Ep 20: 1,200 Tradeswomen, One Group Chat: Inside the Sisterhood of the Trades ft. Brooke Laing
In this episode of Skilled AF, we sit down with Brooke Laing, a third-year steamfitter and welder apprentice with UA Local 46 in Toronto, Canada, and Chief Strategy Officer of Sisterhood of the Trades, to explore what it’s really like navigating a career in the skilled trades as a woman. From dropping out of college and spending two years on a union waitlist, to navigating harassment on the job, to building the kind of community the industry has never offered women before.
She also breaks down the rise of Sisterhood of the Trades, the largest global interactive community connecting women across the skilled trades, with nearly 1,200 members across Canada, the US, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand — providing support, shared experiences, and a space to talk about what can't always be said on the job site.
This conversation goes beyond surface-level diversity talk and gets into the real barriers, culture shifts, and opportunities shaping the future of women in the trades.
In this episode:
> What it’s like being a woman in the skilled trades
>The reality of job site culture
> Union apprenticeships and waitlist challenges
> Steepest learning curves as an apprentice
> Why women leave (and stay in) the trades
> How we grow the share of women in construction and the trades
> Sisterhood of the Trades and its global community
> The impact of the Amber Czech murder and the advocacy work they’re involved in
> The moment Brooke almost walked away
> Advice for women entering the trades
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Guest Info:
Brooke Laing, Steamfitter & Welder Apprentice, CSO, Sisterhood of the Trades
Connect with The Skilled Project:
Founder, Amanda Luchetti; ✉️: amanda@theskilledproject.com
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