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Women Part 3
4 Plays9 days ago
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Transcript
Concerns about IWTA Program Transparency
00:00:00
Baker Plbg
Okay, so I did some digging. I mean, we do not live need to live ignorantly in this society anymore. You can do ah some active of searching and find the information that I'm sharing with you anytime you want.
00:00:12
Baker Plbg
So i my concern was is that this IWTA, the Immigrant Women Trades Apprenticeship Program, was a front, that it was you know taking money from the actual – mechanisms that are in place for people to get apprenticeships. So they're using, in BC, they're using the ACE Trades Technical Institute, which i' is a um is i certified educator.
00:00:41
Baker Plbg
I looked it up for her in Alberta, and SAIT is offering a very similar thing. And they have earmarked the federal government in March of 2024 $1.5 million of funding one point five million dollars of funding for this specific group and basically you get your, ah um they provide, well it's interesting,
Government Financial Support for Training
00:01:03
Baker Plbg
right? Like the government sucks, man.
00:01:07
Baker Plbg
Provides up to $4,000 in interest-free loans ah for technical training is that is designated Red Seals. ah The money can be used for tuition, tools, equipment, living expenses and children.
00:01:20
Baker Plbg
um For apprentices who have progressed through the first and second year of a designated Red Seal trade as of March 31st, 2025, applicants of this grant are no longer accepted. So it changes all the time.
00:01:33
Baker Plbg
They ain't giving away free money. It's going to, ah as far as I can tell, the um institutions that are already in place to provide these services. So they're paying the teachers.
00:01:46
Baker Plbg
They're paying for the programs. I think it's great. They're just sort of putting a... you know, a nice ah ribbon on it to attract um immigrant women.
00:01:58
Baker Plbg
It will not. I did do some digging. It does not say how many people have gone through the program um are or are currently enrolled. I can't find any of that information.
00:02:11
Baker Plbg
Probably because they don't want you to know because it's like, like if there's 165 in the like five. women in the trade then there's like five uh, immigrant women in this trade program.
00:02:24
Baker Plbg
I mean, I could be wrong. I don't know, but it it, you know, I would have to do a much deeper dive, which don't have time for today, but anyway, uh, I think it's great.
00:02:37
Baker Plbg
I think we need to be aware of what's going on in our trade. I think that, uh, I think it's a great time to get into it. Nothing's changed in that regard. Um, And just, I think we need to be aware.
Transparency and Financial Accountability in Programs
00:02:49
Baker Plbg
And the only concern I have about all these programs is lots of these things are sort of shell games for people to make money. Whoever's running these programs is they're like, okay, I'm going to provide all this money or our funding, not really funding loans to ah ah vulnerable people, frankly.
00:03:10
Baker Plbg
And I'm going to pay myself, you know, $250,000 the president and CEO of whatever they're calling this thing. um PICS is what this one's called. What does PICS stand for? I don't know. Can I find out in a minute?
00:03:28
Baker Plbg
No. but Sorry. I'm not going to give the the the gal's name because I don't know what that's going to do, but it's P-I-C-S dot B-C dot C-A.
00:03:42
Baker Plbg
um and don't know what PICS stands for, but it doesn't say. Anyway, so there might program eligibility. Women in BC, Canadian citizens, or permanent residents or protected refugees. So that's who, I mean, it's ah broad, but they won't tell me how many people are enrolled in it for obvious reasons.
00:04:01
Baker Plbg
And I would like to know how much this gal who's running it gets paid. Anyway, it's always, i mean, as we can see, certainly my experience is it's the bureaucrats that suck up most of the funding and the people that actually do the work are fighting for an extra dollar here or there.
00:04:25
Baker Plbg
As usual, my thoughts, not yours. Be good.