Training and Retraining

Overview

Chair:
Ginette Sabourin, Training
Officer, House of Commons

Speaker:
Merran Twigg, Director of
Women's Division, Ministry of
Labour, Saskatchewan

One cannot address the issue of training and retraining for the labour force without taking a comprehensive approach, including a redefinition of work. What is work? What is leisure? Given the magnitude of changes in life-styles and work patterns that have resulted from the micro technological revolution, how do we now plan for a just, adequate distribution of income among Canadians?

The new technology has not increased job creation; rather, the marketplace seems to be narrowing more than ever, with the result that more workers are unemployed while we experience a shortage of skilled labour. Are women ready for this new reality? Surveys indicate that female students are increasingly diversifying their studies into areas such as mathematics, science, management and law. This trend, however, is not yet reflected in the work- place, where women remain confined to ghettos and dead-end careers.

Women who decide to further their education must take a hard look at the workplace and ask themselves what types of skills are now required for what types of jobs. The humanities will survive the supposed takeover of technology, but they will have to be adapted to today's needs. Is the training that one is about to begin open to change, geared towards the new dynamics of the workplace and the society at large? Is training simply a new form of welfare? Microtechnology can help women to free themselves from monotonous tasks, to pursue challenging career paths and creative life-styles, but only if the individual, alone or collectively, takes time to ask the broad questions about work and training, to put forth her views, and to plan her own life-long training path.