“The future I see is very bright,” says Ish Kumar, manager of employment programs at the Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society, referring to immigrant women’s participation in the trades. Through their Immigrant Women Trades Apprenticeship (IWTA) program, PICS provides opportunities for immigrant women to gain employment in five Red Seal trades.
“120 women [are] to be trained in the five different Red Seal trades,” says Kumar. “They will be going through an introductory training from the college [ACE Trades and Technical Institute], [in] for example, introduction to electrical trade, introduction to plumbing, welding, construction craft worker and construction electrician.”
Encouraging diversity in the trades
With funding from Employment and Social Development Canada, PICS operates the IWTA program over a ten-week period. The program is divided into two parts: a six-week introductory training and a four-week work experience stream. The six-week of introductory training is taught at the ACE Trades and Technical Institute (ATTI), a private training provider for Red Seal trade professions.
Raj Hundal, senior director of employment, planning, and program development at PICS, notes that the organization is responsible for recruiting participants, arranging work experience opportunities and securing potential employment. The program started in August 2023 and aims to train 120 immigrant women over two years through 10 cohorts of 12 students each.
“Not even a single cohort till now, of any program, has gotten less than 100 per cent recruitment,” Kumar emphasizes. “So, we always have 100 percent recruitment, with the buffer of even, you can say, 20–30 percent more candidates [who want to participate].”
Kumar also notes that the diversity of participants involved in the program reflect their wide and fair recruitment process, which involves going to community hubs, such as rec centers, libraries and other service providers, and showcasing their programs. Participants in the IWTA program include immigrant women from Europe, West Asia, South Asia and Africa.
Kumar also says that “the employment rate is 85 plus percent,” adding that the other 15 percent can be accounted for by students seeking further training in their chosen trade profession.
Breaking down barriers
According to Hundal, potential participants face various barriers to accessing the IWTA program, including financial constraints and the lack of childcare. He notes that although participants are offered a $450 bonus for completing the program, the lack of pay during the full-time 10-week training program de-incentivizes some women who would otherwise have been interested.
“As part of our program, we have built in childcare … [where] individuals who may be single mothers or might have a situation where they don’t have childcare … can drop the child off here, and we don’t charge a fee for that,” he adds.
Hundal’s hope is that the government will continue to support this program beyond the initial agreement of two years. For him, the program provides PICS with an opportunity to serve the community – a goal that the organization is continuously working towards.
“If you’re saying a wish list, perhaps an opportunity to provide individuals more of an hourly wage, if possible, while participating in this program,” says Hundal. “Because we recognize that they’re taking time away where they could potentially be working while studying.”
The program organizers note that barriers to employment in the trade professions, for women, center around the historical dominance of such sectors by men, and the remaining perception that they are exclusively male professions. This is changing slowly, however, as more women are exposed to the opportunities of working in the trade professions.
“We want to make the program as low cost … as possible,” says Hundal. “When I say that. I mean, make it affordable.”
For more information, see https://pics.bc.ca/free-programs-services/immigrant-women-trades-apprenticeship-program
