NLIS 2
May 2, 2000
(Human Resources and Employment)

Today I am announcing funding to a project aimed at encouraging young women to seek careers in the mining industry.

The Department of Human Resources and Employment is investing $34,000 in the development of a high school credit program that will educate young women about the mining industry. Based at Menihek High School in Labrador City, the curriculum will feature on-site training, summer internships, and a mentoring program. The program is being developed by the local chapter of the Women in Trades and Technology Organization.

This program will break down some of the fears and the barriers facing young women who feel they cannot work in the mining environment. Women In Trades and Technology will develop the curriculum over the next year, with input from the Department of Education. They plan to offer the course in September 2001.

It is important to educate young women about the kinds of career opportunities that are out there in the trades and technologies.

About 17 per cent of students in engineering technology programs in the public college system are women, while females account for less than 10 per cent of students enrolled in trade programs.

The mining technology for women program will position students to take advantage of an industry that will need employees in the near future. It is estimated that the Iron Ore Company of Canada will need over 500 employees by 2003, when many workers will be eligible for early retirement.

There is significant growth in the resource sector, yet women�s involvement in Hibernia for example was just four per cent during the construction phase. Now, in the production phase, women make up only five per cent of the workforce employed on the rig.

We need to encourage young women to pursue careers where they have traditionally been under represented. It�s a way to help close the wage gap that exists between men and women.

The new program also speaks to the themes contained in the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador�s Jobs and Growth Consultations, and in the Strategic Social Plan. Preparing youth for jobs in their communities is key to ensuring the province�s future economic success.

Young women who complete the course will be able to take advantage of post secondary programs in mining technology, such as the newly created Maintenance Operator Program, run through the College of the North Atlantic.

I hope everyone shares in my enthusiasm over this latest initiative. I look forward to keep everyone updated on the success of the program.

2000 05 02                                                 2:20 p.m.