“I had no idea that I had chosen a non-traditional career, until I started working in the trades,” says Morgan Garnett, Heavy Equipment Technician (HET) for Finning Canada. “I wanted to be a monster truck driver when I grew up, actually, a princess monster truck driver,” laughs Morgan. “When I got older my mom suggested maybe I could fix monster trucks, as this seemed a little more realistic.”
Growing up, Morgan’s mom was the executive director for Skills in Nova Scotia. “Because of her involvement in Skills, I was exposed to the trades early,” says Morgan. For the past 15 years, her mom has been an academic chair at the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), a technical training post-secondary institute. “She helped found Women Unlimited, a pre-employment trades program for unemployed and underemployed women and Techsploration a program that encourages grade nine girls to explore careers in STEM. She’s awesome and one of my biggest supporters.”
For Morgan, being a part of a work culture that is diverse and inclusive is even more relevant. “I have a three year old daughter and I hope no matter what she chooses, at least she knows it’s an option. I want her story to be better than mine and her path a little easier. Hopefully we get to the point where every one cares about being inclusive. I want that to be the world my child grows up in.”
Her mother introduced her to the trades, but she did her training with her dad. “We took our pre-employment programs together and finished our Red Seals at the same time. My dad became a journeyperson at 55 and he’s still working in the trades in Nova Scotia.”
After moving to Alberta to take an apprenticeship in Drumheller and working as an industry and employment advisor with Women Building Futures (WBF), Morgan took a job with Finning as a heavy equipment technician. “I’ve been with the company for six months and I love that every day is different. I could be overhauling a D10T dozer one day and doing repairs and inspections the next,” says Morgan. “Finning is better than any other shop I’ve worked in. There is a wealth of knowledge here and people want to help. If I don’t have the answer, I know my colleagues will.”
Like her mom, Morgan is a big advocate for women in the trades supporting initiatives that educate women and girls on career options in STEM. “I never realized how lucky I was that I knew careers in the trades were an option,” says Morgan. She is still heavily involved with WBF programs, helping to design curriculums and doing presentations. Morgan also volunteers at Skills competitions, facilitates workshops and is a guest speaker on her experiences in the trades.
