Gerald Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” The coming together in partnership between Manitoba Building Trades and the Office to Advance Women Apprentices will surely serve to open more doors for the inclusion of tradeswomen in Manitoba’s construction industry today and long into the future.
Key Players
When Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) embarked on the project to expand the Office to Advance Women Apprentices to three sites across the country, integral to the success of the project was the relationship with the local building trades association. Manitoba Building Trades has been a strong partner to the Office to Advance Women Apprentices Manitoba over the course of its existence. From providing the organization with office space to making important introductions to unions and key players in the industry, Manitoba Building Trades remains a critical partner.
“As an organization, we strongly believe in the value that the Office to Advance Women Apprentices Manitoba brings to our industry, and to our shared mission of diversifying the construction workforce,” says Sudhir Sandhu, CEO of Manitoba Building Trades.
Tremendous Opportunities
While the Office to Advance Women Apprentices works with all segments of the construction industry in the province, the union sector presents some tremendous opportunities for tradeswomen to gain access to safe, well-paying jobs with excellent benefits.
“The majority of our successes in connecting tradeswomen with employment have come through the unions,” says Andrea Canada, project coordinator with the Office to Advance Women Apprentices.
A State-of-the-Art Facility
The timing for this project couldn’t be more perfect as the Manitoba Building Trades has recently opened the Manitoba Building Trades Institute. Housed in a newly-renovated, 70,000 square foot facility in Winnipeg, MBTI brings together state-of-the-art training facilities, interactive classrooms and lecture hall, as well as the Trades Exhibition Hall. Programming will include equity groups, including women.
MBTI is committed to workforce development and participation initiatives for under-represented groups. They will focus on creating continuous employment opportunities to achieve higher completion rates for women and Indigenous apprentices.
The Office to Advance Women Apprentices has clients ranging from women just beginning their journey exploring the trades to apprentices well on their way to Red Seal certification. MBTI and its coordinated model of recruitment, training, employment, and advancement will support entry and retention of women in the skilled construction trades.
Join the Team
Do you or your organization feel you have something to contribute to the success of women apprentices in Manitoba? Get in touch and let’s discuss how we can work together four our mutual benefit!