Our UPLIFT Program provides women and non-binary individuals the opportunity to reskill or upskill in advanced manufacturing and/or specialized technology fields through certification training with one of our chosen training providers. Participants access additional supports related to career development and navigating non-traditional workplaces. Skills training is provided alongside wraparound supports and career development.
Since early 2021, twenty-five cohorts involving nearly 600 participants have leveraged this opportunity through YWCA partner organizations across Southern and Eastern Ontario. Over 95% of those “recommend” or “strongly recommend” this program to others.
Participants are enrolled in certification programs at accredited Ontario universities and colleges where they gain job-related technical skills and develop professional competencies, leading to a Declaration of Academic Achievement and/or micro-credentials.
Application period is now CLOSED. Thank you to everyone that has applied. We appreciate your patience as we evaluate applications received and make our final selection. All applications will receive notification of their application status via email from our Program Coordinator. Thank you.
Advanced Manufacturing and Project Management
We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with McMaster University to offer a course in Advanced Manufacturing and Project Management to our UPLIFT participants. This course will run from April ’25 until July ’25 with a focus on PT online live delivery. There will be one hybrid session offered with in-person learning opportunities to be delivered at the McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI).
This course is part of the MMRI’s industrial training program. It is designed to provide students with an introduction to advanced manufacturing with a focus on Industry 4.0 and condition-based monitoring. The course explores how to practically bring these technologies to modern industry, their benefit, and the cost of implementation.
The second half of the course will explore project management in detail. It will also cover lean manufacturing and its key principles. Additionally, the course will include topics on operations management and simulation drawn from real-world scenarios.
Eligibility Requirements
- Women (cisgender or transgender) or non-binary.
- Bachelor’s degree, diploma or relevant experience.
- Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
- Canadian Language Benchmark levels 7-8.
- Acceptance into the program is not income dependent.
