YW Kitchener-Waterloo partners with the University of Waterloo and Uvaro to offer job-ready skills for women and gender diverse individuals

YW Kitchener-Waterloo partners with the University of Waterloo and Uvaro to offer job-ready skills for women and gender diverse individuals

WATERLOO REGION – The YW Kitchener-Waterloo is excited to partner with WatSPEED at the University of Waterloo on two new career accelerator programs.

These comprehensive online training programs are open to all learners eligible to work in Canada, with additional career coaching supports available for women and gender diverse individuals. They are designed to help people advance or begin their careers in the fields of advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity.

In addition to technical and professional skill development, learners will receive on-going career coaching through exclusive access to Uvaro’s career services program.

The YW KW’s Integrated Holistic Career Services (IHCS) team will augment career training, offering further support to women and gender-diverse individuals throughout the 16-week program.

The program includes technical training in either digital transformation or secure coding along with training in career search skills, personal branding, resume building, and LinkedIn optimization. Learners will receive mentorship from industry learners, work on a group project for a real-world client, participate in interactive training sessions, and receive feedback from industry leaders and career coaches.

“By merging Uvaro's expertise in skill development programming with WatSPEED's focus on workforce advancement, we are building a dynamic collaboration. This partnership is a commitment to driving career transformation and economic growth in Canada, shaping a skilled, adaptable workforce for the future,” said Joseph Fung, CEO and Co-Founder of Uvaro.

Alongside career coaching and industry engagement, participants will gain insights into the impact that technology is having on our workforce, including training on how to navigate digital transformation or strategies to adopt more secure coding practices.

The extensive career training program is financially supported by Upskill Canada, powered by Palette Skills and the Government of Canada.

“We are thrilled to partner with Upskill Canada to empower Canadians with the skills they need to succeed in a workplace that is being continuously impacted by technology advancements. These new career accelerator programs provide a unique and valuable combination of technical and professional training, career coaching, and industry engagement, developed in close partnership with industry,” said Sanjeev Gill, Associate Vice-President, Innovation, University of Waterloo, and Executive Director of WatSPEED.

The programs began in January and the next offers start April 22. For more information on the program, including how to apply and costs, visit WatSPEED’s website: https://watspeed.uwaterloo.ca/programs-and-courses/category-career-accelerator-programs.html and https://www.ywthrift.com/pages/watspeed-career-accelerator-program

For more information, contact Tanja Gancevich at Tanja.Gancevich@ywkw.ca.