In order then, for women's training programs to have the desired impact, they must represent one element of a whole constellation of related initiatives in each of the critical areas: closing the wage gap through implementation of equal pay for work of equal value initiatives; breaking down the occupational stratification of women's work; and restructuring work and family life so that women -- and men -- are not forced to sacrifice fulfillment in one area of economic activity -- formal or informal -- in order to fulfill personal and societal expectations in the other.

For example, changes in the Skills Shortages program of Canadian Jobs Strategy to allow for training in emerging as well as existing areas of job vacancy are welcome. However without concurrent changes in the structure of the labour market -- expansion of the job market in those areas, and the ending of hiring and workplace practices which discriminate against women, the program cannot be effective. Similarly training programs -- such as many of those supported under Canadian Jobs Strategy Re-Entry program -- which continue to train women in traditionally underpaid areas offer at best a short-term solution until the principle of equal pay for equal value permeates all of society. At the point when currently undervalued jobs, such as child care worker or visiting homemaker, are paid relative to their actual social value, then it will make sense to train single parents with children to support in those occupations.

A major problem in launching these concurrent initiatives has to do with the fragmentation of jurisdictions, and of policies and programs, both horizontally and vertically, regarding education and training for women. The federal and each of the provincial governments continue to operate in isolation, despite federal-provincial training agreements and some efforts to standardize accreditation in the trades. Within provinces, the links among private and public institutions, and among school boards, colleges and universities are usually underdeveloped and often totally lacking. Privatization is only serving to exacerbate this problem. The result is that some groups, such as low income women or rural residents are virtually excluded from all parts of the system(s) in certain locations. For others, there is duplication of service. A number of interviews have identified an urgent need for a public education program for women and girls of all ages, to assist them to see and understand the realities of working life in the late 20th century, and to help them to identify for themselves what will be necessary if they wish to avoid poverty and/or marginal social and economic status in the years to come. The structure of the present situation virtually precludes any such coordinated, broadly-based effort.

It appears however, that there is some room within the current situation to begin building coordinated initiatives. As an increasing number of provinces follow the lead of the federal government and Quebec in enacting equal pay for work of equal value legislation, for example, the principle of equal pay will become more deeply embedded in Canadian society and the still far-off day when the wage gap between men and women disappears entirely edges closer.