About face: two B.C. women pivot to skilled trades careers on LNG Canada project

Every skilled tradesperson needs to start somewhere, but Starla Penner and Kya Teneycke are beginning their trades careers at the massive LNG Canada project in Kitimat, B.C.

Both women are graduates of the YOUR PLACE workforce development program. The four-week program was implemented by prime contractor JGC Fluor and LNG Canada to break down barriers for women considering a career in the trades.

Penner and Teneycke were among the dozen women who were part of the program’s first graduating class in December 2019. The celebrations were necessarily short – recruiters were already on the premises waiting to interview the grads for potential placement.

“There’s a wide variety of work and you never stop learning. It’s exciting and I love it. You hear intimidating stories about women in the trades, but that has not been my experience. Everybody is respectful and friendly and I always feel safe. The crew here looks out for me and wants me to succeed.”
Starla Penner – YOUR PLACE graduate