Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. At noon today, the Status of Women Council of the NWT just announced they have secured funding for a northern women in mining, oil and gas project that could have a significant impact on women’s involvement in industry across the North.

The northern women in mining, oil and gas is a $1.7 million pilot project that uses a holistic approach while training women to work in trades and industry. One goal of this project is to prove that providing supports to women in trades training will increase the number of women successfully completing the training and achieving certification across the Northwest Territories. The courses offered in this project will be for women only and will provide participants with the skills required to enter into trades. Participants will work with mentors, receive life-skills and workplace culture training, safety training, as well as ongoing post-employment support.

Over 100 women will directly benefit by taking trades and industrial-based courses as a result of this project. As well, many more women will be assessed and through that process will be better informed of the possibilities offered through trades and industrial-based occupations in the mining, oil and gas industry.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment has been a member of the Project Advisory Committee since its inception and has provided bridge funding to the Status of Women Council to allow them to develop their project proposal.

Mr. Speaker, ECE as well as Aurora College, will be providing cash and in-kind contributions such as classroom space, instructors, career counselling supports, marketing and program development. The department’s participation will also ensure that the training provided during this research phase will lead to accreditation and certification under the Apprenticeship, Trade and Occupations Certification Act.

The department expects the research results will help to shape future trades training in the NWT and will assist both the GNWT and its industry partners in setting commitments and achieving targets pertaining to employment of women set out in various socio-economic agreements.

This initiative represents collaboration on the part of many sectors of government and education. The federal government, through the pan-Canadian innovations initiative, will be providing $1.3 million over the next three years to fund the research relating to this initiative.

This is an exciting project that will assist women to participate more fully in industry. This is good for women’s equality in the Northwest Territories.

This project would not be possible without the vision of the Status of Women Council of the Northwest Territories and partners such as the GNWT, federal government and industry who share the goal of a fair and equitable northern society. I would like to thank all those involved in making this project a reality. We hope this project will be a model for other projects that increase women’s ability to participate fully in economic opportunities in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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