Government of Canada funds innovative project to help more women succeed in the skilled trades

750 apprentices from Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan to benefit from this support

WINNIPEG, Feb. 21, 2019 /CNW/ - Giving every Canadian a fair chance at success means helping them get the skills and training they need to succeed in a changing economy. The skilled trades are good, well-paying, middle-class jobs, and the Government of Canada supports key groups, including women, Indigenous people, newcomers and persons with disabilities, to work in the trades by funding projects led by unions and other organizations.

Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, announced that the Government of Canada will provide $3,141,000 to Canada's Building Trades Unions (CBTU) for its project titled An Innovative Model to Enhance Entry, Advancement, and Employment Outcomes of Women Apprentices.

This project will support the CBTU's Women in Trades Program, which breaks down barriers for women in the construction trades. Over a period of 42 months, up to 750 women apprentices, including approximately 100 Indigenous women in Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, will receive career services, employment assistance and networking opportunities to complete their training and obtain their Red Seal certification so they can work anywhere in Canada.

The Government invests $25 million annually in the Union Training and Innovation Program to support union?based apprenticeship training, innovation and enhanced partnerships in the Red Seal trades across Canada. This investment means more apprentices will be able to develop their skills, complete their training and find good, well?paying jobs.

As Canada's economy continues to grow and create good, well-paying jobs, the Government is committed to ensuring that all Canadians benefit.

Quotes

"Building a diverse and inclusive workforce is not only the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do for Canada's future. A strong middle class depends on a job market where all people, regardless of gender, have a real and fair chance at success. Our partnership with the CBTU means that more women will get good-quality jobs in the trades."
? The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour

"Canada's Building Trades Unions are very proud to be working with the federal government to launch a program that will increase the number of women that successfully complete their apprenticeship to take on a challenging and rewarding career as a professional skilled trades worker. The CBTU, through our workforce development program, Build Together, has been working on the recruitment and retention of women, and other under?represented groups, and the program will expand this important work."
? Robert Blakely, Canadian Operating Officer, Canada's Building Trades Unions

Quick Facts

• The project is funded under Stream 2 (Innovation in Apprenticeship Training) of the Union Training and Innovation Program.
• The CBTU will partner with the Office to Advance Women Apprentices and the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation to assist in finding employment opportunities for women apprentices so they can become journeypersons.
• Project partners and stakeholders, including employers, unions and training providers, will work to improve the participation of women and will benefit from diversity, discrimination and harassment training.

Associated Links

Union Training and Innovation Program 
Support for Apprentices

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Backgrounder

Union Training and Innovation Program 

The Union Training and Innovation Program, which was announced in Budget 2016, targets the Red Seal trades and involves broad-based partnerships with a number of stakeholders. It is expected that the Program will:

• help improve the quality of training through investments in equipment;
• support innovative approaches and partnerships with other stakeholders; and
• reduce barriers to participation and success in the trades for key groups including women and Indigenous people.

The Program, which has two streams, is open to all unions, including those that do not provide training recognized by provinces and territories as technical apprenticeship training, and those that do not operate training facilities.

• Stream 1 helps unions purchase new and up-to-date training equipment. Continuous technological change puts pressure on training providers to ensure workers are developing the right skills needed on the job site.
• Stream 2 focuses on innovative approaches to help address challenges limiting apprenticeship outcomes, including barriers to participation and success in the trades for key groups such as women and Indigenous people. This stream is open to a range of stakeholders and partners, but unions need to be involved, either as the lead or as a partner on projects.

Government of Canada support for apprentices

• Up to $28,000 in funding through apprenticeship grants and loans is available to Canadians who are trying to complete their apprenticeship training.
• To further support key groups facing barriers so they can succeed in the skilled trades, the Government of Canada recently launched the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant for Women. This new grant provides $3,000 per year or level, up to a maximum amount of $6,000, to eligible registered apprentices who have successfully completed their first or second year/level of an apprenticeship program in Red Seal trades.
• This, in combination with the existing Apprenticeship Completion Grant valued at $2,000, could result in combined grant support of up to $8,000 over the course of their skilled trades training. Eligible apprentices can apply by visiting Canada.ca/apprenticeship-grants.
• In addition to the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant for Women, Budget 2018 announced two other initiatives to help apprentices succeed:
• a pre-apprenticeship program with $46 million over five years, starting in 2018?19, with $10 million per year ongoing, to encourage groups facing barriers to explore careers in the trades, gain work experience, make informed career choices and develop the skills needed for the trades; and
• the Women in Construction Fund with $10 million over three years, starting in 2018?19, to support projects building on existing models that have proven to be effective in attracting women to the trades, such as mentoring, coaching and tailored supports.

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada