Two Alberta companies are joining forces in a bid to jump-start the careers of women wanting to work in the trades and help bridge a major employment gender gap.

Despite a looming shortage of tradespeople across Canada, the number of women employed in the sector still hovers around four per cent, according to a recent Royal Bank report.

SkillsTrader, a high-tech online platform designed to bring companies and prospective tradespeople together, and Women Building Futures, a non-profit organization aiming to place unemployed and underemployed women in careers offering more than just a basic living wage, have formed a strategic partnership to boost the number of women in traditionally male-dominated jobs.

Businesses using SkillsTrader’s digital platform will have equal access to the resumes and backgrounds of those women who have graduated from the Building Futures program — a collaboration it is hoped will boost the number of female tradespeople.

Fadi Smaidi launched SkillsTrader in Edmonton several years ago as Canada’s first social media community focused specifically on skilled trades.

As the owner of three automotive body shops, he originally concentrated the platform on the vehicle repair and service industry, but soon saw an opportunity to expand into a host of other trades, especially after Microsoft approached him and helped fund the startup as well as providing a stable user platform.

The site provides tradespeople the tools to promote themselves and offers a detailed resume hosting service, which gives each individual a score reflecting their expertise, experience and education, making it quicker for potential employers to find suitable candidates for a particular position.

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