Our Stories

Building Confidence, One Weld at a Time
Entering a male-dominated field as a first-year welder, I quickly realized that my biggest barriers weren’t just learning the technical side of welding; they were overcoming self-doubt.

Emma Pollard is a Journeyman Scaffolder by trade and the Project Director for The Office to Advance Women Apprentices Alberta. Emma believes the Office will bring diversity to the workforce for employers while creating equal opportunities for women across Alberta.

If I were to give another woman looking into a career in the trades any advice, it would be to take the leap. Challenge yourself.

What barriers have you faced in your journey of becoming a tradeswoman? The biggest barrier for me in taking up a trade was figuring out how to start. When I was trying to decide which trade to pursue, it was tough finding reliable information about them. Most of what I found came from random folks