McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute

If you’re working in the manufacturing industry or are looking to upgrade your career, this may be the program for you.

The YWCA Uplift program was created to equip women and non-binary individuals like you with the skills needed to find fulfilling and successful careers. To date, the YWCA has helped nearly 600 individuals learn, grow, and create new opportunities in their lives.

The McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute is a world-class applied research and innovation center, and we have over 20 years of experience teaching, innovating, and working directly with industry. We’ve partnered with the YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin on their Uplift program to give you skills training centered on manufacturing and project management.

The program focuses heavily on key technological changes currently shaping the future of the modern manufacturing industry. You’ll learn about technologies and techniques manufacturers are adopting, and how you can think about leveraging them in your own workplace. You’ll then be introduced to the fundamentals of project management, lean manufacturing, and operations management.

A good support system is also critical to breaking down barriers and helping you truly succeed. During the training portion and afterward, you’ll have access to additional career development support, help navigating non-traditional workplaces, and more through the YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin. They’ll work with you in-depth to find out exactly what you need to achieve your goals and do their best to get you there.

If this sounds like something you’re interested in, continue reading to find out how the program works, more about what you’ll learn, and how you can apply.

How does this program work?

This program begins April 7^th and runs until the end of July.

Upon acceptance into the Uplift program and enrollment with McMaster University, you will become part of a vibrant community composed of fellow participants in the program. This collaborative environment allows you to engage with peers, exchange insights, and offer support as you progress through the program together. You can rest assured that you will not be alone on this journey; the collective knowledge and encouragement of your peers will be an invaluable resource along the way.

There will be two parts to this program: one covering advanced manufacturing and one covering project management.

You’ll begin with the advanced manufacturing section, where you’ll cover 3 topics, each over a 2-week period. In week one, you’ll join a live webinar with an instructor from MMRI where you’ll learn the material. In the second week you’ll be able to join a coaching and mentoring session where you can talk to the instructor about questions from the week before and dig deeper into the material.

After 6 weeks, you’ll have covered these topics:

• An introduction to advanced manufacturing and Industry 4.0
• Condition Based Monitoring
• Data Driven Decision Making and Automation

In week 7 you’ll be invited to join a webinar where you’ll have the chance to talk to industry leaders and find out how they’re making changes in their own companies.

Next up is the Management section of this program.

The structure will be the same; 3 topics each with a learning week followed by a coaching week, and a final webinar where you’ll get to talk to industry leaders again. Topics covered will be:

• Project Management
• Lean Manufacturing
• Operations Management

All sessions will be held live online in the evenings, but they will be recorded and the recordings made available afterwards.

Once you’ve completed the training with MMRI, YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin will work with you to help realize real success with your new knowledge and certification.

You can find out exactly what you’ll learn in each course below.

Am I eligible?

To be eligible for this program you must:

• Identify as a woman (cisgender or transgender) or non-binary
• Have a bachelor’s degree, diploma or relevant experience
• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Have at least Canadian Language Benchmark level 7-8

Acceptance into this program does not depend on income!

What do I need to do?

• Click on "Apply on YWCA Website. You'll be redirected to the YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin wepbage, where you can click on “apply now”. This will take you to a PDF form which you must fill out and email to the Uplift Program Coordinator, Nicole McNeil-Nuckowski at: [email protected].
• You’ll then be invited to attend an info session/intake interview.
• Upon an offer of acceptance, you must complete and sign the Participant Agreement containing code of conduct, expectations, confidentiality agreement, and consent to release information.
• Enrollment with the training partner will be conducted by the Program Coordinator.