| Impending retirements of skilled trade workers by the year 2010 will create close to a million jobs within these trades for trained individuals. Historically, females have not entered into these jobs, especially those skilled trades considered to be nontraditional for females, such as auto mechanics, construction, electrical, and plumbing. A lack of career training exists for eighth-grades girls with respect to nontraditional skilled trades within many schools in Ontario. A Delphi study was conducted to determine educational content recommendations to prepare eighth-grade girls to learn, practice, and experience nontraditional skilled trades.Results from the three-round Delphi study provided rich, robust data with which to support eighth-grade girls in the learning, practicing, and experiencing nontraditional skilled trades. Consensus occurred among expert panelists in several areas, including the belief that a hands-on experiential program was necessary for girls to learn and practice skills within nontraditional skilled trades, and that it would be nice for eighth-grade girls to learn from a female skilled trade mentor. Consensus also occurred with respect to the concept that a career introduction program, based on experiential learning needed to be created for optimal learning of the eighth-grade girls and nontraditional skilled trades. The recommendations provided by the expert panelists included support for the aforementioned career introduction program, but also specifically provided structure for an after-school or weekend program with elements of community-involvement and secondary school credit garnering applications. Individual results from the three round survey process are included in chapter four, and indicate all responses to each of the four questions asked of the panelists. |
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