LRATC teacher helping trades gear toward equity
Automotive technology teacher Irene Machado has a message for female students thinking about getting into the trades through Louis Riel Arts and Technology Centre: “Whether it’s automotive or another trade that’s traditionally male dominant, I would say pursue it. Don’t limit yourself based on what you think or what other people might think about it. If you’ve got the desire and the work ethic, you can succeed.”
Machado recently featured in a television news story on CBC, where she passed this wonderful message on to a wide audience. Click here to watch the story.
“It was a really cool opportunity to bring awareness to the issue and help change the stereotype,” she said.
Machado said it’s important to keep taking action to create more equal representation in the trades, and that comes from changing narratives and preconceived notions about what certain professions should look like.
While Machado said there’s a long way to go in the automotive technology industry, she’s seeing an increase of female students and technicians.
“It’s good to see that trajectory headed in the right direction,” she said.
Take a moment to watch the CBC story to hear what Machado and her students had to say. It was proud moment for the students to see themselves on the news supporting equity in the trades, Machado said.
