By Shirley Bond
Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour

VICTORIA - International Women's Day is a great opportunity to celebrate the many career options available to women today. Doors are opening in every sector of our economy, and the increasing number of women in British Columbia who are launching careers in the skilled trades is a sign of this progress.

Opportunities are on the rise for women who want to pursue careers as plumbers, electricians, sheet-metal workers or other skilled trades. Since 2009, the percentage of women apprentices in B.C. has risen from 8.5% to 10.3%, with even bigger increases in trades such as welding and heavy equipment operation.

That's progress, but we must go further. That's why, through our BC Jobs Plan, we're working closely with organizations like the Industry Training Authority (ITA) to continue to support programs like Women in Trades Training (WITT).

To date, the WITT program has successfully linked over 2,500 women throughout B.C. to training in the skilled trades, as well as to vital financial assistance for things like tools, textbooks, equipment and child care while they complete their education. And thanks to WITT's recent Power Up Women in the Trades conference in Vancouver, we now have a better understanding of how to attract women to the trades and how to support them once their training is completed.

But we're not stopping there. We know that getting more women into the trades means reaching out to young women while they're still in school and making important decisions about their future. In response, Government is developing a 10-year skills training action plan for youth to look at how to get more young people, including girls, into a trades apprenticeship even before they complete high school.

These and other activities are part of government's overall strategy to increase the number of women who can help meet B.C.'s labour needs. And with B.C. on the cusp of a major development boom, achieving this goal has never been more important.

The growth of B.C.'s liquefied natural gas industry and other key resource sectors, along with more skilled tradespeople retiring each year, adds up to 43% of the one million job openings expected in trades and technical occupations. Connecting women with the skilled trades can help put them at the front of the line to fill these job openings - and help build B.C.'s economic success.

So this International Women's Day, I hope you will take a moment to consider the many opportunities available in the trades for you or someone you know. There has never been a better time for women to pursue careers in the skilled trades.

For more information:

On government's commitment to skills training, visit: www.bcjobsplan.ca

On the Women in Trades Training program, visit: www.itabc.ca/women-trades/overview

Media Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour
250 387-2799