The “Skills Work for Women” Networking Dinners aim to promote non-traditional careers to female students in grades 9-12 by introducing them to various non-traditional career options.

“Students get the chance to meet women who work in non-traditional fields from various trades and occupations from welding to information technology,” says Mélanie Gallagher, project officer with the Wage Gap Reduction Initiative and a co-ordinator of the dinners. “This provides students with the opportunity to network with other participants and with mentors.”

The concept of the Networking Dinners began over 10 years ago with Skills Canada Ontario. 

“We're targeting girls in grades 9 to 12 because that's when they start to think about their careers and decide on what career path they intend to take,” says Gallagher adding that there is no cost for students to participate. “The goal is to expose students to these career options early on while they are still in the process of deciding on their future career paths.”

“The event typically begins with a dinner and keynote speaker who is a woman in a non-traditional career,” says Gallagher. “Students then break out into groups and we do a round-robin with the various mentor booths.”

The ‘round-robin' style provides each group the opportunity to meet with a mentor for 10-12 minutes and rotate to the next mentor booth and so on. Each mentor talks about her job and students get the chance to ask questions and learn more about that specific occupation. “This helps to create an intimate and interactive learning atmosphere for both students and mentors,” says Gallagher.

“On average, each dinner has eight mentor booths and the group sizes range between 10 and more students, depending on the number of participants at each dinner,” says Gallagher.

“I think it's really important for young women to participate just to learn more about careers in the non-traditional fields and also to dispel the myths they may have about these careers by talking directly with women who work in these jobs,” says Gallagher.

“In addition, participants will get the chance to learn to network which is an important tool that they will use throughout their lifetime,” says Gallagher noting that the dinners are a great place for them to learn because it's a positive environment.

Gallagher also emphasizes the importance for women who work in non-traditional careers to volunteer as mentors. “It's an opportunity to share your knowledge and experience with young women who may be considering those career paths,” says Gallagher. “You also get the chance to meet with other women who work in non-traditional fields.”

Employers are also encouraged to take part in the Networking Dinners. “Employers can have booths at the event and they can encourage their female employees who work in a non-traditional job to become a mentor at a dinner,” says Gallagher. “Employers may also help sponsor dinners in their regions.”

“I hope the dinners will help to increase awareness about non-traditional careers and lead to more females pursuing careers in non-traditional fields,” says Gallagher. “I also hope that other regions in New Brunswick will consider bringing a networking dinner to their communities.”

If you are interested in learning more about the Networking Dinners, or being a mentor at a dinner in your region, contact Mélanie Gallagher at 1-877-253-0266 (toll free) or Melanie.gallagher@gnb.ca.

Participant Feedback/Testimonials

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"Excellent and if you can, do it again."

"I enjoyed the activity and I liked hearing about other women's experiences."