Canadore College offering 23-week course that preps women for work in the trades
Growing up in North Bay, Jesse Couchie had always been interested in the trades. With a mechanic grandfather and several carpenter uncles, she recalled that someone in the family was always building or fixing something.
A high school woodworking course caught her interest, and Couchie thought she might pursue carpentry as a career. But her teenage self had other plans.
“I just wanted to get out of high school,” she chuckled. “I didn't really take anything seriously. ” After graduation, Couchie went to work, initially with horses, then at a landfill site in B.C. , and eventually in housekeeping.
But she always wondered if she had truly reached her full potential. It was during a moment of reflection last year that the Nipissing First Nation member came across an ad for a new pre-apprenticeship carpentry program at Canadore College geared toward women and Indigenous women.
“I was scrolling on Instagram and it popped up, and it was one of those weird moments when I was thinking, ‘Oh, I wish I did when I was a kid,’ or ‘I missed out on those opportunities,’” the 37-year-old recalled. “And then I saw the carpentry program , and I thought, ‘I really have nothing to lose. ’ So I applied and I got a role.
” Over 23 weeks, Couchie and her fellow students were introduced to basic carpentry techniques, learned how to choose and cut wood, were trained on the use of hand and power tools, and completed a variety of projects using their newly acquired skills. She graduated last fall with a renewed passion for learning and a solid base to continue on in the trades.
“It's been really interesting. What I thought I knew, I definitely don't know anything,” Couchie laughed.
“I've been amazed by the people who've helped out with the course. My supervisors, they were very knowledgeable, and I was really lucky about that. ” Now in its second year, the program is attracting a unique cross-section of women — from those in their early 20s, through their 30s and 40s, and past 55 — who are interested in the career potential the program offers, said Chad Baron, the Indigenous skills and trades coordinator at Canadore's First Peoples’ Centre.
Funding from the province's Women's Economic Security Program means the course is offered free of charge. The cost of tuition, personal protective equipment, and tools is covered; participants just have to cover their living expenses, although Baron said they do have some wraparound support that can assist with food insecurity and child care. That goes a long way to reducing barriers so that more women can take the course.
“ one of the biggest things that keeps most women off the job force,” Baron said. “Even if it is a two-income family, when the child is sick … I'd say 99 times out of 100, it's usually the mom that stays home. ” Students start with safety training and in-class theory on hand tools, eventually shifting to the shop to try them out firsthand.
Then they move on to power tools before taking on stationary tools like the table saw, planers, and joiners, Baron said.
“We have a 30,000-square-foot shop. So they get to learn, and on the best of the best here,” Baron said.
"They get to make some projects that they actually get to take home, and they make some projects that get used by people in the college. It's a good learning experience for them. ” Options for graduates are many. The program, which follows the Skilled Trades Ontario Apprenticeship curriculum, includes some teaching on electrical and welding, further broadening their skill set, Baron said.
Graduates earn a Pre-Apprenticeship Level 1 certificate, and with that, they can continue on to start their Level 2 carpentry apprenticeship certificate, join the carpenters’ union and start their careers, or return to Canadore to take the building construction program. During the first cohort in 2025, nine of the 15 women who started the program completed it, Baron said.
“Out of the nine, five got hired on by their placement, three of them joined the carpenters’ union, and one went back to her old job,” he said. “So, it just depends on what they want to do, but there’s a lot of possibilities. ” This year, the program runs from May 25 to October 23, which is rounded out by an eight-week placement, Baron said.
Response to the second year has been phenomenal, Baron said, with more than 100 women applying to take the course. That had to be whittled down to just 20 women, a tough job for Baron, who, with a 13-year background in the trades, is a veteran of the industry.
“I just like watching them blossom,” he said of his students. “They go from this meek, shy, quiet individual, to this strong, confident, amazing individual. At the end, it’s like there’s no stopping them. ” After completing the course last year, Couchie signed up for a 12-week masonry course offered by Keepers of the Circle, a Temiskaming-based organization that offers programs and services for Indigenous women in northeastern Ontario.
Last summer, the organization started construction on a modular home factory, which will serve both as a training ground for women learning trades work and a facility building sustainable homes for the North. The masonry course is being offered in conjunction with the build. Like carpentry, masonry is a skill Couchie’s always been interested in, and so she jumped at the chance to enrol.
“It’s a heavy trade; everything is heavy,” she said. “At least with carpentry, some things are lighter, but everything in masonry is just heavier. ” She’s currently awaiting word on when she can start her placement, which will take place in North Bay so she can remain close to home. While she waits, the heavy duty equipment operator training has caught her eye, and it’s something she’s also considering.
But she knows that, wherever she ends up, going into the trades was the right decision for her.
“I’ve been offered other jobs once I get my levels, so I need more experience,” she said. “I hope to continue. I want to continue, and I’ll probably be jumping from trade to trade for a while. ”
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