The skilled trades in Ontario are hiring, and the province has built some of the most accessible entry points in Canada specifically for women. Whether you are drawn to electrical work, plumbing, carpentry, or heavy equipment operation, there are structured programs, funding, and mentorship networks waiting for you right now. If you have been on the fence about whether a trade is a realistic career path, this guide is the clearest map available.
Quick takeaways
- OYAP includes a Women in Skilled Trades stream for students in Grades 11 and 12
- Skills Ontario runs the Young Women's Initiative, offering hands-on trade exposure and mentorship across Ontario
- The Ontario Tools Grant provides up to $400 for registered apprentices to purchase required tools
- Union locals including IBEW Local 353 and LIUNA have active women's committees offering advocacy and peer support
- Browse current skilled trades openings at the WomenAtWork.ca job seekers page
Why Women Are Choosing Skilled Trades in Ontario
Wages and Job Security
Skilled trades offer wages that reward experience and certification rather than time spent in a classroom. A licensed journeyperson in electrical, pipefitting, or ironworking can earn well above the Ontario average wage, and demand for certified tradespeople is expected to remain strong as the province's infrastructure and housing construction sectors continue to grow. You do not need a four-year degree or significant student debt to reach that income level. You need a registered apprenticeship and the hours to complete it.
A Shift in Workplace Culture
The culture within many trades has changed meaningfully over the last decade. Provincial legislation, equity commitments from major unions, and employer-sponsored programs have made harassment reporting more structured and accountability more visible. That does not mean every job site is perfect, but it does mean that women entering the trades today have more institutional support than previous generations did. Women's committees, mentorship programs, and employer equity policies are real and active, not just statements on a website.
Career Progression Without a University Degree
An apprenticeship is a paid, earn-while-you-learn arrangement. You work alongside a journeyperson, accumulate on-the-job and in-school hours, and write a certification exam at the end. From there, you can pursue a Certificate of Qualification, move into supervisory roles, start your own contracting business, or cross-train in a related trade. The progression is clear and the credentials are portable across Canada.
The OYAP Women in Skilled Trades Stream
The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) is a Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development initiative that allows secondary school students in Grades 11 and 12 to register as apprentices while still in school. It is one of the most direct on-ramps into a trade available in the province.
What OYAP Is
OYAP allows students to earn cooperative education credits by working with a registered employer in one of Ontario's compulsory or voluntary trades. The hours logged during co-op apply toward the total required for full certification. Students graduate with both their Ontario Secondary School Diploma and a head start on their apprenticeship, entering the workforce ahead of peers who wait until after graduation to begin.
How the Women's Stream Works
OYAP has prioritized outreach to young women through partnerships with school boards, employers, and trades organizations. Guidance counselors in participating boards can connect female students with employers who have committed to providing welcoming, structured placements. The program removes one of the biggest early barriers for women: finding a sponsoring employer who is willing to take someone with no on-site experience. That introduction is handled for you.
Who Can Apply
Any student enrolled in a participating Ontario secondary school in Grade 11 or 12 is eligible. Interest in a specific trade and a conversation with your guidance counselor are the starting points. Prior trade experience is not required. The program is designed to introduce the work, not to screen applicants based on existing knowledge. Your first step is letting your counselor know you are interested in a skilled trade.
Skills Ontario Young Women's Initiative
Skills Ontario is a not-for-profit organization that promotes careers in skilled trades and technologies to Ontario youth. Its Young Women's Initiative (YWI) is specifically designed to introduce women to trade careers through practical exposure and peer mentorship, with no commitment required to participate.
What the Initiative Offers
The Young Women's Initiative runs events across Ontario where participants can try hands-on activities in trades including carpentry, electrical, welding, and plumbing, often before they have made any career commitment at all. The goal is to reduce the intimidation factor and give women direct, physical experience with the tools and environments of the trades. Most women who attend these events report that the work felt far more approachable than they expected.
Try-a-Trade Events
YWI events are typically held in partnership with colleges, employers, and trade organizations. Participants rotate through stations, ask questions of working tradeswomen, and get a realistic sense of what different trades feel like day-to-day. These events have introduced thousands of women across Ontario to careers they might not have otherwise considered, including women who had no prior connection to anyone working in the trades.
Mentorship and Networking
Beyond events, the YWI connects women with mentors who are already working in the trades: journeypersons, apprentices, and tradeswomen at various career stages. This peer model is particularly valuable if you do not have family or community connections to the trades and need someone to answer honest questions about daily reality on job sites. A mentor who has been through the apprenticeship process can tell you what the written guides do not.
The Ontario Tools Grant
Starting a skilled trades apprenticeship carries an upfront cost: tools. Depending on your trade, the required tool kit can run from several hundred to several thousand dollars. The Ontario Tools Grant is a one-time, non-repayable grant designed to reduce that barrier for new apprentices.
Who Qualifies
To qualify, you must be a registered apprentice in Ontario in an eligible trade. Eligible trades include many of the most common: electrical, plumbing, HVAC, automotive, and carpentry, among others. You must have registered your apprenticeship through Ontario's apprenticeship system and meet the application timeline requirements set by the Ministry. Checking eligibility before you purchase tools will save you a rejected application.
How Much You Can Receive
The grant provides up to $400 toward the purchase of tools required for your trade. It is not a loan and does not need to be repaid. While $400 does not cover a full professional tool kit, it covers a meaningful portion of the initial outlay and reduces the financial risk of entering a trade where apprentice wages are lower during the early stages of training.
