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McNeil, and 30 others like her across Ontario, administers her proâ€" gram on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Training (the newly combined provincial education and skills training ministries). She works out of the Sheridan College campus on Iroquois Shore Blvd. "I work with employers and unions to help change attitudes," said McNeil, explaining it‘s important to get the skilled trade unions onâ€"side to help "push" her cause. DEAL WITH BARRIERS Despite hearing that women may have to have "good humor" to deal with barriers and stereotypes should they venture into a male dominated skilled trade, students also heard that more women are turning to the skilled trades â€" and their incomes â€" as an alternative career or one capaâ€" ble of being a family‘s sole income. The majority of skilled tradesâ€" persons originally came from Europe and the average age currentâ€" ly is 50 â€" not far from retirement, at a time when they aren‘t being replaced. There are 55,000 skilled trades apprentices in Ontario who are male. There are 2,500 who are female. More women consider careers in skilled trades as jobs becoming more technical Of those who do go to college or university, one in five (20%) don‘t complete their program. Of the 600 WOSS students McNeil asked if they‘d be going directly from high school to work, only half a dozen said yes â€" the realâ€" ity is that in Ontario 64% of high school graduates go directly to work, often into unskilled jobs. Mary McNeil, project coâ€"ordinaâ€" tor for the Women‘s Access to Apprenticeships program run by the province through Sheridan College spoke at both White Oaks Secondary School (WOSS) and General Wolfe High School Monday. McNeil brought with her a few facts of life. It‘s a slow process but more women are looking to the skilled trades as a career and more skilled trades are â€" or should be â€" looking to female employees as jobs become increasingly technological at a time when many existing trades people are set to retire. By ANGELA BLACKBURN Oakville Beaver Staff McNeil also provides role modâ€" els as well as career counselling for those entering the apprenticeship program, something that she said is especially important for women. McNeil also asks women coming through her program a set of basic questions â€" do they like to fix things, problem solve, or mind working in a predominantly male environment where they could feel isolated. "Females in particular need role models. If they see it can happen, they feel more confident," said McNeil. Since the "socialization" of men and women can be different, women may lack some of the background for a skilled trade apprenticeship, so general introductory courses to the trades, offered at Sheridan College, are helpful. McNeil noted unions can be friend or foe and there‘s need to break the cliche that women in skilled trades want the "plum jobs" but not the hard labor ones. For women, the first step is to convince an employer of their seriâ€" ousness about a skilled irade career. The program coâ€"ordinator Mary McNeil For Sutherland who deals extenâ€" sively with subâ€"contractors and pushes them to hire female apprenâ€" tices, said it‘s important to reach students at the high school level before they head out of school to an unskilled job and then head back for retraining at a high cost to the taxâ€" payer. He also said he knows brickâ€" layers who make $100,000/year. HIRES FEMALES Burlington general contractor Scott Sutherland, president of Hugh Sutherland Sons Ltd. is one of the local employers that help steer women into apprenticeship posiâ€" tions. Since statistics show that the majority of students do leave high school and go directly to work, apprenticeships were offered as a "It basically comes from awareâ€" ness and the fact that women know they can do it," said McNeil, acknowledging there‘s a long road ahead. worked as a career counsellor for the Canada Employment Centre for 14 years and said in her experience she saw women opting for several career fields, office work, sales and health services. McNeil took on her present job as a personal challenge to learn more about the trades. Since 1989 there‘s been a 70% increase in female apprenticeships. 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Carry OFF ; on receive $1.00 off trades where the majority of workâ€" ers are older with oldâ€"fashioned valâ€" ues. However today, many are being replaced by younger people who See‘Some ...‘ page 7) " tm