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Mar 07, 2022 | Employment and Social Development Canada

GATINEAU, QC, March 7, 2022 /CNW/ – The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impact on Canadian workers; but women have been disproportionately affected, and their economic recovery has been slower. The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of investing in new training and employment supports for women, including eliminating barriers to their inclusion in the workforce, so that the country can achieve a strong and inclusive economic recovery.

Today, on the eve of International Women’s Day, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced 26 projects approved for funding under the Women’s Employment Readiness pilot program. These projects will test and provide foundational and transferable skills training models, such as literacy and essential skills as well as wrap-around supports to access skills training, including child care, transportation and counselling.

The pilot program funds organizations to provide and test pre-employment and skills development supports for women who face barriers to training and employment, as well as new ways to help employers increase inclusivity in the workplace. The pilot targets racialized women and/or Indigenous women, women with disabilities, women from the LGBTQ2 community and women who have been out of work for an extended period.

The pandemic exacerbated pre-existing labour market inequalities for many Canadians, including women. Women experienced disproportionate job losses, partly because many work in hard hit sectors, such as retail, restaurants and hospitality, and partly because of increased caring responsibilities, among other factors. Employment and training supports need to address the unique needs of diverse women so that they can fully benefit from economic recovery.

The pilot program will support women facing barriers across all 13 provinces and territories. The results of the pilot will inform systemic changes to skills and employment programming, to help women across the country gain better access to skills and training opportunities.

Quotes

“On the eve of International Women’s Day, we can take stock of the progress that women in Canada have made, and recognize the work still ahead. I’m proud to see our government invest in organizations that are leading that vital work by helping marginalized women overcome barriers to employment. This is about empowering more women to create better lives for themselves, while also building the strong, skilled and inclusive workforce Canada needs.”
– Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough

“The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted racialized women, Indigenous women, women with disabilities and the LGBTQ2 community. Today’s announcement, on the eve of International Women’s Day, is part of our government’s commitment to ensure that women are at the forefront of Canada’s economic recovery. We will continue to support women and girls and to ensure that their lived experiences are considered and valued.”
– Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, Marci Ien

Quick Facts

Funding of up to $50 million, for these 26 projects, was included as part of the 2020 Fall Economic Statement.
Women have made great strides in the past decades toward equality in the labour market. However, they still face many barriers and are not yet experiencing outcomes equal to men’s. Although women’s employment rates increased over the past decades, from 47% in 1976 to 67% in 2020, it has been relatively stable since 2008, maintaining a difference of approximately six percentage points compared to men (73%). Some key barriers to gender equality in the labour market persist, notably the unbalanced sharing of family responsibilities, barriers faced by mothers in the workplace, social norms related to gender roles and discrimination in the workplace. The COVID‑19 pandemic has exacerbated many of these challenges.
On average, women earn and participate in the labour market less than men and have lower employment rates. For example, women generally earn $0.87 for every dollar earned by men (Statistics Canada, 2018). The earnings gap is worse for women facing multiple barriers, such as racialized women, Indigenous women, women with disabilities and women from the LGBTQ2 community, among others.
The Government of Canada makes significant investments in programs such as the bilateral labour market development agreements and workforce development agreements with provinces and territories. In addition, federal programs such as the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program, the Skills for Success program, the Union Training and Innovation Program, the Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness program, the Apprenticeship Grants and the Apprenticeship Service are helping women get the training and develop the skills they need in the workforce.

Backgrounder

Women’s Employment Readiness pilot program

The Women’s Employment Readiness pilot program was included in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement as part of a larger package to strengthen training supports for those most affected by the pandemic. This pilot program funds organizations to provide and test pre-employment and skills development supports for women. The pilot also tests ways to improve workplace inclusivity by working with employers. The results of this pilot will inform systemic changes to skills and employment programming to ultimately improve labour market outcomes for women.

An open call for proposals was launched in June 2021, to identify organizations eligible for funding. Qualifying projects were required to:

test and provide foundational and transferable skills training models (which may include literacy and essential skills) with wrap-around supports to access skills training, such as child care, transportation, counselling, living allowances, access to technology, appropriate work clothing, mentorship or sponsorship for the following four target groups:
- racialized and/or Indigenous women;
- women with disabilities;
- women from the LGBTQ2 community; and
- women with prolonged detachment from the labour force.
test methods to improve workplace inclusivity for at least one of the target groups to improve their access to employment and/or retention in the workplace; and
be national in scope (namely to serve participants in two or more provinces/territories) and regional in scope if serving participants located in official language minority communities.

