With the activities of trade unions, the resulting improvements in living standards have made trade and technical work an important and viable career option for young people.

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Options Unlimited A Role Modeling Program to Expand Career Options Why is it Important That Teachers Introduce Students to Role Models? Statistics show that women in the labor force are still concentrated in 20 relatively low-paying occupational categories, while men do a variety of jobs in over 500 occupational categories. Therefore it is particularly important to provide Role Models for students of successful women working in satisfying jobs in a wide range of fields, including trades, technical, mathematics and science fields where women are generally under represented in the work force. If students meet women working in fields traditionally dominated by men, they will be more likely to expand their own career explorations options. Research has proven that we learn by example and from experience. It my never occur to a young man to pursue a career in nursing if he has never seen a male nurse. Likewise, it may never occur to a young woman to pursue a career in trades and technology, math or science if she has never met women working in those fields. Role models provide inspiration and demonstrate the possibilities for successful careers. The preponderance of male instructors in high school math, science, industrial arts and computer courses may also perpetuate the gender imbalance in these courses, and therefore in career fields where the courses are required prerequisites. In the 1990-19 school year only 10.6% of computer education teachers, 1.8% of industrial arts, 20.9% of math and 17.8% of science teachers in B.C. secondary schools were women. Educators can help counteract this stereotype by bringing in as role models female workers who are using those disciplines on the job in various occupations.

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