HR CORNER
UNLOCK SUCCESS: W LET’S GO BUILD YOUR TEAM WITH CAREER FAIRS
RLA launched the “Let’s Go Build” campaign in May of this year. This initiative has a singular purpose: to get more people working in the LBM Industry. The Labour Study that we conducted in partnership with the Government of Alberta in 2022/23 confirms the trends that we saw emerging. Businesses are growing, and employees are retiring. That has led to a situation where, in Alberta alone, there needs to be 1,783 new hires each year for the next five years just to fill the open jobs! Let’s Go Build’s first phase was all about awareness—showing the LBM Industry to the Canadian public at large and to those groups currently under-represented in our talent pool specifically including women, indigenous peoples, newcomers, and others.
“Teaming up with the WRLA to attend the Edmonton Career fair was a great opportunity to get our Kenroc brand more exposure in the Edmonton market. Attending the career fair as a united front was a perfect way to show the many faces of the construction industry and educate job seekers that there are many ways to get involved, both in and out of the hard hat.” —Natalie Longland, HR Generalist, Sexton Family of Companies
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On November 15, WRLA attended the Edmonton Career Fair. President Liz Kovach, along with our own intern, John Carlo Mendoza, brought “Let’s Go Build” to the hundreds of job seekers at the event. We were joined at the event by WRLA Members: Durabuilt Windows & Doors, Taiga Building Products, and Kenroc Building Materials Co. Ltd. It was a great time, and a huge success, with all in attendance leaving with HUNDREDS OF RESUMÉS from promising prospects. This event was proof of concept for us that let us know that, as effective as our digital outreach has been, there’s so much more potential to bring people to our industry by going out there and connecting with them! Next up for WRLA, we’ll be hosting our own Career Fair at the 30th Anniversary Building & Hardware Showcase. It will take place in the registration area, starting at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, January 19. Local trade schools, colleges, newcomers, and employment agencies have been invited to attend, and we’re looking forward to a dynamic event within an event. Then, in 2024, we’ll be looking to build on these events and bring the Career Fair experience across the country to connect WRLA members and job seekers where they live. YARDSTICK MAGAZINE
Winter 2023
PHOTO: JOHN CARLO MENDOZA
John Carlo Mendoza, WRLA Intern
After just over seven months, multiple videos, podcasts, and hundreds of social media posts, the data tells us that word is getting out! But we still need people to start applying to jobs. So what’s next? Career fairs!