Four National Women's Groups: CCLOW · CFWEC · CRIAW · NOIVMWC


Recommendations:

  1. Job creation must be a priority. Job-related training which does not lead to available jobs which offer adequate long term income security is a waste of time and money for everyone concerned.

  2. Address systemic barriers to the integration of women into the labour market, including recognition of the diverse needs of various groups of women. Legislated measures in areas including pay equity, employment equity, child care and duty to accommodate are required if women, visible minorities and disabled people are to gain adequate value from training.

  3. Preserve the voluntary nature of training. Coercive measures are unacceptable. Consequently: UI funds should not be used for training, and social assistance should not be tied to training in any way. Training should be funded through Consolidated Revenues. Resource allocations to training should be restored to 1989 levels immediately.

  4. Training for women needs to be high quality training, supported by principles and standards which are enforced through training agreements. Mechanisms for the allocation of training resources need to recognize the needs of women who are not currently in the labour market, who are self-employed or who are working at part-time, temporary contract or 'non-standard' work and must include women who are representative of diverse groups as decision makers. In this regard, sectoral councils do not address the working lives of many Canadian women.

  5. Support training models which have been demonstrated to be effective for women, by providing adequate resources. These models include: bridging programs, woman-positive basic skills training, advanced skills training in non-traditional areas, positive measures/gender sensitivity training and community economic development training.

2. Unemployment Insurance

The Unemployment Insurance fund was originally designed as just that - a fund to provide insurance for workers who found themselves unemployed. Over the years, the Federal Government has seriously eroded the UI fund, dipping into it for training programs and "developmental uses", and drastically cutting the federal contribution, while raising UI premiums paid by employers and workers. The latest proposals, set out in the Green Paper, continue this trend of undermining the purpose of the fund.



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