How to Apply
Applications are submitted through the province's online apprenticeship portal. You will need your apprenticeship registration number, receipts for eligible tool purchases, and basic identification. The application window opens after you have registered your apprenticeship and purchased eligible tools. The Ontario government's apprenticeship services page lists current intake periods and the eligible trades for each cycle.
Union Locals with Active Women's Committees
Many of Ontario's largest trade unions have formalized women's committees that do substantive work: advocacy, mentorship, safety training, and community support. If you are considering a unionized trade, knowing which locals are actively engaged on women's issues is worth your time before you accept a dispatch or sign a collective agreement.
IBEW Local 353
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 353, based in Toronto, represents inside wiremen and apprentices across the Greater Toronto Area. IBEW Local 353 has a women's committee that organizes events, supports women through the apprenticeship process, and works with the local's training center to ensure women have access to the same advancement opportunities as their male counterparts. The IBEW also runs national-level programs through its Canadian Office that support women entering the electrical trade across provinces, including women in trades Canada initiatives that connect members in different regions.
LIUNA and the Labourers' International Union
The Labourers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) represents construction labourers working on large infrastructure, road, and building projects across Ontario. LIUNA locals in the province have women's committees that address workplace safety, harassment prevention, and peer mentorship. For women interested in general construction labouring as a starting point, which offers faster initial entry than many licensed trades, LIUNA's training centers and hiring halls provide a direct route to paid work with union protections from day one.
What Women's Committees Actually Do
Women's committees in trade unions are not ceremonial bodies. They run workshops on rights under the Ontario Human Rights Code as it applies to job sites, maintain peer support networks, push for policy changes in collective agreements, and in many cases keep lists of employers and contractors with documented equity commitments. If you join a union, connecting with the women's committee in your local is one of the most practical steps you can take in your first year. They know which employers are worth pursuing and which to approach with caution.
Finding Apprenticeship Placements and Job Postings
Knowing about programs and grants is half the work. The other half is finding an actual employer who will sponsor your apprenticeship or hire you into a trades-related role.
Apprenticeship Matching Programs
Ontario's Employment Ontario network includes apprenticeship offices that help match prospective apprentices with registered employers. These offices are free to use and are specifically equipped to support people who are new to the trades and searching for their first sponsoring employer. The unions described above also run their own dispatch systems and hiring halls that prioritize registered members when work becomes available. Registering with both gives you the broadest reach.
Using WomenAtWork.ca to Find Openings
WomenAtWork.ca is a Canadian job platform built for women seeking employment and career advancement. It includes postings across sectors, including trades, construction, and technical roles, from employers across Ontario and the rest of Canada. Creating a candidate profile allows you to receive alerts when relevant openings are posted and gives employers who are actively recruiting women the ability to find your application. For women in trades Ontario or women who are just beginning to explore the path, it is a focused alternative to general job boards where relevant postings can be hard to surface among unrelated results.
Visit the WomenAtWork.ca job seekers page to browse current openings and set up your profile.
FAQ
What trades are most accessible for women entering the field in Ontario?
There is no single answer, but some trades have more active recruitment programs for women than others. Electrical (through IBEW), general construction labouring (through LIUNA), and plumbing have visible outreach programs and established women's committees. Carpentry, HVAC, and heavy equipment operation also have growing numbers of women entering. The best trade is the one that matches your physical interests and long-term career goals, not simply the one with the most promotion around it.
Do I need prior experience to start a skilled trades apprenticeship in Ontario?
No. Apprenticeships are designed to teach you on the job. You need to find a sponsoring employer, register with Ontario's apprenticeship system, and show up ready to learn. Programs like OYAP and the Young Women's Initiative exist specifically to give women without existing trades connections a structured path to that first employer, so lack of experience is not a barrier if you are willing to use the programs available to you.
What is the Ontario Tools Grant and who can claim it?
The Ontario Tools Grant is a one-time non-repayable grant of up to $400 for registered apprentices in eligible trades who purchase tools required for their work. You apply through the provincial apprenticeship portal after registering your apprenticeship and purchasing tools. Not every trade is eligible, so check the current eligible trades list on the Ontario government's apprenticeship services page before you buy anything.
How long does a skilled trades apprenticeship take in Ontario?
Duration varies by trade. Many compulsory trades, those that require certification to practice legally in Ontario, have apprenticeships ranging from two to five years depending on the specific trade. Electrical apprenticeships typically involve approximately nine thousand hours of combined on-the-job and in-school training. Shorter apprenticeships exist in some voluntary trades. Your local Employment Ontario apprenticeship office can give you the specific hour and term requirements for any trade you are considering.
Are union trades better for women than non-union trades?
Not categorically, but union trades often come with more formal protections: collective agreements that address harassment, formal grievance procedures, and women's committees that do active advocacy work. Non-union employers can also provide excellent, respectful workplaces. The key is to ask direct questions during any interview or pre-hire conversation about how the employer handles workplace harassment and what structured support exists for female apprentices in your first year.
Where do I search for skilled trades jobs for women in Ontario?
The WomenAtWork.ca job seekers page lists skilled trades and technical openings from employers across Canada, with a particular focus on opportunities for women in Ontario and nationally. Employment Ontario offices, union hiring halls, and the OYAP program through your school board are also strong starting points depending on your current stage.
Ready to take the next step? Visit WomenAtWork.ca at https://womenatwork.ca/job-seekers to browse current openings and create a candidate profile.