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A program aimed at supporting women into the trades in New Brunswick will continue for another three years thanks to government funding announced Thursday.
The New Brunswick Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour announced that it will be giving just under $500,000 to the New Boots: Progressing Women in Trades program, which will allow it to continue through March 31, 2023.
The New Boots program was launched in 2018 following a 30-month pilot project. The program promotes, supports and provides mentorship to women in apprenticeable trades such as construction, maintenance, automotive, truck and transport. Since it’s inception, the program has established connections for over 250 female trades working around New Brunswick.
With 120,000 New Brunswickers expected to retire in the next eight to 10 years, Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Trevor Holder says investing in programs like New Boots will help address the province’s future labour market challenges, which includes the trade sector.
“What we want to do is to find ways to tap into areas where we haven’t previously. As a father of two young girls, I want to make sure they have every opportunity that every other New Brunswicker has and have the opportunity to become skilled tradespeople if they so choose,” said Holder. “This is another example where we can make sure that women across this province have all the opportunities that everyone else has and meet our labour market demands in the trade industry in the process.”
The New Boots program’s goals over the next three years include: connecting 36 women annually to a skilled trade job; increasing the program’s social media presence by 25 percent; creating new opportunities for participants by fostering relationships among trades groups and employers; and finding more tradeswomen who can serve as counsellors to those who may face barriers entering male-dominated trades.
Ashley Ritchie was in the very first group of women who participated in the New Boots pilot and has worked with the program since. She’s happy they’ll be able to continue to build on the work that’s been done over the last two years.
“I would have been so disappointed if we stopped now. Out momentum over the past 18 months has been phenomenal. Tradeswomen everywhere are not coming to us and registering for the network. It’s no longer we’re going out to find them,” says Ritchie.
“It’s very exciting to carry that forward and help gain the support of more employers and more women around this province. There’s so much we can grow and do and it’s really exciting to have the financial support to keep that going.”
Banner Image: From left: Ashley Ritchie, journeyperson and New Boots program recipient; Ralph Landers, regional general manager of Pro Insul; Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Trevor Holder; Jean-Marc Ringuette, president of New Brunswick Building Trades Unions; and Don Bonnell, general manager of Universal Truck and Trailer.
This story was originally published in Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
