Professional development for staff and faculty
Create an environment of trust that encourages positive relationships between equity deserving groups in trades and the post-secondary staff they interact with by having mandatory diversity and inclusivity training that will equip staff and faculty with the knowledge, awareness, and skills to counteract sexism, harassment, and discrimination in the classroom and on campus.
Create space for a supportive network
Ensure the classroom and campus provide a resilient and inclusive environment that supports equity deserving groups in trades. This could include ensuring gender-inclusive gear and washrooms, toolbox talks on inclusion and diversity, online/virtual initiatives for support, culturally appropriate resources, and more. Shifting towards an inclusive and supportive network for all trades students will allow the campus to address behaviours, processes, and attitudes that allow for discrimination, harassment, and sexism to occur.
Encourage gender autonomy
By supporting the gender autonomy* of students, the post-secondary campus becomes a space that promotes equality in gender-segregated occupations (i.e., skilled trades) and invites in strategies and initiatives that can help support those who choose to go into atypical fields.
*Gender autonomy refers to the extent to which someone, regardless of their gender, can succeed in their chosen career path without cost or disadvantage resulting from that choice.
Consider campus-community partnerships
Consider partnering with local non-profit community mental health organizations that work specifically with equity deserving groups to enhance services, support, and inclusivity on your campus. For more information on how to do this, visit CICMH’s Campus-Community Partnerships toolkit.
