Women Building Futures (WBF)

women they worked with weren’t necessarily unemployed but underem- ployed, working hard at multiple jobs, accessing social programs and still barelymaking ends meet. They were surrounded by brothers, fathers and husbands who had highly paid jobs in construction and oil and gas, jobs that were easier for men to obtain. As a solution to the problem, this group decided they could train and empower women to be successful in these same jobs.” The solution caught on quickly. By 2006, WBF purchased and started working out of a warehouse in downtown Edmonton only a few blocks away, and with the help of many this space was transformed into the Suncor Training Centre which is buzzing with ac- tivity today—training for WBF’s Journeywoman Start class #80 with facilities including workshops for pre-apprenticeship training for six different trades: Carpentry, Welding, Plumbing, Pipefitting, Electrical and Sheet Metal. HOUSING Workshops aren’t the only type of space at WBF. In order to fulfill its mission, WBF places a great deal of emphasis on eliminating barri- ers to employment for women, housing being a major one. WBF expanded its Training Centre to include housing: 42 fully-furnished units are equipped to meet all the basic needs of women and their children during their program. “Our housing is single gender, safe, not subsidized but affordable for downtown Edmonton and flexible in terms of length of stay,” says Kimp- ton. “We pride ourselves n exceptional hands-on raining and workplace eparedness. Our support esn’t end at graduation.” ---------------------------------------- Kathy Kimpton Women Building Futures President and CEO JULY 2018 | BUSINESS ELITE CANADA 7