Women in the skilled trades: How early exposure builds confidence and curiosity

By Shannon Tymosko, Electrical Apprentice, IBEW Local 105

Growing up in Canada, I often believed the gender gap was somewhat of a myth. From my perspective, the opportunities around me looked the same for boys and girls. If I worked hard enough, I assumed I had the same potential to earn the same pay as any man.

Through experience, I've learned the reality is a little more complex.

Many of us have heard firsthand stories where women are paid less for the same job, or where men are promoted over women despite similar qualifications. The gender gap does exist — but we are starting to see slow progress. And one of the things I love most about careers in the skilled trades is how they can help close that gap. Not just through wages, but through something harder to measure and arguably more important: confidence.

Confidence is built through competence

As a young girl, I was often told, "I just wish you had more confidence." But no one ever broke down the formula for how to get it.

Working in the trades gave me that formula: confidence is built through competence.

Competence comes from doing something repeatedly until you succeed — until the project works, the circuit functions, the problem is solved. Those moments stack. Each small success builds another layer of belief in yourself.

That's something many young people are losing access to. Social media makes it easy to measure yourself against other people's highlight reels rather than building real-life experience. When young people spend less time experimenting, failing, and learning by doing, they miss out on discovering what they're truly capable of.

Honestly, this wasn't even what drew me to the trades in the first place. I came in for simpler reasons — I was struggling financially, slowly going into debt, and needed a path that could actually change that. What I found along the way was something I hadn't expected: a version of myself that believed she could figure things out.

Equal pay, transparently

One of the most concrete ways the trades close the gender gap is through wages — and more specifically, through how wages are structured.

As a unionized construction electrician, I earn the exact same wage as every licensed electrician at my local. There's no guessing, no awkward silence around pay. The rates are defined, published, and the same for everyone regardless of gender.

In Ontario, the 309A Construction and Maintenance Electrician apprenticeship typically takes about five years, with apprentices earning a percentage of the journeyman rate that increases each year — starting at 40 percent and stepping up through to 80 percent before licensing. It's a clear, transparent progression that applies to every apprentice equally.

In many industries, talking about wages is still considered taboo, which quietly allows income gaps to persist. In the trades, that conversation is built into the structure from day one. Today, I'm amazed when I walk onto a job site and see how many women are there — and hear how they're not just surviving, but thriving.

What it takes to see real change

The industry is shifting, and it's exciting to witness. But real, lasting progress requires focus in four areas: exposure, education, representation, and retention.

Exposure matters because many girls simply never see the trades as an option. When young women have early hands-on experiences — building something, solving a problem, figuring out how something works — it sparks curiosity, creativity, and a sense of what's possible. Those moments don't have to be grand. Sometimes a small experience at the right age is all it takes to plant a seed.

Education plays a role in whether those seeds get planted at all. Schools and programs that ensure all students — regardless of gender — have access to hands-on, technical learning are doing important work. When trades skills are framed as valuable and transferable for everyone, it changes what young people imagine for themselves.

Representation is one of the most powerful forces in this space. When young women see someone who looks like them succeeding in an industry where women have historically been underrepresented, it expands their sense of what is possible. You can't want what you can't picture.

Retention is where the work gets harder and more nuanced. Attracting women to the trades matters — but keeping them there matters more. Women bring different perspectives, life experiences, and leadership styles to job sites and workplaces. Those differences make teams more innovative, more collaborative, and more inclusive. Supporting women through mentorship, culture, and community isn't just the right thing to do — it's how the industry gets better.

Planting the seed early

A career in the skilled trades can benefit women both personally and professionally. Across the board, these jobs typically pay more than many other roles — and allow women to pursue an education while still building financial stability along the way.

That financial freedom, combined with the confidence that comes from doing hard things well, has given me a sense of independence and security I never had before. I want that for every young woman who hasn't yet considered that this path could be hers.

Encouraging girls to explore the trades isn't about steering them toward a single career. It's about expanding their options and helping them see possibilities they may never have considered. Sometimes it starts with one experience, one mentor, one moment of "I can actually do this."

Plant that seed early enough, and it can grow into a career, a passion, and a lifetime of confidence.

About the author

Shannon Tymosko is an electrical apprentice with IBEW Local 105 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and the voice behind Lady Voltz, a growing platform dedicated to skilled trades advocacy, mentorship, and education. After completing a child and youth worker diploma, Shannon began her career in the skilled trades as a machinist apprentice. She then transitioned into electrical work and has since become a passionate ambassador for the trades, speaking to over 2,000 students and professionals across Canada and the U.S. Shannon’s mission is to empower early-career electricians and apprentices with real-world insight, confidence, and encouragement as they navigate their path in the industry. Connect with Shannon on LinkedIn.