Supporting Women in the Trades

It’s no secret that women are underrepresented in skilled trades. According to the CBC, in 2022, women only made up 5% of all skilled trades workers.?Although these numbers are incredibly low, there is evidence of slow growth and as such, it is important to continue to encourage and support women in the industry.

Naylor is a proud supporter of Women in HVAC-R Canada (https://www.womeninhvac.ca/) whose mission is “to provide a forum to promote the inclusion and advancement of women in the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC-R) industry in Canada.”

Women in HVAC-R is the product of a simple conversation between its founding members Shelly Vallée-Ewing and Nathalie Brooks. They were discussing how the trades were lacking female representation, and through that conversation, in 2019, Women in HVAC-R was born.

They had a vision to create an organization in which women joining the HVAC trade could share knowledge and network with other women in the industry.?Today, Women in HVACR Canada continues to support women by organizing networking opportunities, providing educational resources, and creating opportunities for social networking to help build a community where women feel empowered and welcomed.

There’s still a long way to go before trades will become more diverse in gender, but to have resources such as this means women have a collective voice to help shape and change the industry and provide new opportunities for young women looking to start a career in the skilled trades.??Naylor welcomes tradeswomen and provides them with training, support and equal opportunities.