Driving a semi-truck is a profession that many think is male-dominated. While there are women behind the wheel of a big rig, a new program being established has the intention of getting more ladies in the industry.

The “Women Shifting Gears” pilot program is a partnership between the provincial government, the Saskatchewan Trucking Association and the Saskatoon YWCA.

Trucking Association executive director Susan Ewart says they are partnering with the YWCA for a reason.

“They’re already doing a trades  journey program for women to bring them into other non-traditional roles,” said Ewart. “So they’ve got experience and expertise around delivering it.”

Ten women will go into the program which will operate in three phases. Everything starts next month with nine weeks of pre-employment training.