


Empowering Women in Industrial Trades in Northern Ghana.
Funded by Global Affairs Canada. Implemented by Alinea.
Empowering Women in Industrial Trades in Northern Ghana.
Funded by Global Affairs Canada. Implemented by Alinea.
Building the economic well-being of women through industrial trades.
In rural northern Ghana, women often ask their husbands for consent to work in jobs where they earn money. At the same time, this region struggles to find skilled workers for industrial trades. In response, WEE-NORTH helps women join the workforce as welders, plumbers, carpenters, brick layers and electricians. These opportunities increase productivity, profitability and access to decent work for women. To overcome prevailing gender stereotypes and barriers, WEE-NORTH uses approaches that engage men in creating change in gender relations in their communities.

No jobs found
Global Goals Week: WEE-North Empowers Women Through Trades
By the end of 2022, we will have trained 850 young women from all 55 districts in the five regions of Northern Ghana. They will bring much-needed skills into their communities, some of which do not have skilled tradespersons. Women will also have a source of income through valued and decent work.
Gender Equality Week: Changing the Face of Industrial Trades in Northern Ghana
A new campaign is underway to inspire women in Northern Ghana to train to join the workforce as welders, carpenters, plumbers, bricklayers, electricians and more.
Gender Equality Week: Alinea empowers women in Ghana
In rural northern Ghana, women ask their husbands for consent to work in jobs where they earn money. They also require approval from their husbands to travel outside of their homes and spend time in other communities. Alinea’s newest project to empower women is underway in this region. Funded by Global Affairs Canada, WEE-NORTH supports young women to train in non-traditional trades. The goal is to help them join the workforce as welders,...
HOW WEE-NORTH WORKS
Quality trades training for young women
Improving profitability and innovation with women entrepreneurs
Gender, Health, Safety and Environment
Industry Engagement and Partnerships for Trades Training
Changing the face of Industrial Trades in Northern Ghana
WEE-NORTH provides high quality, intensive training in selected industrial trades for young women to build the hands-on skills and experience needed to access decent work. The project partners with selected TVETs across northern Ghana to offer practical industrial trades training programs, focusing on achieving competencies through using hand tools and equipment in the workshops. The WEE-NORTH team facilitates training to instructors by certified master trainers in selected trades areas (carpentry, welding, brick laying, electricals and plumbing) to develop their own skills so they can then deliver trades training to young women. Health and safety are important learning objectives for all programs offered. Many successful trainees will go on to practical on-the-job training as apprentices or interns.
Small- and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of the economy in northern Ghana. After completing an intensive training-to-employment program, young women have the opportunity to participate in an advanced entrepreneurship bootcamp to further hone their business ideas and gain confidence and skills required for success in a male-dominated and highly competitive business environment.
The bootcamp is an one-month intensive applied learning program intended to equip young women with the entrepreneurship skills and competencies they need to launch and run successful small businesses. The bootcamp focuses on both “hard” and “soft” business and entrepreneurship skills, including business planning, enterprise management, leadership and negotiation skills. By the end of the entrepreneurship program, women have developed their business idea into an operational plan to launch a new micro or small business or enter self-employment in industrial-related sectors.
As a follow-on to the entrepreneurship bootcamp, young women benefit from a mentorship program pairing them with experienced female business owners and entrepreneurs to support the implementation of their business plans.
Pursuing a career in the industrial trades likely means young women will work in male-dominated workplaces. The WEE-NORTH team supports young women in building confidence and workplace readiness skills by offering empowerment bootcamps as a mandatory component of the training-to-employment program. For one week, female trainees learn how to manage issues relating to gender inequality, sexual rights, harassment and navigating a male dominated workplace.
Personal health and safety are also paramount to success. WEE-NORTH provides personal protective equipment for every trainee that is appropriate for her trade specialization. This step ensures physical protection for trainees so they can learn to safely operate equipment, reduce hazards and dispose of waste materials in an environmentally-sound manner during training and in the workplace.
Industry Engagement and Partnerships for Trades Training
Industry creates the demand for skilled workers. Opportunities for practical attachments are the most important step in accessing gainful employment in the trades. Without a practical learning opportunity, many young trainees either go on to pursue more studies or end up without decent work in their trade.
WEE-NORTH looks to its industry partners for these practical attachments. The project team works with industry to identify their needs and matches them with female trainees who have completed the program and possess the technical skills and workplace knowledge to succeed. WEE-NORTH also supports employers by offering workshops to help them better prepare for and retain female employees.
info@weenorth.org
info@weenorth.org
Aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals:

