The provincial government has announced new funding for women who want to pursue a career in the skilled trades. David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, was in Kitchener on Wednesday to announce an almost $3.9 million investment in four training projects as part of the Skills Development Fund Training Stream. Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region will be getting $2,000,048 for their SHE Builds program to help 42 women and gender-diverse people who are survivors of gender-based violence. Participants chosen for the program will receive specialized training and employment supports to help them build a future in carpentry, cabinetmaking, machinery mechanics or transportation equipment mechanics. “We are incredibly grateful to the government of Ontario for supporting a program that recognizes both the barriers survivors face and the opportunities that they deserve,” Jennifer Hutton, CEO of Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region, said at the announcement. “The SHE Builds program is important for many reasons. It helps to remove the structural barriers that have historically prevented women from entering the skilled trades. Through employment readiness training, skills development and ongoing wraparound support, participants will gain the tools they need to pursue meaningful careers and ultimately build brighter futures for themselves and their children.” Andrea Maga, an electrical supervisor with O’Connor Electric in the Hamilton area, shared her experience as a woman working in the industry. “I choose the skilled trades for many of the same reasons men do. I wanted a good paying career with benefits and job security, but most importantly I wanted to do work that I found challenging and fulfilling every day,” Maga explained. “Completing my apprenticeship and becoming an electrician has given me all those things. But I wouldn’t have made it through those challenging years without another woman by my side.” “When you’re already learning a demanding trade, trying to build your skills and confidence and working toward completing an apprenticeship, the additional challenges of being a female on a construction site can become overwhelming, and unfortunately, some women leave the trades before they ever get the chance to see how far they could have gone,” she continued. “In my opinion, that’s why hiring more women is so important. I know how much it can mean to have another woman working beside you and how it can change the entire trajectory of a career.” Maga also said it is important employers not only hire women, but invest in them. “When a young woman walks onto a job site and sees another woman running a crew, making decision and leading a team she can see herself doing that too,” Maga said. “Supporting women in the trade isn’t about creating a separate path for women, it’s about removing barriers so women can succeed on the same path.” Other recipients include The Redwood for Women and Children Fleeing Abuse in Toronto, the Canadian Association of Women in Construction and Metro Labour Education and Skills Training Centre in Toronto. All told, the province said 310 women will benefit from the $3.9 million investment.
