Dossier F35 - Apprenticeship - our competitive advantage

Host: CAF Biennial Conference Canadian Apprenticeship Forum
Location: Victoria, BC
Valerie Overend's Role: Moderator, Co-presenter: Carolyn Emerson - WinSETT

This conference brought together stakeholders in the pan-Canadian Apprenticeship community to share leading-edge information and to network.
For the first time, women were singled out in a plenary session for all delegates. Overend was the moderator for the lunchtime session on Women in Trades where two prominent women from the West each spoke about their programs and policies for increasing and supporting women’s participation in construction trades.
As well, Overend co-presented a standing room-only workshop where delegates actually stood in the hallway and listened for the full presentation! This was a far cry from the first apprenticeship conference in 1990 where 5 women were in attendance and encouraged to listen and not speak.