Initiative aims to bring more women into chemical, oil and gas sector

MONTREAL — Quebec’s CoeffiScience workforce committee is launching a best practices guide to support the recruiting and integration of women in the chemical, petrochemical, refining and gas sector where they currently represent 30% of positions.

The sectoral workforce committee said the guide taps tools complied by other manufacturing industries.

“The guide … will give the 600 companies in the chemical sector across Quebec tools for better overcoming obstacles to improving the representation of women in the workforce,” explained Guillaume Legendre, general manager of CoeffiScience.

Suggested practices include:

• fostering greater presence of diversity and women in the recruiting process;
• review or implementation of policies framing work-family balance and harassment; and
• adapting physical work environments to the needs of female employees (work equipment adapted for women: clothing, workstations, machinery).

CoeffiScience identified misconceptions about hiring women, including a lack of knowledge about trades and the reality of work. The committee has been working to correct those perceptions through online portraits of women working in the industry.