BREAKING BARRIERS IN MANUFACTURING – CME’S 6TH ANNUAL WOMEN IN MANUFACTURING SUCCESS FORUM

TORONTO, MARCH 3, 2023 – Women manufacturers from across the country will be coming together for three days, beginning March 7, for Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME’s) 6^th Annual Women in Manufacturing Success Forum.

The virtual forum is aimed at engaging and inspiring young women to consider careers in manufacturing, helping manufacturers attract and retain women in their workplaces, and empowering, supporting, and accelerating women in the industry.

“We need to remove the old stigma associated with manufacturing and show people how innovative the sector is today,” said Angela Pappin, Chief Transformation Officer, ArcelorMittal Dofasco North America, and Chair of CME’s Women in Manufacturing Advisory Committee. “The largest untapped potential is to have women in our workforce.”

The number of Canadian women working in manufacturing reached 521,000 last year, a record high number compared to 15 years ago. In 2008, 540,000 women worked in manufacturing.

CME has set a goal of increasing the number of women in manufacturing by 100,000 by 2030- and the opportunities are clearly there.

“The transition to net-zero and digitalization is expected to create new jobs that will require upskilling and reskilling to prepare our workforce, said Dennis Darby, President and CEO of CME. “So, our work is clearly not over. We appreciate the federal government’s focus on making childcare more affordable and accessible. At the same time, we ask that Ottawa also focus on renewing and increasing funding programs to encourage more underrepresented groups to seek opportunities in manufacturing.”

Speakers at the year’s Success Forum include: Suzie Yorke, Founder of Love Good Fats and CEO of The Better Chocolates; Dr. Marcia Braundy, President and Project Manager Equity in Apprenticeship & Technical Fields Digital Archive, Kootenay Women in Trades & Technology Association; Dr. Jon Callegher, Employment Research and Executive Director of Job Talks, and Elizabeth Moses, Skilled Trades Champion and Sheet Metal Worker.

In addition to the “Success Forum”, CME has a variety of other initiatives to help increase the participation of women working in manufacturing, including a Gender Inclusion & Diversity Toolkit designed for manufacturers and Women in Leadership Training for individuals who want to develop a powerful network of peers.

Register: To attend CME’s 6^th Annual Women in Manufacturing Success Forum, click here.

Get Inspired: Women from across Canada, including Rachel McKinley, Sylvie LeBlanc, P.Eng, and Barbara Robbi, are sharing their inspiring stories and how they are making a difference in manufacturing.