IQALUIT - Four young Nunavut women travelled to Saskatchewan last week to attend the first national Skills Work conference for young women.

Caroline Angalik and Wendy Savikataaq of Arviat travelled to Saskatchewan for the first national Skills Work conference for young women. - photo courtesy of Susan Savikataaq

The event, aimed at encouraging girls to explore careers in predominantly male skilled trades, was held in conjunction with this year's Skills Canada competition.

Wendy Savikataaq and Caroline Angalik of Arviat, and Paula Rumbolt and Emma Krueger of Baker Lake, travelled to the conference with members of the Skills Canada Nunavut team.

They joined 120 girls from across Canada for a one-day workshop on June 7, while participating in a number of Skills Canada events between June 6 and 9.

"Some of them already have some experience or a good idea of a life in trades, but a lot of them don't," said Valerie Overend, co-ordinator for Saskatchewan Women in Trades and Technology, which co-organized the event.

"This is great exposure for them."

The participants, who were all in Grades 11 and 12, had a chance to work on an individual basis with a female skilled tradesperson and were led through hands-on activities.

They were also given the opportunity to tour the Skills Canada conference to explore a number of other trades.

Savikataaq said she relished the experience to meet a female mentor, a carpenter who was assigned to work with her group.

"We built bridges, mini bridges, and they had to be strong. We made things go over them, big, round steel things that had to go over it without falling. It was very hard," she said.

The key underpinnings of the conference are to expose young trades enthusiasts like Savikata aq to tradeswomen role models, according to Overend.

"One of the keys reasons women don't get involved in the trades is that they're not used to seeing women in those roles," Overend said.

"But they can imagine themselves walking in the shoes of another woman, one of these mentors, better than they can picture, say, walking in those of their uncle who is a tradesperson."

The four Nunavut participants were chosen during the territorial Skills Canada competition in Iqaluit in March.