The federal government has announced over $7.3-million in funding to support two projects designed to help recruit and train people for a career in the skilled trades including those in Windsor-Essex.
Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault, was at Build a Dream in Windsor Wednesday to announce the funding through the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy's Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP) - Innovation in Apprenticeship Stream.
Boissonnault says organizations who do this work on the ground help more women apprentices participate and succeed in Red Seal Trades.
"It's not just about getting women into these skilled trades, it's about making sure the retention is there and they get these leadership positions. So guys, I'm watching, the government is watching and we want you to be partners so you can add more people into your ranks," he says.
Windsor-based Build a Dream to Empower Women will receive $4.3 million over two years to help up to 18,000 underrepresented apprentices in Ontario, Alberta and Nova Scotia.
The funding will help these apprentices improve their overall skills and competencies including leadership and team building through the Diversifying the Talent Pipelines for In-demand Red Seal Trades project.
The Red Seal is proof that a tradesperson has met the national standard in their trade.
Nour Hachem, President and Founder of Build a Dream, says the funding they're receiving is aimed at retaining apprentices in the skilled trades.
"Out of the 4.8 per cent of women in construction, only two per cent are completing their apprenticeship journey and getting them to their journeyperson level. It's a huge loss to the skilled trades and all the efforts that we're trying to do in attracting and recruiting, and hiring women in the trades," she says.
As part of the second project, Women's Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor Inc. (WEST) will receive over $3 million over four years for their SMART for Women project to help up to 400 unrepresented apprentices to progress and succeed in their apprenticeships.
WEST will provide math refresher courses; assist participants to enroll in technical training courses offered by trades schools and training providers; and will provide participants with wrap-around supports, such as childcare and financial support, so they can complete their apprenticeship training successfully and pursue in-demand jobs.
Rose Anguiano Hurst, Executive Director Women's Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor Inc., says they know that working with women in skilled trades and working with them along their path of apprenticeship is life changing.
"We've already worked with 358 women who have gone through some kind of pre-apprenticeship training," she says. "So those will be our first point of contact in trying to see what kind of gaps they have in progressing through their journey of the next level of apprenticeship."
Minister Boissonnault says only 1 in 6 Canadians currently work in skilled trades.
Under the Innovation in Apprenticeship stream of the CAS UTIP, the Government of Canada is investing up to $55 million over five years, beginning in 2023-2024 to address challenges that are limiting equity deserving groups from succeeding in an apprenticeship.
The two projects receiving the funding were the result of a call for proposals launched in October 2022.
With files from Rob Hindi