By Matthew Le Blanc
Jan 24, 2023
MILTON, ON – The CWB Welding Foundation is excited to announce Igniting Bright Futures, a new upskilling program for eligible Ontario secondary schools’ technology instructors, guidance counsellors, and advocates.
Welding and fabrication skills are a gateway required for many careers in the skilled trades and technology sector. Igniting Bright Futures supports educators through technical hands-on training and access to classroom resources to enhance their skills and support classroom learning. As part of this program, the CWB Welding Foundation will leverage CWB Education’s online educational platform so educators can access high-quality training, modules, and curriculum.
“Many technical educators are not experienced welders and may not possess the most up-to-date and relevant skills that are required in today’s workforce,” says Susan Crowley, Executive Director of the CWB Welding Foundation. “This program addresses that gap and ensures that the knowledge of various welding processes and the proper technique are taught in the curriculum.”
Supported by Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development, the Igniting Bright Futures program also supports career awareness. It provides parents, guidance counsellors, administrators, and community organizations with an opportunity to learn basic hands-on welding skills to understand the skill level needed and the variety of trade career opportunities. In both streams, participants will meet several competency-based benchmarks during the program, including obtaining a welding qualification, industry knowledge and access to employment, post-secondary programs, and apprenticeship opportunities. A speaker series will be offered both in person and virtually and will be available to anyone interested in learning more about welding, fabrication, and post- secondary and educational opportunities in the skilled trades.
“Our government is proud to support programs like Igniting Bright Futures which are reducing the stigma around working in the skilled trades,” said Monte McNaughton, Ontario’s Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “Careers in the skilled trades are often the best kept secret. They are vital to our economy and offer young people meaningful jobs for life where they can earn bigger paycheques and contribute to building their community.”
Igniting Bright Futures is supported by the Skills Development Fund, which is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario and aligns with CWB Group Education and Learning Development. Programming will be available in English and French and offered at five locations across Ontario, including Northern, Southwest and Eastern Ontario.
Find out more about the Igniting Bright Futures program, the application process, and the CWB Welding Foundation at www.cwbweldingfoundation.org.
About CWB Welding Foundation
The CWB Welding Foundation is a registered charity that works with partners to support and sustain the need for skilled welding and technology professionals and contribute to Canada’s economic prosperity. By creating a gateway to the skilled trades, the Foundation forges partnerships between industry, labour education and government to enable Canadians to explore, build and advance successful and exciting careers. The Foundation offers education-based hands-on and virtual programs and initiatives and provides financial and technical program supports that reduce barriers affecting vital groups; elementary, secondary, and post-secondary students and educators, Indigenous peoples, women and the underrepresented. We encourage awareness and provide programs supporting access to career exploration, regardless of identity factors, social and financial status and lived experiences, including gender, age, ethnicity, language, literacy, culture, income and geographical location.
