Paris District High School hosted its second annual Women in Trades workshop on Wednesday, February 25, 2026.
During the event, around 35 young women in Grades 7 and 8, had the opportunity to learn more about pursuing the skilled trades as a career. Given that they’re beginning to consider which classes they’ll be taking in secondary school, the event was designed to give them a bit of hands-on experience.
“Women are still vastly underrepresented in the trades and so having this workshop event allows students in Grade 7 or 8, especially young women, to come in and maybe try a trade or learn a skill that they haven’t had the opportunity to explore before then,” said Principal Kristy Johnson. “This way, when they come to high school, either next year or in a couple of years, the trades may be a pathway they choose to explore, one they maybe didn’t even know they were interested in.”
Those present were able to choose one of six different workshops to partake in. From making metal flowers in the manufacturing class to building trinket boxes in the construction class, preparing food in the hospitality class, and braiding hair in the schools’ brand new cosmetology class, there were plenty of new things to try.
“They got to come in and do an approximately two-and-a-half hour workshop in one of six sectors that we offer here in the building, so there were cosmetology, hospitality, construction, manufacturing, green industries and communication technologies workshops that were offered. We actually have two other classes we offer as well, design tech and auto tech, but they weren’t there that night,” said Johnson. “But students got to sign up for one workshop and then they had that time to complete whatever project that the teacher had arranged. A majority of the students were new from last year, but some were coming back so they could try a different workshop, so it was a really good turnout.”
While the students were hard at work completing their workshop, parents had the opportunity to engage with representatives from the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program and the Specialist High Skills Majors Program.
“Both are things that students can do to explore the trades while they’re in high school, so we had representatives there for the parents who perhaps didn’t have any experience with that beforehand,” said Johnson. “We also had our Co-op teacher there who was glad to talk about different Co-op opportunities for students in high school as well. A lot has changed since those parents have gone to high school. There’s so many different opportunities available now that weren’t available then, so it was a chance for them to ask questions.”
Overall, the principal said that event went well and that the school enjoys getting to put it on.
“We’ve had a great response for the last two years. I know it’s something that the students enjoy, and our staff enjoy doing it as well. So it’s been a great experience and I’m sure we’ll do it again,” said Johnson.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
