The following statement was read in the House of Assembly today by the Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills:

Speaker, every year, this government assists more than 2,300 women to acquire the skills training they need to secure employment. We also support some 70 women annually to create jobs for themselves, and jobs for others, by starting their own businesses. Annual funding of $210,000 for operations and $715,000 for wage subsidies is also provided to the Office to Advance Women Apprenctices; an office that continues to be heralded as a model for other provinces to follow.

Speaker, while we provide supports to thousands of women, today I would like to briefly tell one woman’s story, to best illustrate how investing in people can transform lives.

In 2021, Holly Linklater approached her local Immigration, Population Growth, and Skills office to express an interest in pursuing carpentry at the College of the North Atlantic – Clarenville Campus. Holly was experiencing difficulty securing long-term employment and decided to pursue her passion in carpentry.  She admitted she had some reservations, as carpentry is a male-dominated field, but she persevered.

With support from our Skills Development program, Holly excelled.  Out of 10 courses, she received 100 per cent in seven and 95 per cent in the remaining three.

Holly graduated from the carpentry program this past June and immediately secured employment with Newfound Builders of Brigus who are featured on HGTV’s Rock Solid Builds. She is currently registered with the Office to Advance Women Apprentices and employed under their apprentice wage subsidy program.

My congratulations to Holly, and my thanks for allowing me to share her story for the pupose of inspiring more women to choose her path and help build the Newfoundland and Labrador of tomorrow.

Speaker, here’s to many, many, many more Hollys!

Thank you.