HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, July 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Techsploration and Irving Shipbuilding are excited to announce the launch of four (4) x $3,500 scholarships to students entering their first or second year of any trades, business, or technology program at NSCC.
“Irving Shipbuilding values the longstanding partnerships we have with Techsploration and the Nova Scotia Community College to advance skills and opportunities for Nova Scotians interested in joining our historic mission to build ships for Canada,” said Jim Rennie, Vice President of Human Resources, Irving Shipbuilding. “We are committed to growing a diverse and inclusive workforce. Today, over 13% of our skilled trades workers are women. As part of this initiative, we look forward to offering mentorship and work opportunities to successful scholarship recipients.”
Victoria Henneberry, an alumna of the Techsploration program and an Apprentice Pipefitter with Irving Shipbuilding, is now giving back to the institution that first encouraged her to pursue a career in the trades.
“As a Techsploration student in 2012, I had role models who were tradeswomen with Irving Shipbuilding who ignited the spark in me to pursue a career in the skilled trades,” Henneberry explains. “I enrolled in the Steamfitting/Pipefitting program at NSCC and graduated with honours in 2015 which led to incredibly impactful work terms and real-world experience in my trade. I am so proud to be a part of the Irving Shipbuilding team and to be giving back to Techsploration by mentoring a new class of young women and non-binary youth.”
“Irving Shipbuilding offering this scholarship to Techsploration alumni at NSCC continues their longstanding partnership with the College that advances diversity and inclusion for equity-deserving groups and supports our students and alumni. We are honoured by their ongoing support. In addition to the Pathways to Shipbuilding program through the Irving Shipbuilding Centre of Excellence and the National Shipbuilding Strategy, these scholarships only further their commitment to helping NSCC students and alumni thrive.” – Don Bureaux, President, NSCC
For over twenty years, Techsploration has been offering scholarships to young women and non-binary youth entering post-secondary science, engineering, technology, and skilled trades programs.
Techsploration alumnae and graduates from Techsploration-designated schools who self-identify as women, Mi’kmaw or Indigenous women, or African Nova Scotian women in their first or second year of their chosen program at NSCC are encouraged to apply at https://techsploration.ca/career-resources/scholarships/.
About Techsploration
Founded in 1998, Techsploration is a not-for-profit organization that provides young women and non-binary youth in Grades 9 through 12 with the information and experiences required to make informed career decisions in science, engineering, trades, and technology (SETT) fields – fields where women are still significantly underrepresented. With the goal of increasing the number of women working in SETT, Techsploration’s award-winning, mentor-led programming also creates awareness about the significance of math and science to their future careers.
About Irving Shipbuilding:
Irving Shipbuilding is Canada’s National Shipbuilder, selected in 2011 to build the new fleet of combat vessels to the Royal Canadian Navy. To date, three Arctic and Offshore Patrol ships (AOPS) have been delivered and a further three are underway. The company will also build two custom AOPS for the Canadian Coast Guard before commencing the larger Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) Fleet. To date over $5.34 billion in investments have been made across Canada as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. Our team of 2,300 shipbuilders are proudly based in Halifax, NS and includes the largest team of apprentices in Atlantic Canada. www.shipsforcanada.ca
| CONTACTS: | |
| Techsploration | Irving Shipbuilding |
| Emily Boucher | Mel Schori |
| Executive Director | Director Communications |
| 902 817-6428 cell | 902 266-8003 cell |
| Emily.boucher@techsploration.ca | Schori.mel@irvingshipbuilding.com |
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cf84f870-895a-4db9-9a62-9adf9b8650cf
