Women in trades are making headway in Winnipeg, and International Women’s day helps put the spotlight on women in trades.

Working in male dominated industries doesn’t come easily. Adrienne Johanson, one of two female brewers at Barn Hammer Brewing Company, says she still receives comments about her gender when unloading forklifts at work.

“There’s always going to be a comment someone might make that makes me a little uncomfortable,” Johanson says.

Loni Petrowski, a welder for Winnipeg Transit, says being one of three women working at transit is a benefit, saying her creativity helps her find better solutions to problems.

“Having a different mindset on the floor is actually really good,” says Petrowski.

Andrea Canada from the Office to Advance Women Apprentices says only two-to-four per cent of tradespeople in Canada are women. Manitoba is working to change that.

In 2018, the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology announced a grant worth $25,000 available to women who want to enter their programs. The Government of Manitoba also offers a grant worth up to $3000 twice per year for women looking to enter a Red Seal trade.

At Red River College, their carpentry program is seeing a steady increase of female enrollment. The program only accepts 20 students per class. This year, six of those students are women, a significant increase from last year’s two.