National mentor program aims to boost retention of women in the trades

February 14, 2024 – The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum’s National Mentor Development Program for Women in the Skilled Trades offers online programming “to develop and enhance mentorship skills for women and gender-diverse individuals in the trades”.

By launching this program, CAF says it is addressing a top priority for tradeswomen, who have repeatedly “identified mentorship as one of their top priorities”.

This program should help address retention rates for women in the trades, says CAF; according to its National Apprenticeship Survey, women are more likely than men to identify discrimination as the reason they left an employer.

The virtual, 4-month program is facilitated by subject matter experts, in collaboration with tradeswomen coaches from the manufacturing and construction sectors. The program is offered free of charge to participants across Canada, and is funded (in part) by the Government of Canada’s Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy.

Visit leadership.caf-fca.org if you are interested in applying to be either a mentee or mentor.

Questions? Contact Stephanie Shrum, stephanie@caf-fca.org.