MARATHON — Calling all women in the region looking to get into the trades.
Confederation College’s Northshore Campus in Marathon has announced its Women in Trades program, which is set to start on Sept. 16.
In addition to the Northshore Campus, the program is currently delivered in Thunder Bay and will be delivered at the college’s Rainy River District Campus in Fort Frances this coming September as well.
Nick Iachetta, associate dean of workforce development, told Dougall Media the idea for this program coincided with a call for proposals from the ministry of labour, immigration, training and skills development.
“We looked and thought that we need to start getting new demographics and find those who are underrepresented – women being one of (those demographics). We thought what a great opportunity to not only fill the gap but give more women an opportunity in an area where they are underrepresented,” he said.
Iachetta said the college has reached out to nearby First Nations communities, Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg, to make the program as equitable as possible.
“We know that not just women are underrepresented in the trades but Indigenous women are even less represented so we want to make sure we’re holding spots for them and give them an opportunity to participate in this,” he said.
The 12-week program is geared toward individuals aged 17 to 29 who are interested in the trades industry. It's designed to teach students essential skills in conjunction with hands-on experience.
Math upgrading, safety training, Level 1 Heavy Duty Equipment Technician training, welding, and employment preparation are all included in what promises to be a comprehensive educational experience.
In fact, the last eight weeks of the program will see students matched up with a paid job placement assigned by the college to cap off the experience.
Iachetta said there are 15 spots in each program (Northshore and Rainy River).
Speaking to the need across the region, he also said the college has received numerous requests for heavy duty technicians.
“We have employment agencies in our department as well, such as Northwest Employment Works, where we have linkages with employers who are looking for workers. That’s really the main area where we’re getting these requests – but also, we’re getting calls from contractors and even just searching for the job postings to see people are looking for these licenses for heavy equipment techs,” he said.
With 12 students enrolled in the Thunder Bay program at present, Iachetta said the college has been reaching out to employers – such as Lac des Iles Mine, LTL Contracting, Thunder Bay Truck Centre, and Bruno’s Contracting to name a few – for placements and apprenticeships — with the response being overwhelmingly positive.
“We’re helping to fill that gap and we keep getting calls from people saying, ‘yes, we’re looking forward to supporting the program’,” he said.
“They’ve all reached out and are willing to take one or multiple apprentices on.”
He mentioned the college has also been reaching out to other regional contractors/employers ahead of the start date for the Marathon and Fort Frances program.
Iachetta said the program aims to support students to the fullest with PPE, toolkits, some travel costs, a $100 weekly living allowance, books, and tuition all covered – and touched on how supporting students in this way also stands to benefit employers.
“When they leave, we just want to make sure that they’re actually ready for the job so we built a lot of supports into this,” he said.
Greg Vallance, manager for the eastern campuses of Confederation College, said one of the things that excites him most about this program is the accessibility for people across the region.
“With these programs being designed for the students’ success, it seems all of the key players understood the challenges that we face in rural communities and they really built these programs to make sure the students are successful in completion.
“We’re excited about that and we’re looking forward to having some skilled talents and skilled tradeswomen complete this program. The sky is the limit for them after that,” Vallance said.
He acknowledged that financial barriers are not the only challenges people face when it comes to accessibility and, as such, the delivery of this program in Marathon and Fort Frances is a huge opportunity on a local level.
“Having those key components that they’ve built in – ensuring that these individuals will be successful – is very exciting for the program,” he said.
Iachetta expanded on Vallance’s remarks and said this is about strengthening opportunities in northern communities.
“We want to be impactful . . . we know that there are barriers so we are building strategic plans over the next three to five years to be able to address those shortages and support not just the people coming up to give them better opportunities, but businesses, organizations, sectors to fill their gaps as well and keep these communities thriving,” Iachetta said.
For more information about how to apply, call Confederation College at 1-807-229-2464 or visit www.confederationcollege.ca.
