- Canada is investing $1.1 million over two years into the Racialized Newcomer Women Pilot (RNWP) program at the Vancouver YWCA to help minority, immigrant women get jobs in the information technology sector.
- The RNWP aims to address the alleged barriers faced by racialized newcomer women, such as gender and race-based discrimination, unstable employment, and lack of affordable childcare.
- During the 2019-2020 fiscal year, over 2,500 women who had immigrated from 128 countries participated in activities related to the RNWP.
The Canadian government has announced a $1.1 million investment in the Racialized Newcomer Women Pilot (RNWP) program at the Vancouver YWCA. The two-year funding is aimed at helping minority immigrant women land jobs in the information technology (IT) sector.
Challenges faced by Racialized Newcomer Women
Marie-France Lalonde, parliamentary secretary to the immigration minister, says that “racialized newcomer women face significant challenges in entering the workforce.” These challenges include gender and race-based discrimination, unstable employment, and a lack of affordable childcare.
RNWP Objectives
The RNWP program, which was launched in 2019 and received a pledge of more than $15 million over two years starting in 2021, aims to address these barriers faced by racialized newcomer women. Under the program, organizations are funded to deliver programs that help women secure rewarding careers in the tech industry. The Vancouver YWCA is only one of many organizations offering programs through the RNWP.
Successes of RNWP
During the 2019-2020 fiscal year, more than 2,500 women who had immigrated from 128 countries participated in activities related to the RNWP. Most of them were between 25 and 54 years old and had lived in Canada for less than five years. The RNWP, previously called the Visible Minority Newcomer Women Pilot, aims to help immigrant minority women land jobs in IT by continuing relationships with non-traditional organizations and recipients to develop new approaches to increase employment opportunities for these women.
Government Commitment to RNWP
The funding announced earlier this month and last year for the pilot program is in addition to the $31.9 million committed by the federal government in 2018.
Minister’s Statement
Then-Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said in 2019, “Canada can only reach its full potential if everyone in it reaches theirs. These important projects will help racialized newcomer women lay the cornerstone of success: finding a good, well-paying job. This is both the right thing to do for our society and the smart thing to do for our economy. By breaking down barriers faced by racialized newcomer women, we’re helping them make even greater contributions to their communities and country.”
Impact of COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, immigrant women who had recently arrived in the country were the most likely to lose their jobs, according to Statistics Canada figures. The RNWP program aims to address this issue by creating opportunities for racialized newcomer women to secure well-paying jobs in the tech industry.
Source: https://www.immigration.ca/
