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B.C. wants more women in trades
Guest Commentary
By Shirley Bond
Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training
Over the next decade, there will be an estimated one million job openings in B.C. in many sectors, including liquefied natural gas, mining and mineral exploration, and shipbuilding. Of those job openings, 43 per cent will require trades and technical training.
In order to fulfill B.C.'s potential for prosperity and ensure British Columbians are first in line for well-paid jobs, the Province needs to tap into the full range of B.C.'s potential workforce.
Under the BC Jobs Plan, government is investing more than $4 million in 2013-14 through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Agreement to enable 675 women to access mentorship opportunities and trades training programs, complete skills upgrading, and receive financial support for childcare, transportation, tools and equipment.
These funds support valuable programs in every region of the province - programs like the Industry Training Authority's (ITA) Women in Trades Training Initiative (WITT), which provides information and training to open doors for women who want to pursue careers as plumbers, electricians, sheet-metal workers, carpenters or heavy equipment operators, just to name a few. In total, more than 2,100 women have benefitted from WITT since it was first introduced in 2008.
Investing in secondary and post-secondary trades training is another priority of the BC Jobs Plan. This is helping women - and British Columbians generally - get the right training, in the right place, at the right time, to meet the many opportunities coming to British Columbians.
Okanagan College's program, Gateway to the Building Trades for Women, is just one example of government's commitment to investing in programs that enable women to make informed career decisions, become knowledgeable about how to pursue trades foundation and apprenticeship training, and also how to seek out employment in their chosen field.
The Mothers to Miners program at Northern Lights College is another innovative program supported through the Employment Skills Access (ESA) initiative. This program helped to prepare women in northern B.C. for positions at a surface mine operation - giving working mothers a better opportunity to participate in the local mining industry by designing work hours around family and school schedules.
Government investment in conferences, like the Skilled Trades for Women Conference in Abbotsford, is also critical in helping young women in grades 9-12 discover possibilities in a diverse range of industries, while providing opportunities to network with women who have found success in trades and technology careers.
Now more than ever, women throughout B.C. are realizing that a career in trades can mean independence, job satisfaction and great pay. Approximately 10 per cent of all apprentices in British Columbia are women, up from 8.5 per cent in 2009.
We're making progress, but we can do better. By working together with industry, employers, post-secondary partners and women throughout B.C., we can meet the growing demand for skilled tradespeople and make sure that women are finding opportunity, job satisfaction and good pay in the skilled trades.
There has truly never been a more exciting time for women to pursue a career in trades. For more information on government's commitment to skills training, visit: www.bcjobsplan.ca
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