Polytech, Orano collaborate on Girls in Trades and Know-how program

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When Kyra Stefanuk misplaced her job at a museum in Lloydminster in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, she determined she was able to make a profession change — so she enrolled in a carpentry program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.

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In lower than six months, Stefanuk was on a job web site, working in residential development whereas finishing her research.

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There’s nothing just like the satisfaction of constructing one thing together with her palms, seeing a undertaking come into being over the course of a day, she mentioned.

She’s even occupied with sometime taking her hard-earned expertise again into the heritage sector, the place carpenters with related experience are in excessive demand.

The Girls in Trades and Know-how (WITT) program has been there to help her each step of the best way, she mentioned.

“Via WITT … I used to be capable of join with sources and have a bit extra help,” mentioned Stefanuk. “It may be sort of scary, entering into a really unknown world, they usually have been there for me.”

On Tuesday, Stefanuk was excited to listen to that Orano Canada will collaborate with Sask. Polytech to help WITT over the subsequent decade.

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Orano is giving this system $1 million, to be disbursed over 10 years, to increase coaching alternatives and help for girls in trades throughout Saskatchewan.

It will embody a yearly scholarship to be awarded to “an distinctive feminine pupil enrolled in a trades or technical program at Sask. Polytech … (to) assist construct a various, inclusive and certified workforce for Saskatchewan’s trades (and) mining trade.”

Allison Zerr is optimistic the funding will encourage extra ladies and ladies to enrol in Sask. Polytech and take into account careers in male-dominated trades.

Zerr, a welder and steel fabricator, can also be the WITT coordinator.

“This partnership (between Sask. Polytech and Orano Canada) will open up doorways to ladies taken with trades and apprenticeship coaching throughout the province, present expanded mentorship outreach, and supply helps to assist guarantee profitable outcomes,” she mentioned.

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Zerr famous that whereas ladies make up about 47 per cent of the Canadian labour drive, they solely signify about 5 per cent of staff in probably the most in-demand trades.

“We hope to alter the face of the trade,” she mentioned.

Orano Canada CEO Jim Corman mentioned supporting the WITT program was an apparent selection.

Orano has tons of of workers working at websites all through Saskatchewan, and desires to verify the subsequent technology of tradespeople comes from the perfect and broadest expertise pool attainable, Corman mentioned.

“I’m excited that we are going to construct a relationship with the scholars enrolled on this program. Definitely, we encourage you to think about employment alternatives within the mining trade, and significantly at considered one of our operations in northern Saskatchewan.”

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Sask. Polytech president Larry Rosia described the brand new partnership as “an funding in our future.”

“One of many urgent problem that I hear time and time once more within the conversations I’ve — one of many best points proper now dealing with trade and corporations all through North America and the world — is the problem of discovering expert and gifted certified labour in lots of jurisdictions,” he mentioned.

“Encouraging numerous expertise … to affix trades and expertise applications additionally improves firms’ skills to develop distinctive options to very complicated issues. And that is what is going to be certain that our workforce has the variety and expertise to maintain firms aggressive within the international surroundings.”

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