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Alberta is investing nearly $2 million into a program to help women gain employment in Calgary’s tech sector.
‘The fact is, while there has been a boom in tech, only 26 per cent of tech jobs are currently held by women’
Alberta is investing nearly $2 million into a program to help women gain employment in Calgary’s tech sector.
Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides made the announcement Thursday, saying his government will provide $1.9 million to an Amazon Web Services (AWS) pilot program that will assist up to 40 women with training and connections to the local IT and cloud-computing sectors. The provincial investment is part of a two-year research and innovation grant.
“Today’s investment will be used to provide the tuition costs for up to 40 participants, as well as a monthly stipend to help assist with living costs during their studies,” said Nicolaides. “One of the things that makes this program unique is the fact that it will be the first in Canada to be women-focused. The fact is, while there has been a boom in tech, only 26 per cent of tech jobs are currently held by women.”
The program, titled AWS re/START, is currently accepting applications and will begin March 2, running over a 20-week period. The AWS program has been running similar programs for several years, helping underemployed and unemployed people enter the workforce. Amazon, alongside the Momentum Community Economic Development Society, will slightly alter this program to promote it to women in Calgary.
AWS will provide the program’s curriculum and labs while Momentum will work with the women to address barriers in the field. Local mentorship group Chic Geek will help participants with mentorship and career path supports.
“We know that women have the motivation and the work ethic to succeed in IT careers. They just need the right training opportunity momentum,” said Momentum director of operations Donna McBride. “These women will increase the pool of local talent available to our growing tech sector, leading to stronger economies in Calgary and Alberta.”
McBride said the program will provide a flexible learning environment with a mixture of virtual facilitator and in-person classes.
Nicolaides said the government will monitor the effectiveness and success of the pilot and determine if it can become a permanent program with continued funding.
“We want to explore effectiveness, we want to validate the efficiency of the program and ensure that it’s meeting the objectives and the results,” said Nicolaides. “Of course, if it ticks all those boxes and we see success in terms of women taking advantage of the opportunity and finding successful career opportunities, then I think it’s something that we should definitely look at to continue further.”
The investment comes after Amazon announced in November that it would invest $4 billion to establish a cloud computing hub in Calgary.
At that time, Premier Jason Kenney called the investment the largest tech investment in Alberta’s history.
The move will ultimately create 950 full-time jobs across Canada and is only AWS’ second such data region in the country, complementing one established in Montreal in 2016.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was down more than 200 points in late-morning trading, weighed down by losses in the technology, base metal and energy sectors, while U.S. stock markets also fell.
The S&P/TSX composite index was down 239.24 points at 22,749.04.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 312.36 points at 40,443.39. The S&P 500 index was down 80.94 points at 5,422.47, while the Nasdaq composite was down 380.17 points at 16,747.49.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.80 cents US compared with 74.00 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down US$1.07 at US$68.08 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up less than a penny at US$2.26 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$2.10 at US$2,541.00 an ounce and the December copper contract was down four cents at US$4.10 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 150 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in technology, financial and energy stocks, while U.S. stock markets also pushed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 171.41 points at 23,298.39.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 278.37 points at 41,369.79. The S&P 500 index was up 38.17 points at 5,630.35, while the Nasdaq composite was up 177.15 points at 17,733.18.
The Canadian dollar traded for 74.19 cents US compared with 74.23 cents US on Wednesday.
The October crude oil contract was up US$1.75 at US$76.27 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up less than a penny at US$2.10 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$18.70 at US$2,556.50 an ounce and the December copper contract was down less than a penny at US$4.22 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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