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THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026
International Women’s Day
#IWD2026 #GiveToGain
March 8
Forging her art in steel
BY GEORGIA WIEBE
SUPPLIED PHOTO Welder Karalee Lang completed the 16-week Women of Steel course in early 2025.
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ARALEE LANG GREW UP surrounded by people in trades all her life, so it wasn’t a surprise when she joined the second cohort in the Women of Steel Program with First Peoples Development Inc. and Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT). Ever since she was little, Lang has assisted her family in trades work. At 14, she helped her parents while running their flooring
“None of that really gets to me,” Lang says. “I just powered through it and showed them what I could be.” She says she was thankful there were many supports available to her while in the program, including staff who helped her find job opportunities, organized meetings and check-ins, and provided food, equipment, and boots.
“It was probably the best experience I’ve ever had as a woman wanting to go into the trades. We also had a lot of fun, and there were a lot of learning curves that we had to push through,” Lang says. “It was overall a great experience, and it was very hands-on and very knowledgeable, and you weren’t left in the dark.” For Lang, being in trades and hearing about other women’s stories in the field brings her joy. “People look up to them, and I wanted to be that face. I fell in love with it the more I was in school,” Lang says.
company. Her mom worked in mechanic shops, and her husband does HVAC in sheet metal, but out of all the people in her life, her grandmother, Julia Robson, was her biggest source of inspiration. “She was actually the first [tradeswoman] mill - wright in Thompson,” Lang says. Before she got into the trades, Lang worked as an insurance broker for a year. “I’ve always liked to work with my hands, and in some ways I like to think that I’m an artist, but I never found my talent in anything,” Lang says. “I like drawing, you know, working on things, always being in the shop or on vehicles, but I never got the chance to advance into it.”
“It’s a life changer and honestly, just straighten out your back and show them what you’re worth.”
– KARALEE LANG WOMEN OF STEEL PROGRAM GRADUATE
Today, top welder Lang and her husband run their own side business, KT Welding & Mechanical, which combines her hus - band’s work in sheet metal HVAC and her work in welding. Her son has also grown up around work in the trades. Gaining the necessary skills and support from the Women of Steel Program helped Lang get into the career she always wanted. “It’s a life changer and honestly, just straighten out your back and show them what you’re worth,” Lang says. “I wish I could encourage more women to get into it.” FPDI is committed to creating meaningful opportunities for women in the skilled trades and for First Nations people across Manitoba. To learn more about other initiatives, including LauncHER into Trades, and to explore the various programs available, visit their website at fpdinc.ca. ●
In 2024, while scrolling through Facebook, she saw an ad for the program.
“I hummed, and I hawed, and I’m like, I don’t know if I should do it,” Lang says. “My husband was like, ‘You should go for it. I feel like you’d be phenomenal in it’. He’s the one who really pushed me to do that.”
After a bit of convincing from her partner, Lang applied.
“For me to be an insurance broker and go into welding was kind of a huge leap,” Lang says. “I like the idea of welding. It’s an art to me.” A year later, in March of 2025, Lang completed the program. She says she didn’t have any nervousness about jumping into trades despite it being a male-dominated field.
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