A newly developed course at St. Clair College has helped 11 women earn their Canada Welding Bureau certification and the practical skills to join the welding field.
For several years, Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor Inc., in partnership with St. Clair College and UNIFOR, has delivered the Women in Skilled Trades program to provide employment training and support to women in order to gain on the job training to prepare them for employment in the skilled trades.
This past year, St. Clair welding professor Dan Holman helped to create a course for WEST students to give them the chance to earn CWB certification and industry-required skills to join the welding field.
Over the duration of 32 hours, Holman used every minute he could to teach a group of 15 women the various welding knowledge and practical skills needed to pass the CWB exam.
"These women worked very hard, there were a lot of growing pains to get them where they are today," said Holman. "Nothing was given to them, they had to earn it and we had great success rates."
Holman admits the CWB certification exam is tough to pass for even experienced welders and unfortunately, some of the students who took the exam failed.
"This is hard stuff to pass," said Holman. "I have had students in the past with 30 years of welding experience who have failed this test."
Holman says the CWB certificate shows prospective employers that these 11 graduates have proven their ability to join the welding field.
"At the end of the day, they are getting something out of what they put their effort into. They are getting a card from the government saying 'I am a CWB-certified welder,'" Holman said. "Now that they have left us, they can go to a welding shop and show them that CWB card and they will hire them right away because they know they are CWB certified."
Anyone interested in the Women in Skilled Trades program at St. Clair College can find more information and apply here - Women in Skilled Trades - Women's Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor Inc. (westofwindsor.com).