Sub-series SS17 - Checklist of Strategies. Welcoming Women into Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology Workplace

Delivery agent and target audience:
WinSETT Centre
SK Construction Ass’n, Nfld Building Trades Ass’n, Nfld Women in Resource Development Committee, SK Ministry of Gov’t Services, Georgian College Barrie,ON – 3 workshops, CCWESTT Halifax, NS, CAF Regina, SK.

While a large focus of Overend's work with SaskWITT and SIAST involved development and delivery of resources directed at career exploration and employment for girls and women, she also worked directly with initiatives directed at employers. One major thrust was as a Trades Consultant with a project of the WinSETT Centre / CCWESTT. The Checklist of Strategies itself is a booklet that she assisted in updating and redeveloping from a booklet with the same name developed in the late 80’s(?) by Mary Ferguson and Janet Murray for WITT NN. WinSETT Centre hired Mary Ferguson to work with them on this project. The booklet provides, as it says, a checklist format addressing various aspects of a workplace through a self-auditing process.

Once updated, Overend worked with other WinSETT members to design a workshop where we introduced the resource to company owners, HR personnel and senior management in various settings, and with organizations working with WITT women so they could also offer the workshops in their regions. They focussed on construction, resource and manufacturing employers, unions and training centres. Over 6 years, Overend assisted in delivery of 9 workshops and several presentations at conferences that highlighted the initiative.

They partnered with CAF to deliver workshops in Barrie ON which also included promotion of their resource “The CAF-FCA Employer Toolkit with an emphasis on Return on Training Investment (ROTI) and Hiring Female Apprentices.

In 2011, Overend finalized the draft for a Facilitator’s Orientation Program for WinSETT Trainers. This was not finalized. The materials that were included were founded on work Overend had done mentoring other facilitator’s and outlines from former training sessions with WITT NN that had a pan-Canadian team approach.