Roberta Giroux
WiRE Alberta, Edmonton Chapter Leader
Apprenticeship Retention Coordinator at Trade Winds to Success
rgiroux@womeninrenewableenergy.ca
Roberta Giroux is the Apprenticeship Retention Coordinator at Trade Winds to Success. Trade Winds to Success is an organization that strives to increase the number of Indigenous people working in the building trades. Roberta has a certificate in finance from NAIT and is a Journeywoman Electrician. Roberta uses her experience to work with youth and indigenous people to promote education and the skilled trades industry. Roberta’s career has taken her to many places, picking up a few interesting skills along the way. This includes being an actress, youth worker, casino card dealer and finally a journeywoman electrician! After graduation, she started her career in the finance field working for banks, payroll departments and in the construction sector. Moving to Hamilton with her family, she took a casino dealer course which she used when they later returned to Edmonton. She then shifted gears and worked for ATCO, working on different projects including advising residents of energy efficient improvements. Then at 28, she decided to try out a program that showcased the different trades. She gravitated towards the electrical trade but knew she had a lot to learn to become a well-rounded individual. There were the academic barriers (i.e math), cultural barriers (being not only a woman but an indigenous woman) and the practical barriers (work experience). She saw this as the challenge she craved and spent 15 years being a journeywoman electrician working on commercial, residential, Solar and industrial projects.
