This week 10 classmates in Tradeworks Women’s Workshops will be celebrating graduation in Vancouver. The Vancouver Courier reports here that Tradeworks trains 40 women each year in carpentry, first aid, forklift operation, and materials and safety along with professional skills needed for employment. To meet growing demand for women in trades, the 10-week carpentry program runs out of a new carpentry shop in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. For participants, it’s a “second chance at life”, according to executive director of Tradeworks, Maninder Dhaliwal. Some of the students have been street-level sex-trade workers, some have just completed rehab, and others are looking to return to paid employment after decades spent working in the home. It’s a feel-good story reminding us that news of employment issues demand more than periodic statistical data ascribing general characterizations such as “up, down, weaker than expected” to an important aspect of economic well-being.