On this International Women’s Day, Bow Valley College is proud to announce a partnership with the Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association (CIWA). The $1.4 million pilot project will offer early childhood educator training to around 230 immigrant women.

The Government of Alberta and Government of Canada are funding the program through the Alberta-Canada Early Learning and Child Care (ACELCC) Agreement. Alberta aims to create nearly 69,000 new licensed childcare spaces over the next few years. An additional 7,500 to 9,000 educators will need to be trained to support those new spaces.

According to the provincial government, this pilot project will remove barriers to post-secondary education for newcomers and broaden the number of available educators with varying cultural and language backgrounds, giving parents options when seeking care for their children.

The College will provide Level 1 and Level 2 training in two online streams. It accounts for students’ language and literacy levels through virtual modalities, which will undoubtedly remove additional barriers for women who want to balance their studies with their day-to-day lives.

“We are proud to be part of this partnership, expanding our relationship with CIWA, educating immigrant women for more than a decade. Offering virtual learning will give these aspiring women the confidence to pursue this life-changing opportunity without sacrificing other priorities.” – Brad Mauro, Associate Dean, Early Childhood Education Programs, Bow Valley College

The pilot project also includes a job placement component.

An update on Bow Valley College’s Women Pivoting in Tech Entrance Bursary

A year ago, on International Women’s Day, Bow Valley College introduced its new Women Pivoting in Tech Bursary Program for students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math disciplines or STEM-related studies.

It is with great pride that the College shares an update on the program.

12 female-identifying students at the College have been awarded bursaries totalling $80,000.

The students enrolled in our Information Technology Systems, Software Development, and Advanced Game Development Diploma programs and our Cloud Computing and Data Management and Analytics Post-Diploma Certificate programs.

Thanks to a grant from the Government of Alberta, 20 women are eligible to receive up to $20,000 in bursary funds to support their tuition costs and other expenses such as technology, childcare, rent, mortgages, bills, and transportation.

This wonderful program will continue in the Fall Term, with more exceptional women being granted bursaries.