Empowering Women in the Trades

Jessica Bannister is a Level 4 HVAC/R apprentice in Vancouver, British Columbia and works with her dad and brother at Cam Cool Refrigeration. She’s also an advocate for women in the skills trade industry and regularly shares her work experiences via her Instagram (@HVACJess) and youtube channel.

This is her story:

1. What inspired you to pursue a career in the HVAC industry?

My background is in corporate finance, but my father owns Cam Cool Refrigeration (a commercial and lighting industrial air conditioning and refrigeration company) and I joined the business to take care of administrative work. Initially, it wasn’t easy to understand the jargon that was being thrown around by my dad and brother during the workday. I ended up doing a ride-along to become more familiar with everything I was seeing on paper and ended up enjoying it so much – eventually enrolling in trade school, where I’m now a Level 4 HVAC/R apprentice!

2. There seems to be stigma surrounding Gen Z around pursuing a career in the trades; is this something you struggled with?

There’s still a stigma present – it’s not just around HVAC/R either, but across the trades more broadly. In fact, even though my dad has always been a refrigeration mechanic and my brother pursued the same career immediately after high school, it never seemed like a possibility for me. It never occurred to me to ask whether it was something I could potentially try, and I also wasn’t ever encouraged to try it. If I had seen a woman doing what I did at the time though, it might have made me consider the trades as a viable career option – something I’m sure many other girls and women would, as well.

3. How have you overcome moments of bias in such a male-dominated field?

I’ve been extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to work alongside my father and brother. Since day one, both of them have been supportive of me entering HVAC/R. The most important thing I think other women can do is to find a company that will explicitly help guide them through their careers and nurture them as they continue to gain the skills needed to do this job. Additionally, don’t accept an apprenticeship that doesn’t fully empower you – find someone else to work with. Have the confidence within yourself to know that you belong in this industry, too. It’s not all up to the women though! Businesses should be encouraging more women to consider entering the industry by introducing them to the field while they’re still in school, including offering apprenticeships and internships to high school, college, or technical school students.

4. Can you share any other experiences or moments that stand out as particularly challenging or rewarding so far in your career?

Technical training at refrigeration school has been quite challenging for me. While I’m usually the only woman in the room, the syllabus is demanding and fast-paced. It takes a lot of mental bandwidth, especially because I feel like I need to do better than my classmates to “prove myself.” In the field, pretty much any time I accomplish something on my own, especially after a challenge is such a rewarding feeling. Being able to diagnose and repair a problem someone’s having makes you feel like a superhero. Our services can be essential to some businesses and industry’s success.

5. You’re very active and open on social media. Do you view this as a channel for attracting more women into trade careers?

Absolutely! During International Women’s Day in previous years, I posted pictures of myself with one foot in a boot and the other in a high heel. Women can do whatever we want, love what we do, and at the same time – stomp out stereotypes. I believe that the visibility of women in the trades is extremely important. I intentionally leverage social media to share my experiences and truly believe that it’s creating a change. In fact, Instagram has become a great community of tradespeople who are all supportive and encouraging. I love the quote “You can’t be what you can’t see” and I hope to embody that.

6. Is there any other advice you’d like to share for other women considering entering the HVAC industry?

The biggest piece of advice is to find a good mentor and role model. It’s so crucial to find someone at the very beginning of your career whom you can learn from, who is willing to teach you and who ultimately wants you to succeed or is it just there as a sounding board.Women entering the field may encounter a bad first company or mentor, but don’t let that impact the rest of your professional journey.

Editor’s Note: Q&A provided by Jobber, a provider of operations management software for home service businesses.