Yellowknife (Feb 06/04) - The future of Northern women appeared bright on Monday when 200 girls gathered at the Explorer Hotel to hobnob with some of Yellowknife's finest career women.

The Grade 8 students came from communities across the Northwest Territories and Nunavut for the third annual Power Up conference.

With 34 female mentors on hand representing trade and technology sectors, the girls were given exposure to a vast amount of career options.

That was the point of the conference, said Vivian Gustafson, executive director of Skills Canada NWT/Nunavut.

"It's to motivate them to think about the possibilities," she said.

Gustafson hopes that by putting a female face to careers such as carpentry, aircraft maintenance and geology, the girls will embrace non-traditional careers in the future.

With skilled workers at a premium for the trades and technology sector in Canada, conferences like this one put a positive spin on career options for women, according to Gustafson.

The only female firefighter in Yellowknife was a big draw for girls as they sat through workshops with various mentors.

Girls lined up to try on the firefighter's uniform that Gerda Groothuizen lugged into the Explorer Hotel from the Yellowknife Fire Department.

Sandie Fischer garnered a large crowd while she explained the experiences that a 20-year career in the Canadian Armed Forces has given her.

"Everything is open to women in the military. There are all kinds of opportunities that come along because you've got the training and the skills," the avionics technician said.

In 440 squadron in Yellowknife, there are currently seven women in the ranks.

Ecole St. Joseph student Rebecca Jardine was absorbed in Fischer's presentation.

"It's good because it shows that men don't just do everything," the 13-year-old said.

The girls, from 13 schools across the North, heard from guest speakers, took part in hands-on workshops and even visited local businesses and industries to see Yellowknife women thriving in the trades and technology sectors.