Women Building Futures (WBF)

nance workforce across Canada. “If we were to attract and hire just 1 per cent of these wom- en, this would mean 62,000 new skilled work- ers and address 25 per cent of the forecasted workforce shortage,” says Women Building Fu- tures President and CEO, Kathy Kimpton. “Sim- ply put, women are Canada’s largest untapped labour resource.” One of the most interesting things about pro- filing Canada’s most successful business and organizations is how many of them have start- ed out in a basement, or with only a handful of people and not a lot of resources, but a ton of heart. Women Building Futures (WBF) is no exception. Now a bonifide leader in preparing women for economically prosperous careers in industries where women have historically been under-represented, an organization that has helped thousands of women find a place in the workforce—WBF started as a small group of women, social workers mostly, in an empty basement in downtown Edmonton in 1998. HELPING WOMEN ENTER THE TRADES “This group was looking for ways to help wom- en out of poverty,” says Kimpton. “Many of the Discover a modern union at clac.ca . CLAC congratulates Women Building Futures on its 20th anniversary. Together, we are building better workplaces and better lives. JULY 2018 | BUSINESS ELITE CANADA 5