b'For its second program, the MCSCsupport of MCSCs team, community conducted a framing course inmembers and program participants Pinaymootang. Nine of the 11went a long way. Having a great group participants graduated and will beof people brings you out of your shell working on developing homes andand gives you confidence, she says. buildings within their communities Working some of those machines may this spring.be intimidating at first, but once you get Employers are quickly realizingthe hang of it, its a piece of cake.women are an incredible asset toBUILDING A FOUNDATION the construction sector, says Paul.MCSCs program is gaining traction. They bring attention to detail, followAnd thanks to additional funding from directions, communicate effectively andthe Province of Manitoba, it is on track are easy on the construction equipment. to engage more communities andSietta Marsden, one of manyA WIN-WIN introduce new courses. For example, Manitoba Status of Women graduates.The Manitoba Status of Women program is proving valuable to the sector, which now requires more than 8,000 new workers to offset the loss of retiring workers over the next decade. At the same time, the initiative has also been a huge win for graduates like Sietta Marsden from Pinaymootang, who are eager to build a career in the trades. [The program] definitely helped me a lot with starting work and pursuing a career, both mentally and physically, says Marsden, a graduate of the Manitoba Status of Womens framing course, now employed with Parkwest Projects in Ashern. It really puts you out there so that you can learn on the job and show companies that you and people from your community are hard working and reliable. That helps to break down the stereotypes, too. Marsden admits that taking the first steps was intimidating, but having the IDEAL LIAISONThe MB Status of Women programs success is owed to a team that puts Indigenous engagement at the forefront. That includes William Kirkness, MCSCs Indigenous Liaison, who is taking the lead in engaging Manitobas remote communities and drawing interest for the initiative.William is worth his weight in gold, says Paul. Being Indigenous and from the north means he understands how these communities work and what they need to thrive. That makes him an ideal liaison.Issue 1 Spring Edition 2022 BUILD MANITOBA 41'