Trillium Network, Build a Dream to develop action plan for employing women in manufacturing

The Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing is partnering with Build a Dream to provide solutions to improve employment outcomes for women in manufacturing.

The non-profit organizations will tackle barriers that are keeping women out of the industry through several steps, including identifying challenges related to advancing the employment of women in manufacturing; identifying Ontario manufacturers that have implemented effective practices to engage, recruit, and retain women; and,
developing an action plan for use by manufacturers, governments and partner organizations such as educational institutions and industry associations.

“The partnership is a way to push for real change in manufacturing and in employment outcomes,” says Dr. Brendan Sweeney, managing director of the Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing, which is dedicated to raising public and investor awareness of Ontario’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem.

“There are companies that have made tremendous advancements in diversity and inclusion and benefit enormously from the talent pool that they have created. We hope to take those best practices and show others how to implement new processes and shift the perception of women in manufacturing.”

Among the issues that the Trillium Network and Build a Dream will explore are the continued underrepresentation of women in manufacturing despite existing initiatives, as well as the reasons why women don’t advance into leadership positions.

“Our goal is to gain greater insight from industry leaders who have committed to diversity and inclusion. Throughout the years, we have found that increasing the number of females in male-dominated industries will require intentional and purposeful action for all parties – educators, industry and community,” says Nour Hachem-Fawaz, president and founder of Build a Dream.

Build a Dream frequently speaks with stakeholders from different industries to help them improve recruitment, as well as provide female employees with a platform to share their message with young women who may not have considered these careers previously.

Meetings, brainstorming and resource-sharing has already begun, with additional steps being executed as the summer progresses. The partners expect to release their action plan by October 2020.