Women interested in careers like plumbing, electrical, and carpentry will get the chance to get paid while learning about the trades this fall, thanks to a new pre-apprenticeship program exclusively for women.

The paid program, called CRAFT Women (Creating Real Apprenticeships for Toronto) will offer 15 successful applicants four weeks of in-class training at the College of Carpenters and Allied Trades and then a 10-week job placement arranged by the Daniels Corporation or Heights Development.

Information sessions on how to apply for the program, which will be held at the Central YMCA on Grosvenor Street near Yonge and College streets, begin Tuesday.

"Women make excellent employees and are still woefully underrepresented in the construction trades," said Cristina Selva, executive director of the College of Carpenters and Allied Trades, which is leading the program.

"They bring practices, insights and abilities that can complement men."

The program is making applicants who are TCH residents a priority, but any woman over the age of 16 with at least 16 completed high school credits is welcome to apply. Selva said the trades provide excellent opportunities with minimal financial investment.

"They are able to do an apprenticeship while working within the trade and 'earning while they are learning,' thereby enabling them to start earning decent living wages right away," she said.

Pre-apprenticeship will offer a 'sample platter' of trade jobs

The program will run from Aug. 27 to Nov. 30 and participants will earn $14/hr. According to Selva, most pre-apprenticeship programs do not pay wages.

Costs for childcare, travel, basic tools and safety equipment will be covered, along with mentorship through Sisters in Trades, an organization that supports women in construction.

While a pre-apprenticeship is not mandatory for an apprenticeship, Selva said it's one of the best routes to getting exposure to the trades.

"A pre-apprenticeship enables them to sample different types of trades and construction positions that they may have never considered before. So it's a sample platter, whereas an apprenticeship is an actual commitment," said Selva.

Jane Davis, left, and Alexandra Kelloway, centre, both work in the trades and teach at the College of Carpenters and Allied Trades. Carolyn-Marie Goodwin, right, is an apprentice of general carpentry at the college.

Positive change in treatment of women in the trades

According to Selva, women only make up three per cent of people in construction trades across Canada.

"There is no reason why that statistic should continue to be as low as it is, because when you look at women who do work in the trades, it proves they are successful and earn good money."

While CRAFT pre-apprenticeship programs have been offered for three years, this is the first time the program will be open to women only.

Jane Davis, a general carpenter who went through a pre-apprenticeship program 15 years ago, was behind the push for the change and will be leading one of the information sessions.

Now an instructor for the College of Carpenters and Allied Trades, Davis believes getting women in one room where they can focus on their skills and build confidence will get them ready for the real world.

She feels fortunate to have seen positive change in how women are treated in the trades.

"There have been many women who have come before me who have paved the way," Davis said.

As a unionized worker, she says one benefit is how men and women are given equal opportunity and pay.

Recently, she completed teacher's college and will be pursuing a career as a high school tech education teacher.

"There are so many options and you can take trades to anywhere in the world," said Davis. "It's not an industry that's going to slow down or die away."