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Three dynamic women who have staked out successful careers in the telecommunications industry will inspire your female students to explore new career pathways.Female role models help get this career on the radar of women and girls because they’re able to see someone who looks like them on the job. The video reveals the personal experiences and insights of successful women working in this field. Telecommunications and related industries employ millions of people. Increasing numbers of women are establishing rewarding careers in the traditionally male-dominated telecommunications field. Role Model Videos: Career Options for Women -- Telecommunications
$99 
Item #: EDV72 |
Career Options for Women -- Telecommunications:
This 24-minute video features profiles of three women with successful careers in telecommunications:
- Josselin Grebinsky, a telecommunications specialist who maintains institutional systems
- Louise Meilleur, a technical support specialist who designs telecommunications systems for clients
- Mindy Turk, a naval communicator making her way up in the ranks
Additional information from co-workers and supervisors supplements each job profile.
Meet the role models featured in the Telecommunications video:
Josselin: Telecommunications Specialist
Telecommunication specialist Josselin Grebinsky dialed into her career straight out of high school. She took a two-year telecommunications engineering program and finished in the top five of her class. With that kind of track record, she landed a great job with Grant MacEwan College, installing and maintaining the telecommunications systems.
Josselin thinks other women would like her job because it's a very challenging and creative position. In the future, Josselin would like to stay more on the creative side of the industry and get into designing telecommunications systems. “I like that the industry is changing everyday. I learn new things and, when I come into work, anything could happen that day.”
Josselin needs to do a lot of hands on work to ensure the college communications systems are always online. But her job doesn’t stop there. She spends a lot of time in her office making sure everything runs smoothly. It’s all part of her calling.
Louise: Technical Support Specialist
Louise Meilleur is a technical support specialist for Bell Intrigna. She designs telecommunications systems for her clients. Louise says you need to understand technology to excel in telecommunications. But even in such a technical industry, Louise says her job allows her to be creative. She enjoys composing something new for a client.
“My job is a constant challenge. There are always opportunities to learn new things. I never get bored.”
Louise's advice to other women considering a career in telecommunications is to get as much technical training as possible, and network. Build your network by going to related seminars and becoming a member of different associations. Then stay in touch with everyone you meet from the industry.
The salary for a position such as Louise’s is great and she works 37.5 hours per week. Louise got her break in the industry as a customer service rep. She attended night school and worked her way up, learning on the job and taking a variety of courses. Louise has worked hard to earn her position, but still considers herself lucky.
Mindy: Naval Communicator
Naval communicator Mindy Turk is responsible for internal and external communications on the HMCS Ville de Quebec. Mindy signed up with the Canadian Forces through the encouragement of a friend, who joined right out of high school and said it was a lot of fun. Mindy says, although she may have joined for the fun, she stayed for the financial benefits and the stability. She gives a lot to the military and they give a lot back.
Mindy's future goals include moving up to Master Seaman rank and becoming more familiar with the technical side of naval communications. She is also working hard at becoming fluently bilingual. Mindy must be able to concentrate under stressful conditions and possess good logical reasoning ability with a memory for detail. She must also be ready to spend some time on the water because 60% of the job is in a ship.
“I like that I do a lot of different things in my trade work. I can be on the bridge, outside or in the busy control room. It's very fast paced.”
$99
Item #: EDV72
Video details:
Run time: 24 minutes total, including three segments of approximately 8 minutes each.
Format: DVD. Closed-captioned.
Year: 2006
Note: Videos are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are similar to the numbers in the United States.
Policies: There is a no-return policy on these videos.
Grade level: Middle School, High School, Two-Year College, Four-Year University
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Three dynamic women who have staked out successful careers in the textiles industry will inspire your female students to explore new career pathways.Female role models help get this career on the radar of women and girls because they’re able to see someone who looks like them on the job. The video reveals the personal experiences and insights of successful women working in this field. Textiles and related industries employ millions of people. Increasing numbers of women are establishing rewarding careers in the traditionally male-dominated textiles field. |
Career Options for Women -- Textiles:
This 24-minute video features profiles of three women with successful careers in textiles:
- Nathalie Jacques, a planning manager for an upholstery and fabric manufacturer
- Myriam Phaneuf, a research and development technician who creates new textile designs thread by thread
- Tarah Jakubiak, Vice President of Sales for an international fabric producer
Additional information from co-workers and supervisors supplements each job profile.
Meet the role models featured in the Textiles video:
Nathalie: Planning Manager
Nathalie Jacques is a planning manager for Hafner, an upholstery and home décor fabric manufacturer. Nathalie is responsible for coordinating the efforts of various departments working on production.
