New NAIT program to bring more women-identifying individuals to construction, energy and manufacturing trades

  • May 15, 2024
  • 3 minute read
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The need for skilled workers in the construction, energy and manufacturing sectors presents an opportunity for women-identifying individuals. NAIT is poised to support women-identifying apprenticeship students to pursue a career in these fields through a project funded in part by a $2.6-million investment from the Government of Canada’s Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy under the Women in the Skilled Trades Initiative. 

Women Leading and Building Canada’s Future is a multi-year project aimed at supporting women-identifying students as they pursue an apprenticeship training in one of the 21 construction, energy and manufacturing Red Seal trades NAIT offers. The Red Seal is recognized across Canada and internationally. 

Through the Women Leading and Building Canada’s Future program, NAIT will: 

  • provide financial academic support to help offset education, living and career costs such as childcare, transportation, housing, tools and personal protective equipment. Applications for financial academic support are now open and will remain open year-round. 
  • host networking and conference events to help facilitate learning opportunities and to connect students with mentors and members of industry.  
  • enhance NAIT's equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) efforts through staff training and the development of an EDI curriculum for trades-based programs. 
  • provide workplace EDI training for employers, in partnership with Women Building Futures. The training program is expected to be available by Fall 2024. 

Recruiting more women-identifying individuals into trades-based careers represent one of the solutions in addressing the skilled-labour shortage. Currently, women account for only 5% of workers in the most in-demand trades. The Women Leading and Building Canada’s Future program presents an opportunity for both the Canadian economy and for underrepresented individuals to pursue a career in a field that can lead to financial stability and independence.  

The Red Seal is a recognized standard of excellence for skilled trades in Canada. It demonstrates that an individual has the competencies and skills required to work in a specific trade across Canada and internationally.  

QUOTES 

QUICK FACTS 

  • The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum predicts Alberta will need 26,000 new journeypersons and 51,000 new apprentices in the top 15 Red Seal trades by 2026 to meet industry demand. 
  • Women make up 7.9% of all Red Seal apprentices currently at NAIT.  
  • The NAIT Red Seal programs with the highest percentage of women are Cabinetmaker, Insulator, Welder, Steamfitter/Pipefitter, Instrumentation and Carpenter.  
  • As a leader in skills trades education and training, NAIT plays an important role in educating and empowering women-identifying individuals to pursue careers in the skilled trades industry. 
  • The apprenticeship model, which allows students to attend NAIT for 8 to 12 weeks at a time before returning to the workplace to gain the required on-the-job hours, provides more flexibility as learners work their way towards a journeyperson ticket. 
  • NAIT has an apprenticeship coordinator dedicated to supporting women-identifying individuals wanting to pursue a career in the skilled trades. 
  • NAIT offers several pathways into a skilled trades career including pre-employment upskilling and certificate, trades diploma, apprenticeships and trades-to-degree programs.  
  • NAIT is dedicated to ensuring the skilled trades programs are a safe and inclusive learning environment for people of all gender identities, backgrounds and abilities.