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.”
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Kathy Kimpton
Women Building Futures
President and CEO
JULY 2018 | BUSINESS ELITE CANADA 85
