Women of Steel: Forging Forward Program comes to MITT in partnership with CWB Welding Foundation

Originally posted: January 10, 2023

Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT) is excited to announce that they will be one of 14 hosts across Canada for CWB Welding Foundation’s initiative: The Women of Steel™: Forging Forward Program. This tuition-free program provides learning opportunities that foster education, personal growth, confidence, and experiential learning for women interested in exploring welding and other welding-related skilled trades careers.

As more skilled tradespeople look to retire locally and across the country, the pending gap continues to grow, and opportunities for a career in the industry are countless. Welding and welding fabrication provides a gateway to skilled trades and other related professions and offers a well-paying, stable career choice with many options for women.

“MITT is proud to partner with CWB Welding Foundation to introduce women and those that identify as women to welding and support their journey in the trades,” said Bev Stuart, Vice-President, Business and Organizational Development and current Interim President and CEO. “The Women of Steel™: Forging Forward program is a unique opportunity to make career-focused education available to a segment of the population who may not otherwise be able to access it.”

This pre-employment program includes practical theory, hands-on welding training, and skills development in a safe and supportive environment with a flexible schedule to balance responsibilities. Short training periods will be used to train the participants in several welding processes, with the ability to obtain multiple CWB welding qualifications in various positions with multiple processes making graduates ready for apprenticeship, post-secondary, and employment.

“The success of the Women of Steel™ Project would not be possible without partners such as MITT. We share a mutual commitment to increase the opportunities in welding and the skilled trades, which play an important role in addressing the skills gap and workplace equity now and for the future needs of the labour force in Manitoba,” said Mary Fuke, Program Director, CWB Welding Foundation.

The program is 16 weeks, running from February 27 to June 23, 2023. In-person training will be hosted at MITT’s Henlow Campus at 130 Henlow Bay. Information sessions will be held on January 16, 17, and 18, 2023.

All those who identify as a woman and/or non-binary, including those from designated equity groups such as Indigenous, BIPOC, newcomers, 2SLGBTQIA+, women with disabilities, or with a prolonged detachment from the labour force, are encouraged to apply.

Learn more by visiting the Women of Steel webpage.

The Women of Steel™: Forging Forward project is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Adult Learning Literacy and Essential Skills - Women’s Employment Readiness Program.

The opinions and interpretations in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada.