OTTAWA — Helmets to Hardhats (H2H) recently recognized and celebrated the contributions of tradeswomen throughout Canada while aiming to empower the next generation of tradeswomen to enter the workforce.
In recognition of International Women’s Day, H2H reaffirmed its commitment and vital partnership to assist women in service in their search to find rewarding second careers in the skilled trades, states a release, adding 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. It’s undertaking the 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. The initiative has been ongoing since 2022 and has successfully registered 145 individuals from these marginalized communities. H2H is anticipating surpassing its goal of 150 diverse registrants by the end of March.
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 the military-affiliated community is an underutilized demographic crucial to filling these labour shortages, the release indicates. Employers will attest to the skills that the military community brings to the workforce, including leadership, time management and work ethic.
H2H fills career vacancies with trained, skilled and reliable employees and they also aid in the successful transition, financial stability and increased visibility of underrepresented groups within the skilled trades.
“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 and women and LGBTQ2S+ outreach specialist for H2H, in a statement. “At Helmets to Hardhats, 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.”
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