Pembina Trails students attend the 2025 Young Women's Conference with Skills Manitoba

Four dozen Grade 8 students from Pembina Trails attended the Manitoba Skills “Young Women’s Conference” on April 10, 2025. Represented schools included Ecole Charleswood, Laidlaw, Henry G. Izatt, Arthur A. Leach, Bison Run and River West.

The students spent the day learning about normally non-traditional female trades such as welding, carpentry and robotics. The conference included tours of Red River College Polytech where the 2025 Provincial Skills Competition was also being held. Female mentors from across the trades hosted the students, sharing background about their trades, examples from their work and the education required.

Statistics Canada data indicates that women are underrepresented in Red Seal trades, making up about five percent of the Red Seal workforce in 2021. The Young Women’s Conference offered a look at the many options available to the attendees.

The day-long event capped off with a hands-on demonstration of making a three-way switch, such as those used at the top and bottom of a flight of stairs. Electrical students from RRC assisted the attendees to make their lights shine.