Selected projects begin rolling out as early as March 2022. Below is a list of organizations that have been approved to receive funding:

Organization: Halifax Young Women’s Christian Association
Project: ReLaunch Atlantic
Objective: ReLaunch Atlantic will support and empower marginalized adult women with prolonged detachment from the labour force, and other identity factors, to overcome barriers in achieving employment and to foster employment readiness.
Target Population: women with prolonged detachment from labour force, including racialized/Indigenous women, women with disabilities and women from LGBTQ2 community
Organization: Success Skills Centre Inc.
Project: Skills for Success: IEP Women’s Digital and Work-related training
Objective: SSC will deliver pre-employment and skills development supports for racialized, unemployed or underemployed newcomer/immigrant women, who may or may not choose to declare their disability or whether they are from the LGBTQ2 community.
Target Population: racialized women, newcomer/immigrant women, LGBTQ2 women
Organization: Maison d’hébergement pour femmes francophones
Project: Socio-economic (re)integration project – Sewing and Small Jobs
Objective: The Sewing and Small Jobs model will help francophone immigrants and refugees and racialized women living in the Greater Toronto Area to develop job-related knowledge and skills and to learn industrial sewing—a trade that is likely to offer better possibilities for jobs and income.
Sewing and Small Jobs was designed to offer participants several opportunities to build social and professional networks which would give greater access to jobs while through the project, offering some Canadian workforce experience.
Target Population: racialized women, francophone women
Organization: ETHOS Career Management Group Ltd.
Project: Ready to Rise (R2R)
Objective: Ready to Rise will provide and test pre-employment and skills development supports by way of a unique online experience, with a self-paced, hybrid, pre-employment and skills development supports program.
Target Population: racialized women, women with disabilities, women with prolonged detachment from the workforce and women from LGBTQ2
Organization: The Career Foundation
Project: WorkFair21 – Advancing Gender Equity in the Future of Work
Objective: The WorkFair21 – Advancing Gender Equity in the Future of Work project tests a pre-employment and skills development training model that integrates technology, sales and high-performance workplace skills to prepare racialized women for future-oriented careers across Ontario and British Columbia.
Target Population: racialized women
Organization: Women in Resource Development Inc.
Project: Digital ReBoot: Co-Designing Supports with Women
Objective: The Digital ReBoot project provides pre-employment training and supports, including digital literacy, to Indigenous women and women with a prolonged labour force detachment in Newfoundland and Nunavut.
Target Population: Indigenous women and women with prolonged detachment form the labour force
Organization: Eastern Ontario Training Board
Project: JobsNow: Women’s Employability Readiness in Cornwall and SDG
Objective: Cornwall and SDG project will provide and test pre-employment training to women in the Francophone OLMCs of Eastern Ontario, and deliver webinars and job fairs to improve diversity and inclusivity of the target groups among local employers.
Target Population: women with prolonged labour force detachment, racialized women and women from LGBTQ2 community.
Organization: Youth Employment Services Foundation
Project: WERQ (Women’s Employment Readiness Quebec) Towards Work!
Objective: WERQ towards Work aims to help 50 marginalized women gain skills that will move them closer to the job market and become economically more self sufficient by developing, presenting, and measuring a program that will provide a variety of skills training.
Target Population: Racialized women, women from LGBTQ2 community and newcomers.
Organization: Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association
Project: Pre-employment and Skills Development Support for Racialized Immigrant Women
Objective: The project “Pre-employment and Skills Development Support for Racialized Immigrant Women” will provide customized pre-employment and skills development supports for immigrant women from racialized communities and/or women who have experienced prolonged detachment from the labour force in Calgary, Regina, Saskatoon and the Greater Toronto Area.
Target Population: racialized immigrant women and/or women with prolonged detachment from the labour force in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.
Organization: Elevate Aviation
Project: Women’s Employment Skills Training and Aviation Career Exploration
Objective: Women’s Employment Skills Training and Aviation Career Exploration will provide individualized essential skills and development training to Indigenous and racialized women, and women with a prolonged detachment from the labour force.
Target Population: Racialized women and Indigenous women.
Organization: Achev
Project: Preparing Women and Workplaces for Success
Objective: The project combines classroom-based SFS training with employability and digital skills training in Ontario, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
Target Population: Racialized women.
Organization: Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology
Project: SCWIST – Accessing Canada’s Employment Future
Objective: SCWIST will deliver pre-employment and skills development training that will engage a minimum of 300 women from the four underrepresented groups. The program will also engage employers in using new approaches to support and train employers in reducing barriers to entry for, and retaining talent from, targeted groups.
Target Population: racialized women, women with disabilities, women with prolonged detachment from workforce and women from LGBTQ2 community.
Organization: UBCJA – Canadian District United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners
Project: Sisters in the Brotherhood Women’s Employment Readiness Program
Objective: This project proposes to address both challenges of addressing the shortage of skill trades workers as well as targeting women to give them the necessary supports to be successful in the workplace.
Target Population: Racialized and/or Indigenous women, women with disabilities, women from the LGBTQ2 community and women with prolonged detachment from the labour force.
Organization: PTP-Adult Learning and Employment Programs
Project: Women First: Building Skills for Success
