By Greg Davis and Mark Giunta for Global News
The Canadian federal government is investing nearly $500,000 for a pilot project to increase women’s participation in the manufacturing sector.
At Steelworks Design in Peterborough on Thursday, Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef, the Minister of Status of Women, announced the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) will receive $498,000 in federal funding for a three-year pilot project aiming to “attract and inspire more women and youth to pursue a career in manufacturing.”
The project, entitled “Untapped Potential: Attracting and Engaging Women in Canadian Manufacturing,” will see CME create regional networks to work with a national working group to attract more women into manufacturing professions and create “more inclusive and diverse workplaces.”
A 2016 CME management issues survey indicated that nearly 40 per cent of respondents are currently facing labour and/or skills shortages. Moreover, 16 per cent of businesses stated that ongoing shortages may force them to shift production and investment outside of Canada.