haggis88

I know plenty of female millwrights...depends if you're able to physically put your body through it though...it's heavy work

tee1

Are you young enough to apply through the IEC? Failing that honesty get yourself on a plane and pound the pavement here, its much harder now to get the work permit but if you're a softwear engineer with good skills I'd think you could get a job offer and go work permit route if you wanted to try.

Canadian employers I've found really only hire face to face and then normally want you to start right away

tee1

Really? I was kind of drawn to that aswell, I can't decided ha. I like the machinery and tools, Seems you get to do a bit of everything and I could work ski lift maintenance but I got the impression not many women did it. I'm not concerned about the physical side, I'm good with that . But.. still can be tough to deal with the old guys mentality, some still just won't hire a gal so I don't want to choose a trade where its totally unheard of
Do most millwright go onto some kind of supervisor role and off the tools though eventually. The one heavy duty guy I met a few weeks ago, his body was ruined from it and he was teaching. I'm thinking long term plans with whatever I choose
Thanks

Howefamily

Hi tee1 are you in Alberta now?, do t worry I have just re-read thread and see you are in BC

haggis88

My body is ruined and I'm only 26

I'm consistently in awkward positions, lifting heavy loads and doing repetitive tasks...no amount of EHS bullshit about microbreaks and ergonomics will ever fix how bad it can be sometimes

I'm not sure about going onto supervisory roles, but a lot of them in my side of the industry are self-employed contractors...and definitely not old guys, most tend to be in their late 20's-early 30's

I won't be doing it forever, maybe a couple more years whilst I sort out a better qualification that actually means something here, or I go back to Europe somewhere for a better work/life balance

MrHyperPants

I'm a plumber. I haven't come across any female plumbers or pipe fitters on site yet. Most females I see on site doing a trade are usually drywallers or electricians. There's a lot of heavy lifting involved with being a commercial pipe fitter or plumber imo.

If I was a female I would go down the electrical side, due to the heavy lifting involved as a plumber or pipe fitter. But I'm not saying you couldn't do it either.

There's loads of construction on in Vancouver and the lower mainland.

Berts is a big electrical firm on most construction sites in Vancouver.

JE51CRE

Guys,

Sorry to jump in. I recently left the Army after serving 14 years as an engineer. I am a trained heavy equipment operator and supervisor, and have experience in drilling for water, which i know is oil. I also have loads of project management experience too. I live in Burnaby, BC, but would love to get work in the oil/fracking industry. I am a permanent resident. Do any of you know if my skill set would be required on the sands? i would even be willing to finance my own flights if i was earning enough.