Young women get close-up look at careers in the trades at camp

By Lethbridge Herald on April 24, 2025.

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald

CAREERS: The Next Generation provided an opportunity to explore a career in trades to 10 young women as part of their Young Women in Trades & Technologies Camp Wednesday at KB Heating, Plumbing & Air Conditioning Ltd. 

After a safety briefing and a short presentation about young women in trades, the group had a tour of the facility and were given instructions on how to build a metal toolbox. They were shown how to use the various tools available and some metal bending machines. 

Courtney Stinson, journeyman refrigeration mechanic with KB Heating, told media that having events like the one they offered Wednesday is very important for them, not only because of the high demand for people in trades, but also because she believes it is important to showcase the trades, to young women in particular, to let them know that they can do what men can do as well. 

“A lot of people think of trades as dirty and hard, but I think there is a lot of misinformation out there about what the trades actually are and what is out there for trades,” said Stinson. 

She added that she believes there is a lack of information and education to get young people interested in choosing a trade as a career path, and she hopes that by taking part of camps like the one they offered through Careers: The Next generation, that could change. 

When talking to the group prior to the hands-on experience, Stinson said trades have become more accepting of women and less of a boy’s club. She shared her story with them and then with media. 

“I have been in the trades for 12 years and when I first started, I always wondered if I would be accepted as a girl, and I had no problems,” said Stinson. “There is always going to be people out there that look down on you no matter what career you decide, but the trades is coming to a point where is equaling out with other jobs and careers.” 

She explained that a lot of girls get involved with the trades now, as well as with safety and human resources. 

“It’s not like it used to be. I’ve been fully accepted. I went to school all four years with no girls in any class, and never had a problem,” said Stinson. 

She said that on the contrary, her classmates were very accepting, and she became best friends with some of them. 

When it comes to being able to share her story with young women. Stinson said she is very grateful to KB Heating to allow her to do just that, as she hopes that by sharing her story someone may be inspired to go into trades. 

“If I could reach out to one person and get one girl to go through what I got to go through and have the confidence and everything that I’ve gotten from this, it means the world to me,” said Stinson. 

To be able to talk to girls at the stage in life when they are trying to figure out their next steps after high school is crucial and Stinson said she’s happy that she can do it. 

“You’ve got to figure out what’s best for you. My trade is not a physically demanding trade, I use a lot more of my mental capacity. Yes, there are times when I will have to lift something a bit heavy, but we have the buddy system where you always have someone to reach out to.”

She explained that guys do not look down upon it and she has never had anyone say anything like “if you were a boy, you would be able to do that.” 

Berlin Shaw, a Grade 10 student from Winston Churchill who took part of the camp, told media that she even though she was already interested in the electrical trade, she wanted to learn more about other trades and the camp gave her the opportunity to do so. 

“I want to know about other ones that I might be interested in too, and I am really excited that they have this. And I think it’s pretty cool that we get to build the toolboxes,” said Shaw. 

She said that she was happy to be surrounded by other young women who were interested in trades and the fact that their participation in trades have become more normalized. 

“I didn’t know it was this easy to go into the trades and how powerful it was for all the work opportunities,” said Shaw.