As part of their English course homework, the women collectively drafted a press release, letters to the editor, articles for various community newspapers, gathered signatures on a "Let's Put Canada Back to Work" petition, and appeared on radio and TV to build support for the program.

They were interviewed on CBC's Metro Morning show, CBC radio news, CKEY, CHFI and CITY TV. Sympathetic articles appeared in the Globe & Mail, Toronto Star ( including a May 9 / 82 editorial ), Contrast Newspaper, the Toronto Clarion, and Ward 7 News. Women's groups also took up the issue, including the International Women's Day Committee, Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women (CCLOW) , and the Canadian Congress of Women. MP David Crombie wrote an eloquent letter of protest to Mr. Axworthy, federal Minister of Employment and Immigration. So did Alderman Gordon Cressy and John Sewell.

To bring together the major contenders in this conflict, we organized a public meeting on "Skills Training in the 80's" at Dixon Hall with representatives from Canada Employment, the provincial Ministry of Colleges & Universities, the Ontario Federation of Labor, Dixon Hall, and the community.

Just prior to the forum, we made sudden head-way with CEIC and the province. At the province's initiative, we met and discussed the possibility of a joint Dixon Hall/ George Brown College program of on-the-job training and classroom instruction in secretarial skills. It was suggested the program be administered by Dixon Hall, with the college accountable for academic standards. At the public meeting, the provincial representative finally confirmed their promise of funding.

Negotiations since have been fruitful, so we've called off our publicity campaign. The class celebrated its graduation June 30th, 1982. We know that our struggle has paved the way for other women like ourselves who want to become self-supporting.

HARD WON SUCCESS

Why did we achieve this breakthrough when so many other worthwhile programs have been cut back? There are three factors. First and foremost is the determination and courage of the women involved in the program, several of them recent immigrants from the Caribbean. At the critical moment, when we had to decide whether to go ahead or call it quits, they insisted we continue. Janet, a mother of two and one of our most gutsy students, chose to go on welfare rather than return to a dead end career of waitressing and domestic work. She was not alone.

The women's public appeal and the surprising amount of support it evoked was another crucial factor. We refused to take no for an answer. Public officials are still susceptible to public opinion, as we were happy to discover. We chose to defend the merits of our innovative program rather than adapt to a pigeonhole. By explaining our concept of a more effective job-training program to the public, we forced both levels of government to become more responsible to local community initiatives.