Nathalie worked as an intern supervisor at Hafner as part of her training and they hired her right away as a supervisor. After training in the textile industry, the job placement is nearly one hundred percent. You can't ask for much more than that!
Nathalie's employer puts their money where their employees' goals are. They'll pay for courses in marketing or a second language, for example. It's a win-win investment for the company and the employees.
Myriam: Research and Development Technician
Textile research and development technician Myriam Phaneuf’s job is to develop creative new designs and fabric styles for her company's fashion line. Myriam takes fabric samples apart thread by thread to figure out how they are made, then creates a new fabric design and plan for the production team.
“What I like about my job is that it is artistic and technical at the same time… It's never the same: you are discovering every day, so it's very interesting.”
The job Myriam does at Consoltex requires a great deal of creativity and imagination. Once an idea comes to her mind, Myriam's excellent communications skills help her share this idea with the company.
Myriam has to create fabric that meets the customers' needs and at the same time, can actually be produced using the company's production processes. Overall it's a big communication challenge when you are the person between the marketing and production departments.
Tarah: Vice-President of Sales
For vice president of sales, Tarah Jakubiak, working in the textiles industry can be quite challenging, in particular because the owner is also her dad. Tarah fell into the business after using her Spanish fluency to help her Dad market to some South American customers. She was a natural. Tarah knows the business inside out and realizes what it takes to create sales and manage her team.
“What appeals to me most about this position is the creativity. You follow the trends, you follow the styles of fashion and what's going on and then once you have it done, you also have to be creative in the sense where you are going to take this product.”
Anyone will tell you that being in sales is not easy. Tarah's company sells to a wide variety of end users. Sales people have to use their imagination to find end uses that suit the fabrics they sell.
It takes a lot of confidence to walk into a meeting cold and sell your products. There's a lot of work just to get a meeting. You have to differentiate your products very quickly and do presentations that appeal to the needs of different customers. Sometimes the product sells itself, but most of the time you have to demonstrate why it's the thing to buy.
Video details:
Run time: 24 minutes total, including three segments of approximately 8 minutes each.
Format: DVD. Closed-captioned.
Year: 2006
Note: Videos are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are similar to the numbers in the United States.
Policies: There is a no-return policy on these videos.
Grade level: Middle School, High School, Two-Year College, Four-Year University
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Three dynamic women who have staked out successful careers in utilities will inspire your female students to explore new career pathways.Female role models help get this career on the radar of women and girls because they’re able to see someone who looks like them on the job. The video reveals the personal experiences and insights of successful women working in this field. Utilities and related industries employ millions of people. Increasing numbers of women are establishing rewarding careers in the traditionally male-dominated utilities field. |
Career Options for Women -- Utilities:
This 24-minute video features profiles of three women with successful careers in utilities:
- Melanie Young, a network operations technician in the telecommunications field
- Laura Warkentin, a natural gas systems planner who coordinates the installation of gas main services
- Nicole Brochu, a linesperson accustomed to working at extreme heights
Additional information from co-workers and supervisors supplements each job profile.
Meet the role models featured in the Utilities video:
Melanie: Network Operations Technician
Melanie Young is a network operations field technician for Microcell Connexions. She maintains cellular equipment, doing installations and repairs when necessary. She also coordinates with several contractors and the Microcell implementation team on a daily basis to bring cell sites on-line. She helps make sure that everything is up to specifications.
Melanie joined the Communication Reserves of the military after high school. She trained as a Radio/ Teletype Operator, but was more interested in the technical aspect. While in the military, she took a two-day course in Telecommunication Engineering Technology. She joined the program and graduated with a diploma with honors in Telecommunication Engineering Technology. She even received two scholarships.
“From a working perspective, my technical abilities are growing every day in this field. As new developments are made, my knowledge increases just that much more.”
Melanie believes her skills will easily translate into any other future job. Along with her technical skills, her personal skills are valuable in maintaining good working relationships with co-workers, contractors, and the general public.
In the future, she would eventually like to design or invent new products and services for the telecommunication industry.
Laura: Natural Gas Systems Planner
Laura Warkentin works for British Columbia (BC) Gas. Her job title is Technologist 2 - Utility Planning. She designs and coordinates the installation of gas main services for BC Gas' customers. This involves a lot of planning and preparation of cost estimates. She draws up the plan, gets all necessary approvals, arranges for the crews and ensures the project is completed well and in a timely fashion.
