Premier John Horgan and the BC government made a splash during International Women’s Day on Thursday.
The province announced a $1.8 million dollar pilot project with the BC Federation of Labour and the BC Construction Association to get more women in trades.
There are only 3,600 registered female apprentices in BC.
Lisa Langevin is an assistant business manager and journey electrician in the province.
She says this announcement will finally break down the barriers.
“I am super excited that finally, we’re going to move past talking about women in trades and actually have some programs that will increase the retention of women in trades by creating networks and as Premier Horgan said changing the culture of construction.”
Amy Carr earned her Red Seal with Sheet Metals Local 276 last month and touched on what it’s like to be among the 3% of working women in the building trades.
“I was that three percent and in the trades we are called unicorns, as in hey have you ever seen a unicorn most people haven’t through the support of my local, Lewis Sheet Metal and my family I have become a successful and respected sheet metal worker.”
This investment will create an uptick in the marketplace and more competition for jobs.
“What we don’t love are the extra barriers faced by women in the trades, this funding and these programs are designed to systematically reduce and destroy the barriers put in place so that women can focus on the important job of building BC,” says Langevin.
About 59,000 job openings are expected in the construction industry across the province through 2027.
We're building a better, more inclusive workforce to support gender equity in #BC. https://t.co/cqm91uiXK8 @melaniejmark @bcfed @thisisBCCA #womenintrades #internationalwomensday pic.twitter.com/ciy2wNnkX2
— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) March 8, 2018
Something going on in the Bulkley Valley Lakes District you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
