It is an unfortunate reality that women are predominately underrepresented in careers throughout the skilled trades. However, with the demand at an all-time high for skilled tradespeople, Helmets to Hardhats (H2H) is committed to increasing awareness, reducing barriers and ensuring military-affiliated women and members of the LGBTQ2S+ community can find meaningful careers in the unionized construction industry. H2H is undertaking this work with the support of the Office to Advance Women Apprentices.
Through the Veterans and Family Well-Being Fund, administered by Veterans Affairs Canada, H2H recruits and retrains marginalized groups, including women and members of the LGBTQ2S+ community, as apprentices within Canada’s 14 Building Trades Unions. This initiative has been ongoing since 2022 and has successfully registered 145 individuals from these marginalized communities.
As Canada is up against a tight timeline to counteract the aging demographic of the workforce, the construction industry needs to recruit 309,000 new workers over the next decade. H2H knows that
the military-affiliated community is an underutilized demographic crucial to filling these labour shortages. Employers will attest to the skills that the military community brings to the workforce, including leadership, time management and work ethic.
While H2H fills career vacancies with trained, skilled and reliable employees, they also aid in the successful transition, financial stability and increased visibility of underrepresented groups within the skilled trades.
H2H strongly believes that the construction industry has a significant role to play in breaking down barriers and biases to ensure that all women, girls and gender-diverse individuals have the chance to find success in the skilled trades. Our work today will pave the way for future generations of skilled tradespeople.
“During my time in the military, I was unaware of the vast opportunities in the civilian world that would have been available to me after my service,” said Cora Saunders, veteran, women and LGBTQ2S+ outreach specialist at H2H. “At H2H, I can promote and connect other veterans to incredible and versatile careers in the skilled trades. Providing the military community with the knowledge they need to start a second successful career ensures all veterans feel supported and empowered to enter their next chapter.”