Lead an Interactive Workshop

The engaging, hands-on workshops are the foundation of what continues to make the Women in Trades Career Fair such an exceptional experience for attendees and workshop leaders alike. By presenting an interactive workshop led by tradeswomen, workshop presenters have an extraordinary opportunity to connect with and inform hundreds of potential tradeswomen about their industry, showcase projects, and recruit new employees.

Past workshops have included topics such as: Concrete Stepping Stones, Wind Power, Wire a Light and Switch, Building Bird Feeders, Highway Transportation, Climb a Utility Pole, Operate a Jackhammer, Make Sheetmetal Flower Pots, and much more.

Each workshop is conducted on a schedule three to four times per day on School days (Thursday, May 16 and Friday, May 17) and as many times as you wish to present on Careers for Women Day (Saturday, May 18).

OTI staff are available to work with your organization to help plan a successful workshop, coordinate the details and logistics, and answer any questions you have about how to make the most of your workshop. Please contact Katie Hughes, Women in Trades Career Fair Coordinator, if you have any questions about presenting a workshop at the Women in Trades Career Fair.

What Makes a Great Workshop?

Provide Role Models.
Have at least one presenter that is a tradeswoman and select enthusiastic representatives who can talk about their experiences getting into the trades

Make it interactive!
Create a hands-on exercise that uses tools and materials commonly used in your trade that participants can do themselves.

Have something participants can take home.
Demonstrate skills used in your trade to create items fair-goers can take home with them, such as a toolbox.

Make it useful.
Make connections to peoples everyday lives, like explaining why some classrooms are colder than others or how a light and switch works.

Showcase your work.
Show off your award winning projects and display active photographs of women working in your trade.

Clarify the next step towards a trade career in your industry.
Utilize materials that can connect the workshop experience to careers and/or training opportunities. Let them know who they can talk with to get more information about your trade or apply for your program after high school.

Deadline for Workshop Presenters:

April 12, 2013 Deadline to register.

Lead a Workshop:

You can become a workshop presenter by registering online or by downloading the form.