New Skills Development Funding To Create More Inclusivity in the Skilled Trades for Newcomer, Racialized, Indigenous and LGBTQ Women
Windsor, ON – Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor, Inc. (WEST) is thrilled to have received $658,098 in funding from the Skills Development Fund for its Electrical PreApprenticeship Program for women facing multiple barriers to employment in Ontario. WEST’s Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship Program provides free tuition, and paid placements to help women develop, technical skills and employment in the skilled trades sector. The funding will also provide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training for employers and journeypersons to create more inclusive workplace settings and better future retention of women in a traditionally male-dominated workforce.
“Jobs in the skilled trades can pay as high six figures, often with pensions and benefits, and offer the path to a better life,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. “That is why our government is investing millions in training programs like this, which connect women, Indigenous people, and newcomers to these life-changing opportunities.”
The continued investment from Premier Ford and Minister McNaughton, alongside the efforts of WEST’s employment services team, our allies, and partners in labor, industry, and nonprofit sectors are essential to make it possible for severely disadvantaged women to become part of the skilled trades workforce according to Rose Anguiano Hurst, Executive Director of Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor, Inc. (WEST).
“Together, we are creating real changes in the lives of the women who complete our Women in the Skilled Trades Program, and in the local skilled trades industry by removing barriers, increasing economic opportunities, and helping create workplaces where the value of inclusivity and diversity are embraced.”
Program participants will complete 32-weeks of training, including 18 weeks of Pre-apprenticeship Electrical in-school curriculum and 70 hours of “hands-on” Programmable Logic Controllers/ Fluid Power training at St. Clair College. Participants will also participate in a weekly intensive employment training delivered by WEST staff to prepare them for a 10-week paid work placement and full-time employment in the industry. Wrap-around supports will remove some of the barriers for women and will include funds to offset the cost of daycare fees and transportation. Math and literacy skill updating, and mental health care workshops are also included in this comprehensive program.
Women interested in participating in the Electrical Pre-apprenticeship Program are encouraged to submit their applications by April 28th online at Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship Program for Women – Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor Inc. (westofwindsor.com). The Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship program starts on May 2nd, 2022. Applications are also being accepted for WEST’s Construction and Craft Trades program which begins on May 2nd and for the CNC/Industrial Mechanic Millwright Pre-Apprenticeship programs in August. For further assistance and for any questions about any of the Women in the Skilled Trades programs at Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor, Inc. (WEST), please contact our Jasleen Chawla, Program Industry Placement Specialist, at (226) 773-5909.
About Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor, Inc. (WEST)
Since 1987, Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor Inc (WEST) has provided 50,000 women in Windsor-Essex with support and programs to aid them in securing employment, enhancing their skills, along with, providing newcomer and immigrant women with services designed to help them adapt and integrate into Canadian culture and their new community. Although at times our job may not be easy, it is because of the strength and passion of our clients that we are motivated to be better people and service providers.
Image courtesy of Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor, Inc.