Karen Walsh is Project Consultant for the Office to Advance Women Apprentices. Karen was the Executive Director with the Office to Advance Women Apprentices NL from January 2011 – December 2022, a position which she has held for 12 years.
Throughout her career, Karen has worked with many areas of apprenticeship from youth, to tradeswomen, served on apprenticeship boards and was also a Director of Adult Education and Training, leading adult learners through the apprenticeship journey. Through her career Karen has been involved in and gained much knowledge and experience in working to support/improve the apprenticeship community across the country.
Karen has volunteered on the Boards on a provincial and national level in supporting a diverse and inclusive culture for women in trades and is constantly doing speaking engagements to contractors, trades unions, government officials working on a progressive work culture for women in trades. Karen received the Canadian Building Trades Distinction Award for Workforce Development for her significant contributions to breakdown barriers and creating opportunities for women in the construction sector.
Karen has her training in Adult Education, is a trained Life Coach, holds a diploma in Community Leadership, is trained in Dale Carnegie Leadership, and is a Trainer/Speaker with the John Maxwell Certified Coaching Program.
Karen is a firm believer that “our limitations begin and end in our minds” and in her work with advancing tradeswomen she encourages them to make stepping stones out of obstacles so that they don’t see their challenges as barriers but a road to cultural change.