Page 15 - HIWT Winter 2014 World of Welding

hiwt@welding.org HOBART INSTITUTE OF WELDING TECHNOLOGY

BREAKING BARRIERS

By Daniel Girard
Welding Instructor
Iroquois Falls Secondary School
Iroquois Falls, Ontario, Canada

Quite a while ago, I considered beginning
a welding class for all females. At the
time, the school administrators were not
ready to move in that direction. Some
people still felt it was only a man’s world.
It was not until after a few young females
from previous classes were proving
themselves and doing well in the field of
trades and a new administration was in
place that we were given the opportunity
to try it.

I was very happy when our new
administrator told me we had so many
interested females. The class includes
eighteen girls ranging in age from 15-year-old The very first all-female welding class at Iroquois Falls Secondary School,
Iroquois Falls, in northern Ontario, Canada
(Grade 10) to 17-year-old (Grade 12) students.
It’s not easy breaking the old mindset that girls carpentry over the summer and when colder weather sets in, she
should do academic courses only. We also have had success works in the shop, welding on large construction equipment.
with females taking woodworking and automotive classes. She serves as a great example for the young students.

Our new administration is very open to the idea that young
Show your
Show your
females want equal paying jobs and no longer want to settle Student ID for
Student ID for
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10% Discount!
for minimum wage jobs. It has been helpful to have some of
the females from previous years come and speak to my class
of their achievements. Before this course, females would be
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setting -- which was ok, but I would only have a couple at a
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One of my former female welding students works as a very Open 7:30-5:00 M-F & 8:00 - Noon Saturday
Can’t Come In:
talented carpenter/welder and also doubles as a machine Can’t Come In:
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