The CWB Welding Foundation is a national not-for-profit charitable organization working to support and sustain the need for skilled welding professionals in the workforce and to contribute to Canada’s economic prosperity. Its mission is to forge partnerships between industry, education, and government that enable Canadians to build rewarding careers in the welding industry by encouraging awareness, training, the promotion of best practices through a quality educational experience, impartial advocacy, and greater accessibility for all those interested in exploring future opportunities in a welding-related career.
Participants are able to gain introductory real work experiences and a pathway to employment, and to develop the skills needed to find and keep rewarding, well-paying jobs in the welding trade and labour market.
Due to its dedication to the growth and prosperity of the welding industry, the foundation has spearheaded many innovative programs, including the immensely successful Women of Steel campaign, which aims to support women in welding through strategic engagement and learning opportunities that foster education, growth, confidence, and experiences. The Women of Steel: Forging New Opportunities — Introduction to Welding Program (IWP) was designed to encourage women to explore careers in welding. It builds awareness and clarifies perceptions for improved understanding of potential opportunities and rewards within this career path. Participants are able to gain introductory real work experiences and a pathway to employment, and to develop the skills needed to find and keep rewarding, well-paying jobs in the welding trade and labour market.
With an impressive 95% pass rate so far, the participants and instructors are pleased with the outcome of this 30-hour program. Created using the CWB Group’s proprietary CWBi Acorn learning curriculum, it provides a thorough understanding of the welding trade. With such a successful pilot year, the CWB Welding Foundation already has a waitlist for next year’s program, pending government funding and expansion across a broader group of institutional partners with the help of its business stakeholders. This revolutionary program has been strategically designed to foster personal and career development for participants while supporting the Canadian industry, which is being faced with both a current and projected shortage of highly-skilled employees across welding and the associated trades.
Stay connected via Facebook @cwbweldingfoundation, and on Twitter @cwb_foundation. Plus, tag them in your own #WomenofSteel posts on your social channels!
