Musket Transport works hard to empower women to train and seek employment in the trucking and transport industry. While historically, women have been somewhat excluded when it comes to the transport industry, it largely comes down to an archaic sense of stereotyping and a lack of general knowledge. Something Musket is working hard to solve by normalizing the presence of women in their fleet and industry.
“For many, it is hard to imagine women in trucking or in [technical roles] in general,” stated Sophia S. Begidzhanov, Corporate Communications Officer for Musket. “Although there has definitely been progress over the last few years, it is still a powerful message to see both genders at work in this industry across all departments.”
One way in which Musket truly stands behind their values of gender equality in the transport industry is through their annual Musket Funded Female AZ Scholarship.
The scholarship was specifically created for females. As an underserved community in transportation and logistics, Musket’s mission is to recruit more women behind the wheel. This scholarship complements existing efforts to remove gender stereotypes and to recruit a balanced workforce.
The recipient of the scholarship will receive full funding to complete the AZ Training Program at our sister training school: Commercial Heavy Equipment Training (CHET). As part of the program, all students are introduced to the Truckers Against Trafficking training video and certification. This is particularly pertinent in January as it’s Human Trafficking Awareness month, but the knowledge and application within the industry is important throughout the year. While human trafficking impacts everyone, it’s relatively complimentary to our female-driven causes as human trafficking disproportionately affects women and it’s important to Musket as a company to ensure all our drivers are trained in these areas and made aware of this impactful and concerning issue.
Upon successful graduation from the AZ training program, the scholarship recipient will join a dedicated workforce of drivers who are already defying industry stereotypes. Learn more about Women of the Trucking World in our recent article (click here to learn more).
Photographs of Musket’s first scholarship winner, Diana R, on-site during her first tour at CHET.
The first recipient of the scholarship, Diana R, shares her story: “As a student at CHET and Musket Transport, I feel confident in taking on the career as a truck driver. From the first day of meeting the team who teach in the classroom and in-truck training, the instructors are supportive in making sure you succeed and understand the knowledge gained from the classroom to the truck. I noticed pride and professionalism in this company and their goal is for keeping a good reputation in the industry.
As a woman that had a desire to work as a truck driver for years, Musket made that a reality as they encourage women to the team. I would recommend this company to anyone that has thought about working in the trucking business especially women, to start here and learn the right way the first time.”
But this isn’t CHET’s first time accepting a scholarship candidate. Dana A is a great success story who has been very active in promoting her training at CHET and has built a very successful career. She was a scholarship winner at the Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada – WTFC. Learn more about Dana –
Dana has experienced great success in her career as a professional driver at Contrans. She is already helping in the yard by doing some instruction for her employer and is held in very high regard. Dana has recently been featured on the company’s tanker wrap which she shared with our CHET management.
As a proud CHET Graduate, she often sends updates about her journey. “I’m so proud to be up there representing women in trucking, the trucking industry and all essential workers! It is truly an honour.” – Dana A. Click here to read her first letter to CHET regarding her training and truck driving experience.
Photographs of WTFC scholarship winner and CHET Graduate, Dana A. Photos provided by Dana A.
Applications for the scholarship will be accepted until Monday, February 28th, 2022 with the winner to be announced on International Women’s Day, Tuesday, March 8th, 2022.
Further application information can be found at https://chet.ca/scholarship/
In the news, Today’s Trucking: Musket offers female A/Z training scholarship