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Alberta provides $10.7M to support women in skilled trades

Alberta is providing $10.7 million in funding to Women Building Futures to support women looking to build a career in the skilled trades. The money, announced in the 2023 budget, will be spread out over the next three years.

Women Building Futures is a non-profit organization that helps unemployed and underemployed women explore a future in the skilled trades, where they can gain paid, on-the-job experience and build a career, the province said.

Through employment training, support services, readiness workshops, affordable housing and more, the organization connects women to employers while they develop job-ready skills.

“More women are joining the skilled trades each year and I’m so excited to see that,” said Tanya Fir, parliamentary secretary for Status of Women. “Women Building Futures does such important work to prepare and support women looking at skilled trade careers and I’m thrilled that our government is supporting their work. This is great news for women, for families, for businesses, and for Alberta as a whole.”

About 5,700 women apprentices were registered in Alberta last year, a 20 per cent increase from 2021. While the number of women continues to increase, there is more work to be done to alleviate the gender gap in the skilled trades.

“Stable operational funding for Women Building Futures during the next three years gives us the flexibility to keep our focus on helping unemployed and underemployed women remove barriers to successful careers in the trades. This is good for women and good for Alberta,” said Carol Moen, president and CEO, Women Building Futures.

Women Building Futures is a non-profit organization with 18 employment programs in six Alberta communities. Since 1998, more than 2,700 women have graduated from Women Building Futures training programs.