Manitoba tech, construction sectors get $50K to boost women in trades

The Manitoba government announced supports for programs that promote women in trades on Monday as part of International Women's Day.

The province will give $50,000 to two programs aimed at supporting women pursuing non-traditionalcareers in the heavy construction and information technology industries, said Cathy Cox, minister responsible for the status of women.

Jobs in those fields come with good wages, better benefit packages and more job security than in "traditionalfemale-dominated careers," including retail and hospitality, Cox said.

The additional funding will help women move into jobs and secure employment opportunities in fields "of particular importance" as Manitoba's economy begins to recover following the pandemic, she said.

"Supporting women and girls to explore non-traditional careers is an important way to advance women's economic equality, support a health economy and build a more inclusive and prosperous society," Cox said.

Women occupy more of the public-facing jobs in the retail, restaurant and hospitality sectors that have been hit hardest by global pandemic closures.

According to Statistics Canada, at the end of January7.4 per cent of Manitobawomen over the age of 25wereunemployed, compared to 4.8 per cent of men. The national unemployment rate rose to 9.4 per cent the same month.

'Can't be what you don't see'

Half of the provincial funding announced Mondayis for the Manitoba Construction Sector Council and River East Transcona School Division to encourage women to consider careers in heavy construction. Adults andGrade 12 students in that school divisionwill have access to certifications and networking opportunities within the heavy construction industry, the province said.

"I think there's no better time to introduce young women to the heavy construction industry," said Colleen Munro, board chair of construction council.

The heavy construction industry is looking to hire more than 8,000 people in the coming years, Munro said, but only about three per cent of the workforce is women.

"You can't be what you don't see," she said.

The other half of the provincial investment is for the Empower program at the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT), which offers training for women in the information and communication technology sectors. The program includes a focus on increasing the number of Indigenous women in non-traditional fields,a government news release says.

Beverlie Stuart, acting vice-president of MITT,said a portion of thefunds will help the institution support 20 women through MITT's certified secure computer user micro-credentialing program. Some funds will also go toward recruiting women into courses for software development, network systems administration and cyber defence and cloud administration, she said.

Stuart said MITT also recently launched a women in technology bursary and an essential worker bursary for those facing barriers to education and career advancement.

"We know that women have been underrepresented in technology careers, so this will help us toward achieving a balance," said Stuart. "The challenge for us to attract women, whether it's to trades or technology, I think it's partially just fear of the unknown."

More support needed: NDP

Malaya Marcelino, NDP MLA for Notre Dame, said the announcement is a start, but she'd like to see more of a response to the high unemployment rate for women, including more pre-employment training and providingsubsidies for industry so that they can actually hireunderrepresented groups.

Marcelinoalso said the province has failed to ensure there are enough affordable child-care spots in Manitoba.

"They have actually frozen child-care operating grants across the province for the past four years and they have also cut inclusion supports for children with additional needs and supports," said Marcelino."This government hasn'tbeen here for women or for underrepresented groups that are hardest hit."

The economy has begun to rebound, but the latest Statistics Canadajobs report said there were 858,000 fewer jobs atthe end of January than before the pandemic.

A report from RBC suggests more thanhalf a million Canadian women remain unemployed due to the pandemic.

Manitoba gained 5,500 jobs in January, representing a nearly 1 per cent increase overall, according to Statistics Canada.