Windsor, Ontario — The Canadian government has launched support for Build a Dream, a Windsor, Ont. organization designed to encourage young Canadians to explore careers in the trades.
Federal Minister of Labour Filomena Tassi announced $728,000 in funding to support Build A Dream’s Career Expansion Program, which aims to attract female high-school-age students to the skilled trades.
The project will receive the funds through the Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness program.
As part of the two-year project, high-school-age women will benefit through career expos and exploratory workshops where they can ‘try a trade’ and have access to online resources where they can connect with professional skilled tradeswoman and explore supports to help them launch careers in the skilled trades.
Three million Canadians are currently employed in skilled trades, but only nine percent of Red Seal apprentices are women.
According to Nour Hachem-Fawaz, founder of Build a Dream, more than 10,000 students have attended the organization’s events since 2014.
“Build a dream starts the journey early,” said Hachem-Fawaz. “If young women are making career-informed decisions, then they can lead their lives into high-paying jobs that are in demand and have security.”
