Ten women have been selected to take part in the Skilled Trades Exploration Program for Women. (Brad Perry/Wave News)
A new pilot project has been launched to try and increase the number of women in skilled trades.
The Skilled Trades Exploration Program for Women (STEPW) is a partnership between J.D. Irving, Ltd., New Boots — which helps women in non-traditional skilled trades — and the provincial government.
Ten women have been selected to complete an 11-week exploration and essential skills training program at the New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) Saint John campus.
Once they finish, JDI will provide continuous work placements for the women as they become a journey person and a guaranteed job on successful completion.
Hélène Savoie-Louis, director of New Boots, said they hope the pilot project will one day become permanent.
“The STEPW pilot project is a great avenue to help our industries with our workforce issue when it comes to recruiting qualified skilled trades workers,” said Savoie-Louis.
A large crowd on hand at NBCC #SaintJohn for the launch of a new skilled trades exploration program for women. It’s a partnership between J.D. Irving, Ltd., New Boots and the province. pic.twitter.com/afEJ5kKfMl
— Brad Perry (@BradMPerry) May 21, 2019
Women represent just four per cent of skilled tradespeople in New Brunswick, according to Catherine Black, dean of trades at NBCC.
Black said this is significant in light of provincial demographics and the looming labour shortage.
An estimated 120,000 New Brunswickers are expected to leave the workforce over the next decade.
“It will require a collective effort on the part of many partners to ensure that we can fill those positions — and we must ensure women are part of those solutions,” Black said.
Maggie Gray of Norton is one of the women taking part in the pilot project.After going to three universities in two years, Gray said she realized it was not her thing.
“I really love working at a job where it’s a hand-on environment, the physicality is there, I’m immersed in my work, it keeps me cognitively connected to my job,” Gray said.
Jim Irving, co-CEO of JDI, encouraged other employers in the province to step up and get involved.
“This is a big part of the population that, shame on us, as a country and as a province and as a company that we haven’t tapped into before,” Irving said. “We need a skilled workforce.”
JDI pioneered a similar program at the Halifax Shipyard in partnership with Women Unlimited.
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