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JUNE 2017
WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION All Hands On Deck For Women In Construction Industry With The Building Boom in BC, More Women Are Joining the Family Business to Help Out With Administration and Project Management BETH HENDRY-YIM
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ot all women wear sk i r ts a nd h ig h heels to w o rk . S o m e w e a r steel toe boots, a carpenter’s belt and a hard hat. With BC’s construction industry booming, it’s a good thing and an outfit they can proudly wear to the bank. “There is still a shortage of workers in this industry, with plenty of opportu n ities a nd benefits,” sa id Frank Rossi, Dea n, School of T rades a nd Technologies, College of New Caledonia. “The income potential is high and the education relatively low-cost with great entrepreneurial potential.” The college, located in Prince George, is seeing a consistent nu mb er of women enter i n g its trades programming over t he pa st f ive ye a rs, a rou nd the 10 per cent of the program enrolment. Rossi emphasized that with many resource-related projects coming down the pipe in the next five years, jobs will need to be filled. Women with the right skill set can tap into that wide-open job market. “The timing is right and there are places within the industry for women to excel,” said Sherri Paiement, executive officer, Canadian Home Builders Association (CH BA) Centra l Okanagan. “I’m seeing more women on the stage winning Tom m ie awa rds, not just i n supportive roles but as business owners.” In BC, by the end of 2016 more than 3,900 women were registered in 75 different trades, a 180 per cent increase over 2005 - 2016. Last year, the BC government invested $400,000 to create a unique made-in-BC mentorsh ip prog ra m to help women succeed in their path to becoming a tradesperson. This year it’s providing Sprott Shaw with $166,238 to give up to 28 unemployed women training in construction trades.
Janna Geisbrecht placed second in the 2017 Regional Skills Competition held in Prince George CREDIT:MATT PARTYKA
But according to Casey Edge, executive d i rector, Victoria R e si d e nt i a l B u i ld e rs A s s ociation, jobs in construction aren’t limited to the trades. “Constr uction is a d iverse industry with a variety of opportunities for women outside of the trades,” he said. “We’re seei ng a sh i f t i n t he i ndu stry itself to more sustainable construction and new energy codes and that brings unique job offerings. Today’s job site is not so much concerned with stereotypes or restrictions in terms of participation in work. Its more about finding workers with the necessary skill set. If someone embraces the industry and is passionate about getting the job done, it doesn’t matter what gender they are.” For Kelsey Botting, executive officer, CHBA Vancouver Island, whether a woman is in the trades, in administration or in the management side of SEE WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION | PAGE 8
Tijana Nelson, a first-year carpentry and joinery student at Okanagan College, received a Silver Medal at the recent Skills Canada Competition CREDIT:TIJANA NELSON