Trades and Aides: The Gendering of Vocational Education in Rural Alberta

This article examines two Canadian high school work experience programs that focus on rural youth. The first encourages students to consider work in skilled trades, while the second encourages them to become qualified as healthcare aides. Both programs were designed to encourage high school students...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of research in rural education 2014-04, Vol.29 (8), p.1
Main Authors: Taylor, Alison, Servage, Laura, Hamm, Zane
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alberta
Allied Health Occupations
Apprenticeship
Career Counseling
Career Development
Careers
Community support
Compensation (Remuneration)
Councils
Credentials
Educational Opportunities
Employment
Employment Level
Females
Foreign Countries
Gender Bias
Gender differences
Health facilities
High School Students
Higher education
Informal Education
Interviews
Labor market
Learning
Learning Theories
Males
Market entry
Occupational Mobility
Participation
Personal Autonomy
Rural areas
Rural Education
Rural Youth
Secondary schools
Sex Role
Sex Stereotypes
Skilled Occupations
Social Mobility
Socialization
Studies
Vocational Education
Vocational Interests
Work Experience Programs
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Summary:This article examines two Canadian high school work experience programs that focus on rural youth. The first encourages students to consider work in skilled trades, while the second encourages them to become qualified as healthcare aides. Both programs were designed to encourage high school students to explore careers in fields where labor market shortages were anticipated. Yet as this study shows, they are likely to perpetuate gender-based inequalities in the economic and social mobility of rural youth. We draw on socio-cultural learning theories to show how socialization and workplace practices serve to reinforce gendered participation patterns in healthcare and trades. We conclude with the recommendation that policy related to youth career exploration and work experience include strategies to disrupt social processes that systematically disadvantage rural women.
ISSN:1551-0670
1551-0670