A group of female students at Charlottetown Rural High School are participating in a unique program aimed at increasing the number of females learning skilled trades such as carpentry, says Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Doug Currie.
“The all-female carpentry class is a pilot project designed to address the shortage of female students choosing to engage in Career and Technical Education programs,” said Minister Currie. “We need to support schools and teachers to find ways to try and encourage more students to consider pursuing a career in skilled trades.”
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is working with the Eastern School District and Charlottetown Rural High School to pilot an all-female offering of the newly implemented Carpentry 701A – Introduction to Carpentry. This course is the prerequisite for the next five carpentry courses at the high school level.
The new Career and Technical Education curriculum is open to all learners across the Prince Edward Island school system. It contains information and ideas for teachers around making their programs gender equitable and welcoming to all learners. Career and Technical Education programs have historically been designed to meet the needs of male learners. There are also very few female CTE teachers or role models for girls, and females are under-represented in industry.
The objective of the course is to expose as many students as possible to the occupations available in the skilled trades through Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs. The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is also committed to developing relationships with other stakeholders to increase the number of skilled tradespeople in Prince Edward Island.
By piloting this class to a small group of girls, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development hopes to provide a positive experience in Career and Technical Education. The goal is to eventually offer this program at other Island high schools which would ultimately lead to an increase in the number of girls who enroll in high school carpentry courses.
“Females are one of the largest untapped demographics in the skilled trades,” said Ian Hogg, Career and Technical Education teacher at Charlottetown Rural. “Research indicates that when female students are part of a mixed, skilled-trade class and the instructor asks the student to engage in hands-on activity, girls tend to take a step back and the boys step up.”
“As Minister, I commend the staff at Charlottetown Rural High school, the Eastern School District and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development for their commitment to this initiative,” said Minister Currie. “The Department is looking forward to hearing feedback from students and instructors participating in this pilot program. I would also like to wish the students all the best as they continue to learn and study courses in Career and Technical Education.”
For further information, contact the Career and Technical Education specialists at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development at 902-438-4130 or visit the website at www.gov.pe.ca/eecd/CareerEducation.