Objective: The Women First: Building Skills for Success project will provide foundational and transferable skills training, and wrap-around supports to primarily racialized and Indigenous women at six sites over five provinces.
Target Population: women from racialized/Indigenous groups, women from the LGBTQ2 community, women with disabilities, women with prolonged detachment from the labour force.
Organization: Up with Women
Project: Rise Up to Readiness Project
Objective: The Rise Up to Readiness Project provides pre-employment and foundational and transferable and entrepreneurship training to women with disabilities and will work with four corporations to improve inclusivity in hiring practices for women with disabilities.
Target Population: women with disabilities.
Organization: Canadian Refugee Initiative
Project: Strengthening the Employment Readiness of Racialized Refugee/Immigrant Women: Montreal Region
Objective: This project includes employers and will provide and test methods of improving workplace inclusivity by providing training workshops to partner employers. Training will include common barriers for women from our target populations in recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention practices.
Target Population: immigrant/refugee women and members of official languages minority communities.
Organization: CWB Welding Foundation
Project: Women of Steel “Forging Forward” – Connections and Collaborations
Objective: The Women of Steel project will develop a program that will be delivered to 450 women that will increase their access in welding and other skilled trades, through providing training in essential skills, wrap-around supports, and the foundational and transferable skills required to foster a welding career.
Target Population: women facing barriers to enter and succeed in the skilled trades.
Organization: The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work
Project: Unstoppable: Employment Services for Women
Objective: This project will provide and test effective, trauma-informed pre-employment and skills development and wrap-around supports for women with disabilities, women living at the intersections of race/Indigeneity, the LGBTQ2 community, and/or those with prolonged detachment from the labour force.
Target Population: women with disabilities, racialized/Indigenous women, women from the LGBTQ2 community and women with prolonged detachment from the workforce.
Organization: ÉcoMaris
Project: Route des possibles
Objective: This initiative aims to revitalize marginalized women, such as racialized women, Indigenous women, women with prolonged detachment from the labour force or facing mental health issues, women with a disability and women from the LGBTQ2 community. The program aims to accompany participants in their business dream, in a practical ways, by providing mentoring and helping them find the motivation they need to integrate into the workforce.
Target Population: racialized women, women with disabilities, women from the LGBTQ2 community and women with prolonged detachment from the labour force.
Organization: S.U.C.C.E.S.S
Project: Integrated Employment Training for Women
Objective: The Integrated Employment Training for Women project provides foundational and transferable as well as sector-specific job skills training to racialized newcomer women across Canada through remote trainings.
Target Population: racialized newcomer women.
Organization: Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology
Project: Career HERizons
Objective: Career HERizons is designed as a program for mid-career professionals whose jobs were threatened by digital disruption, to help them advance in their current role, change career, start their own business venture or re-enter the workforce after an absence. Women will build on the existing bank of content and revisit and refresh it, where appropriate presenting and recording new workshops facilitated by women and in particular, women from the target groups for this project.
Target Population: various target groups.
Organization: Groundswell Operations Society
Project: Communities of Practice for Livelihood Development
Objective: The Communities of Practice for Livelihood Development (CPLD) project will test and provide foundational and transferable skills training and wrap-around supports for livelihood transitions. The project will deliver accessible, effective, and culturally-appropriate training that will reach more women in the target groups with facilitators from those groups.
Target Population: racialized women, women from the LGBTQ2 community and women with disabilities.
Organization: Dress for Success Canada Foundation
Project: Gender-Based First Responder for Economic Recovery
Objective: This project will provide and test pre-employment and job retention skills development in all provinces and territories through 13 affiliate locations across Canada.
Target Population: racialized women, Indigenous women, women from the LGBTQ2 community.
Organization: Prospect Human Services Society
Project: SkillGain
Objective: The SkillGain project will pilot online models for employment and pre-employment skills building for women from all target groups in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
Target Population: women with prolonged detachment from the labour force, racialized and/or Indigenous women, women with disabilities and women from the LGBTQ2 community.
Organization: Mount Saint Vincent University
Project: Pre-Employment Skills Development in Atlantic First Nations Communities
Objective: This project addresses systemic barriers to access off-reserve resources for women living in Indigenous communities. The evaluation will consider intersectionality relating to disabilities, LGBTQ2 community membership, and detachment from labour force in addition to Indigeneity. Another major objective will be to evaluate success in employment one month and three months post-training. A secondary objective will be to increase self-efficacy and confidence in pre-employment skills among participants.
Target Population: Indigenous women, women with disabilities, women from the LGBTQ2 community and women with prolonged detachment from the labour force.
Organization: MCG Careers Inc.
Project: Women’s Essential Skills Training
Objective: MCG’s Women’s Essential Skills Training (WEST) program objective is to support women with barriers across Alberta and Saskatchewan to increase their transferable, foundational and pre-employment skills.
Target Population: women from the LGBTQ2 community, Indigenous women and women with disabilities.