About this episode

Brooke Laing discusses the challenges and successes of women entering the trades, highlighting the importance of community and support.

Brooke Laing is a steam fitter and welder apprentice in her third year with UA Local 46 in Toronto. She's also the Chief of Strategy for the Sisterhood of Trades and just started her own podcast. So she's got something to say about what it's really like for women coming into the trades right now. The barriers are real. Women have to prove themselves in ways men don't. There's harassment that supervisors aren't taking seriously. And trying to find PPE that actually fits? Good luck. But the industry is starting to shift some employers are finally getting it. The flip side is that women are crushing it in the trades. Better attention to detail, willing to do the work right instead of just fast. And young women are discovering this through social media where tradeswomen are showing the real side of the job. Getting women into the trades isn't that complicated. Union apprenticeships are structured and solid. Networking opens doors. And having a community like the Sisterhood means you're not figuring it out alone. Highlights: Women entering trades face barriers like have to prove themselves constantly and dealing with harassment that goes nowhere. PPE that actually fits women is harder…

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