Professionals in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and other technical and vocational fields are mostly male.

This trend tends to promote gender stereotypes, widen the gender wage gap, and limit workforce diversity. 

The World University Service of Canada (WUSC) has thus launched a mentorship scheme to empower young women to pursue careers and participate in non-traditional vocational education and skills training. 

Non-traditional vocational education and skills training denotes industries and occupations deemed male-dominated. 

These industries are often in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) as well as construction, automotive, welding and other technical professions. 

The trend has the tendency to fuel gender disparities. 

The World University Service of Canada (WUSC), through the Innovation in Non-Traditional Vocational Education and Skills Training (INVEST), intends to use the 'So Me Mu' Mentorship Program to promote gender equality and economic empowerment.

'So Me Mu' in the Ghanaian Akan dialect, which means 'support me', seeks to match young women participating in male-dominated TVET sectors with technical professionals in these sectors. 

The mentorship program will accelerate personal and professional development of mentors and mentees. 

The program will create opportunities for young female technical professionals to establish networks, and develop their skills.

Public Engagement and Advocacy Advisor of INVEST, Juliana Ohenewaa Amoako-Twum, indicated that the training will allow participants to acquire market-driven and market-relevant skills.

She called on entities to support progressive women initiatives. 

“Our main campaign is a mindset change campaign, ensuring that we go down to the grassroots to make them understand that women can pursue careers,and trades that men are currently doing. We should not limit women to the traditionally female-dominated trade areas. Provided the person is interested, and is passionate about what they want to do, everybody should support that girl. 

“We are supporting about 1,000 of these young women between the ages of 15 to 35 years to acquire market-driven and market-relevant skills that are mainly male-dominated. We have innovative partners who are actually championing the advocacy.  We are not only centering on women, we are considering men as well, because we've actually engaged men and boys who are well-informed. And then the mentees who definitely have to be women in male-dominated spaces or are aspiring to acquire male-dominated skills. Sustainability is the reason why we think that everybody should come on board. It is actually a project," she said.

Director for Quality Assurance, Accreditation and Planning at the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Engineer Emmanuel Appiah Kubi, admonished young females to be daring. 

“We realised that, TVET construction, electrical, mechanical, mobile industry were for males because they involve strength and people with muscles. If you go to other parts of the world, the most intelligent are the ones we ask them to do school-based trade areas because it involves thinking, creating, and innovation. 

“People hold a fallacy that those who come by this course can only be creators and innovators and therefore they cannot be said to be unintelligent. They are all intelligent people. So if your calling is to be in the T-VET, please come through and be daring. Don't be deceived to go through the grammar and then obtain other areas for which you're not made for,” he said.

Entrepreneur and gender enthusiast, David Opoku Frimpong of Ayerty Ghana Limited, welcomed the initiative.

“We embrace the idea. Currently, we have more than 8 women who are on our list learning a trade which is mostly dominated by men. If you come there and you see how the women are working, it's admirable. It has increased our customer base. And some people come there just to see how we have more than 8 women who are on our list learning a trade which is mostly dominated by men."

"If you come there and you see how the women are working, it's admirable. It has increased our customer base. And some people come there just to see how the women are working. And we have done it in such a way that we want people to have the mind change that only men can do that work,” he said.