Sixteen unemployed women are getting 30 weeks of carpentry training at the RONA Vancouver 2010 Fabrication Shop.
Participants attend employment workshops, see personal life-skills coaches, receive equipment and get paid industry wages, according to RONA.
“I’ve been trying to get into carpentry for a while, but it’s hard for a woman to get into construction,” said participant Diana Hart, 26. “I think it’s great what they’re doing here for us.”
Eva Boucher-Hartling, director of external communications for RONA, said the program can change lives. “When you graduate from this course, the rest of your life will be different,” she said.
“The learning has been beyond all expectations,” said participant Savannah, 21, who didn’t want her full name used. Savannah said she’s from a drug- and alcohol-riddled community and moved to Vancouver in 2006 to find a better life. “With these teachers on our side, I’m confident that we will enter the industry with the skills that we need,” she said.
