Ellen Ho, a graduate of the Women’s Workshop and currently an Assistant Carpenter at Tradeworks Custom Products, turned what she thought was impossible into a beginning of a new career. At the Women’s Workshop, a pre-employment program that introduces inner-city women to the world of carpentry and registered trades, there are many women from diverse backgrounds who have done the same.
Ellen, working at Tradeworks Custom Products
After getting into a serious bike accident in 2003, Ellen no longer wanted to work long hours in the office like she previously did in computer software design, due to the physical stress and health issues that the accident had brought about. Looking for a new career path after spending some time to recover, she heard about the Women’s Workshop through a poster at Transitions. “When I saw the poster, I thought it was impossible – I don’t have the skills, I don’t have the aptitude…” Although she wasn’t sure whether or not she would be able to do it, there was nothing to lose, so she decided to give it a try.
One thing led to another, as Ellen found herself successfully completing the program and now working 3-4 days weekly at Tradeworks Custom Products. According to Ellen, a great accomplishment in going through this program was regaining her self-confidence and overcoming the fear of using and learning completely new skills that were different from the skills she previously had. The flexibility, understanding and supportiveness of the environment at the Workshop were contributing factors to her achievement today.
Finished product of Ellen's class project
Who would be a great fit for this program? To Ellen, the answer to this question is very simple – anyone who has an interest and enjoys working on hands-on tasks. Although Ellen stressed that the skills required in this field were ones that she was not at all familiar with, it was more about being able to gain confidence to overcome these fears. Starting from building a simple wooden box following every step taught by her instructors, Ellen learned enough skills to proceed creating a drawer cabinet for a class project on her own and more by the end of the program. Still in the learning process at Tradeworks Custom Products, Ellen insists that she still has a lot to learn.
Throughout the interview, Ellen’s positive personality stood out amongst all she had to say. What resonated the most from what she explained to me was that “learning the skill of learning is most important.” Thinking back on it, she’s correct – learning is a skill that you’ll need no matter where you are or what job you possess. With the Women’s Workshop and other training programs, learning how to learn new skills is an ability that is much more precious than any other, helping open doors and leading to even greater successes in the future.
