered that plumbing was the right fit and has since found great success and fulfillment in her career. Her advice to students is not to worry if they don’t know their career path right away—take the time to explore, follow what interests you, and you may find success in places you never expected.

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Check out past Sit Down Conversations

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