When asked what she enjoys about her job, Laura says, “It is great working on computers that are the latest technology. And I like working on projects where you start at the very beginning and you get to see the finished project. Also, I really like the customer service aspect of the job.”
Before Laura graduated from her technical college, she was already working part-time with BC Gas on weekends. She started full-time as a System Planner on international projects then became a plant designer.
The major reason why she would encourage other women to enter this field is because of the wide spectrum of opportunity. You can work on the oilrigs, work off shore, and work in the utility distribution side of things.
Laura now plans to go back to school to take a one-year GIS course in order to improve her employability in the future. GIS stands for Geographical Information Systems, a technology that almost all utility distribution industries are using now.
Nicole: Linesperson
Nicole Brochu is a linesperson for Hydro Quebec. She started working for Hydro as a temp, designing plans for lines people. When Hydro decided to integrate 12 women in a non-traditional area, Nicole did a nine-month training program in electricity and other skills.
Her work involves construction, maintenance, client requests, and dealing with emergencies. She rotates climbing with her partner - one climbs while the other helps on the bottom. Many times they use a lift truck. Heights don't bother Nicole and she likes working outdoors.
Nicole admits that the work is physically demanding, although they have tools and machinery to help. Danger is always present due to the heights at which they work and the presence of high voltage electricity.
Despite the numerous difficulties associated with her job, Nicole finds much reward in her work. She advises other women that this would be a great career for those who enjoy teamwork, manual labor, and working in all types of climates.
Video details:
Run time: 24 minutes total, including three segments of approximately 8 minutes each.
Format: DVD. Closed-captioned.
Year: 2006
Note: Videos are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are similar to the numbers in the United States.
Policies: There is a no-return policy on these videos.
Grade level: Middle School, High School, Two-Year College, Four-Year University
Video Clip: |
Three dynamic women who have staked out successful careers in the video games industry will inspire your female students to explore new career pathways.Female role models help get this career on the radar of women and girls because they’re able to see someone who looks like them on the job. The video reveals the personal experiences and insights of successful women working in this field. Video games and related industries employ millions of people. Increasing numbers of women are establishing rewarding careers in the traditionally male-dominated video game field. |
Career Options for Women -- Video Games:
This 24-minute video features profiles of three women with successful careers in video games:
- Sophie Gagnon, a background modeler who helps build game environments
- Chantal Fournier, a 2D animator with a background in fashion and a passion for games
- Erin Olorenshaw, a 3D animator
Additional information from co-workers and supervisors supplements each job profile.
Meet the role models featured in the Video Games video:
Sophie: Background Modeler
Sophie Gagnon is a background modeler for Radical Entertainment. Sophie has always had an interest in the arts, but hadn't used a computer much until she went to film school. Now her computer is your portal to the fantasy world of video games.
Sophie applies her interest in animation and entertainment to build the game environment, such as trees, buildings and landscapes. It's a job she absolutely loves!
“Other women would like my job because of the flexible hours, good benefits and the fun, dynamic people you get to work with.”
Sophie's job pays well and comes with full benefits including a gym and free food at work as well as free hockey, skiing and basketball passes. Her advice to other women is to make a good demo reel because your ability to get a good job hinges on it.
Sophie finds her job is very rewarding because every day she sees the results of her work. And she thrives on the dynamic, energetic work environment. When Sophie’s not at Radical, she devotes her passion to the arts.
Chantal: 2D Animator
Chantal Fournier is a 2D animator for ICE Multimedia. Chantal is an avid gamer herself. A love for games is critical if you want to be successful in this industry. Many game company job listings read “qualified individuals must play and love games.” That was no problem for Chantal.
“I like the teamwork involved in my job, taking everyone's assets and putting them all together.” In the future, Chantal wants to become a lead graphic artist or an artistic director.
Chantal first applied her drawing ability to a career in fashion design. Then she fashioned a career of her own design, one that fuses drawing with computer software.
Game companies get thousands of job inquiries a year. So it really helps to know someone in the business.
Erin: 3D Animator
Today, video games look more realistic than ever. Bringing the games to life is the job of 3D animator Erin Olorenshaw. Erin performs her miracles at Relic Entertainment, where she oversees animation segments, making the work of three people look like the work of one.
“I like that the work atmosphere is nice and casual and that I work with people my age. I also like the creative input I have when developing a game.”
Erin says the job offers a lot of possibilities for advancement. You can make up a lot of money and designers and programmers can make even more.
