[:en]

Today at the B.C. Building Trades 2016 convention, Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour, announced an investment of $400,000 through a partnership with Build Together, SkillPlan and IBEW Local 213  to create a made-in-B.C. women-in-trades mentorship program. This investment, a direct response to the need highlighted by the Building Trades, will also identify broader services to support women working in the trades.

We are absolutely thrilled that the BC government is investing to create real change for the advancement and retention of tradeswomen in their province.

 

See full release here for commentary including statements from Lisa Langevin, Journey Electrician with IBEW Local 213 and Build Together National/Provincial Representative as well as Lindsay Amundsen, director of program development and operations for Build Together, Women of the Building Trades national program.

Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training:

“Last year Lisa Langevin and members from the building trades met with us (see event here) and highlighted the challenges that women face in the skilled trades. This investment is a direct response, creating a women’s mentorship program that will help women get the support they need to succeed in their trades careers.”

Lisa Langevin, co-chair, IBEW 213 Women’s Committee and BC IBEW Women’s Committee; campaigns and policy director for the BC Build Together:

“I am so excited that the government will be helping us to first reach out to women in the trades to find out where the supports are most needed and then will be working with us to put a program in place to provide those supports. When you are on a jobsite and there are hundreds of guys, but you are the only woman it can be overwhelming. This program will help level that playing field by providing women with the network and resources they need to be successful in these great paying careers.”

Lindsay Amundsen, director of program development and operations for Build Together, Women of the Building Trades national program:

“We are thrilled that the B.C. government is investing to create real change for the advancement and retention of tradeswomen in their province. We believe that it’s partnerships like these that can maximize impact within industry. There is so much incredible work being done to create awareness of the opportunities in the trades for women in B.C. and our goal is to streamline these efforts by working together and digging deeper with analysis to identify barriers, best practices and tools for implementation to suit the unique needs of tradeswomen in various communities across the province.”

 

QUICK FACTS:

•  The B.C. government invests more than $7.5 billion in education and training each year from early learning programs for the youngest British Columbians all the way through to post graduate education.
•  Over the next 10 years, to better align annual investment to meet emerging labour market needs, the government will redirect $3 billion of our training investment to focus on skills and programs for in-demand jobs.
•  Since 2008-09, the Industry Training Authoritys Women in Trades Training (WITT) program has served more than 3,000 women.
•  There are approximately 3,964 registered women apprentices in the province across 72 different trades.
•  The percentage of women who are registered apprentices in BC is at 10.4%, up from 8.5% in 2009. 

[:]