Cathy Dobson/The Independent

Jen Cooper has finally found a profession that fits her skill set and her personality.

“It just feels right,” says Cooper who is among a group of eight local women who will soon be the first graduates of a new women’s automotive training program in Sarnia.

After years of working part-time and searching for a career she feels good about, Cooper is looking forward to a stable, well-paid career.

“For a long time, it was a lot of working job to job just to keep the roof over our heads and make ends meet,” said Cooper, 44, who is formerly from Petrolia and now lives in Sarnia with her partner and a couple of kids.

“I am tired of working for minimum wage.  I just want a job I can count on that I like,” she said.

Cooper and her classmates were chosen from more than 150 applicants to be the first in Ontario to participate in a 16-week pre-apprenticeship training program put on by the Women Building Futures non-profit group.

Women Building Futures was founded nearly 30 years ago in Alberta to help women find economic security through construction trades training.

The group has now moved into Ontario for the first time and chose Sarnia-Lambton to start its first program in the province. Training comes at no cost to students.

Women Building Futures chose to offer automotive repair training to its first cohort because a lot of local women expressed interest in it, said Rachel Veilleux, the local manager of external relations and growth with Women Building Futures.

“Maybe they had experience with family members at home fixing cars but never really considered it as an actual career,” said Veilleux.  “When we opened up applications, we had almost 200 and had to narrow it down to eight.”

“The interview process was really, really hard,” said Sydney Sutcliffe.  At 24, she is a single mom of two small children and said she is fed up with minimum wage retail jobs.

“To be chosen, we had to do a couple of interviews and a fit test to ensure we can lift 50 pounds,” said Sutcliffe. “And now that I’m here, there’s a lot to learn but I’m loving it.”

When she finishes the first eight weeks in the classroom with instructor Floyd Marshall, Sutcliffe will have an eight-week paid work placement with Griffin Autotek in Point Edward.

“I’m confident I’m going to find a job,” she said.  “And I like the fact that we get support from the program after we graduate.”

Women Building Futures grads receive coaching and assistance finding a job.

Sarnia’s automotive training program was possible through a grant of more than $200,000 from the Ontario Ministry of Labour.

Tuesday, Charmaine Williams, Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity, stopped by the classroom on Confederation Street to offer her congratulations.

“It is so important for me to see women have financial stability,” Williams said. “It’s important to women as well across Ontario.”

She said she previously worked in children’s mental health and saw many women with children struggling to get out of difficult, sometimes abusive, situations.

“We need to see women working and earning incomes to ensure they are not shaken from their path,” said Williams. “And that happens when women are educated, when they are trained and have a social network of support.

“Don’t ever feel you are alone out there,” said the minister. “There are people who want to see you succeed.

“So reach out, stay connected, and keep on kicking butt.”