After graduating from film school, Erin sent her demo reel to hundreds of companies across the country. Relic was one of the few who actually called back. Erin and her team have helped earn the company several prestigious awards.
Erin says the women she knows in the video game business do extremely well. It’s a male-dominated industry, but it’s an excellent fit for women too.
Video details:
Run time: 24 minutes total, including three segments of approximately 8 minutes each.
Format: DVD. Closed-captioned.
Year: 2006
Note: Videos are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are similar to the numbers in the United States.
Policies: There is a no-return policy on these videos.
Grade level: Middle School, High School, Two-Year College, Four-Year University
Video Clip: |
Three dynamic women who have staked out successful careers in the wood products industry will inspire your female students to explore new career pathways.Female role models help get this career on the radar of women and girls because they’re able to see someone who looks like them on the job. The video reveals the personal experiences and insights of successful women working in this field. Wood products and related industries employ millions of people. Increasing numbers of women are establishing rewarding careers in the traditionally male-dominated wood products field. |
Career Options for Women -- Wood Products:
This 24-minute video features profiles of three women with successful careers in wood products:
- Jodie MacDonald, a sawmill production coordinator who liaisons with sales and marketing
- Marie- Claude Giguere, a composite technologist who tests and fabricates oriented strand boards
- Roxanne Fayant, a crate builder specializing in extremely large-scale work
Additional information from co-workers and supervisors supplements each job profile.
Meet the role models featured in the Wood Products video:
Jodie: Sawmill Production Coordinator
Jodie MacDonald is a sawmill production coordinator. She's a liaison between the sales force at Weyerhaeuser who market lumber and the sawmills that produce it.
Jodie decided on a career in wood products after researching different education programs. She found a wood products course that had a 98% placement rate with high starting salaries. After graduating from the two-year course she landed her job at Weyerhaeuser.
“I like how diverse my job is. There are so many different areas I can go into like manufacturing, sales, public relations, human resources or process control.”
Jodie’s advice to women looking to pursue a career in wood products is to not get discouraged, even if you’re the only woman in the classroom or the workplace. She thinks other women would enjoy her job because there is constant problem solving and every day is new and different.
Jodie likes to meet challenges head on and her work with the sawmills is no different. She really enjoys her job and encourages women to open their minds to other opportunities and try something new!
Marie-Claude: Composite Technologist
Composite technologist Marie-Claude Giguere works on the testing and fabrication of OSB board, otherwise known as oriented strand board. OSB is basically an engineered wood product comprised of strands of wood oriented in a certain way and glued and pressed together to create very strong boards.
Marie Claude’s job is to help ensure the right mix of elements are used to create the boards, in order to create a quality product that meets specifications.
“My job is a nice challenge for a woman who likes physical work...”
Marie-Claude works eight and a half hours a day and only seven hours on Friday, with every second Friday off. In the future, she would like to move up to a technical advisor position.
Marie-Claude orients a lot of her work activities toward evaluating the quality and performance of OSB. She conducts a variety of tests to determine product capabilities, then writes up detailed reports that will be used in the creation or enhancement of OSB products.
Making a difference in the outcome of the activities at the lab is very satisfying for Marie-Claude. However, when she’s not spending time with wood in the lab, she spends it in the forest, enjoying fresh air and the beautiful outdoors. Camping and fishing is her method of getting away from it all.
Roxanne: Crate Builder
If you've ever received a wood crate package, it could have been built by crater and 3rd-year apprentice carpenter, Roxanne Fayant. Roxanne makes crates to specification, then travels to different job sites to crate up whatever item they want to ship. Some crates can be as big as a house!
Roxanne has worked at a variety of carpentry jobs, including renovations, finishing and building decks. Although carpentry runs in her family, she first went to university to study film and video. Then, she went back to the family specialty.
“My favorite part of my job is seeing the work when it's done. I take a lot of before and after pictures.” In the future, Roxanne wants to help out other aspiring women carpenters. She wants to get her journey ticket and take on female apprentices.
Roxanne’s job involves both hands on carpentry and customer service. She deals with a lot of different customers and anything could come up when she’s on site doing a crating job. Dealing well with these kinds of challenges takes the right combination of skills and experience.
Roxanne is a single mom, so the regular hours give her the opportunity to spend time with her son Steven.
Video details:
Run time: 24 minutes total, including three segments of approximately 8 minutes each.
Format: DVD. Closed-captioned.
Year: 2006
Note: Videos are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are similar to the numbers in the United States.
Policies: There is a no-return policy on these videos.
Grade level: Middle School, High School, Two-Year College, Four-Year University
