In 2014, Kayla Gervais was a student in Red River College’s Construction Management program when she learned about a new initiative being launched by the Winnipeg Construction Association aimed at welcoming more women into the trades.
“It seemed to me to be a good opportunity to get to know other women in the field,” she recalls.
This year, as Manitoba Women in Construction (MWC) celebrates its 10th anniversary, Gervais, who was both a founding member and is the current MWC chair, can look back on all the accomplishments.
“Our membership (which includes men as well as women) has reached almost 1,000 and is still growing,” she happily reports. “Our programs have been very well attended and there is a much greater acceptance of women both in the office and on the jobsite than there was 10 years ago.”
Gervais herself is a project manager at Winnipeg-based Bockstael Construction. She reports that close to half the project managers at Bockstael are women and that the company has recently appointed its first female superintendent.
On its website, MWC describes its mission as “supporting, educating and mentoring women” in the construction industry in the province.
“We strive to provide a voice for women in the industry today and in the future,” the website goes on to state.
In furthering its goals, MWC organizes three professional development seminars and three networking events a year on average.
MWC will be celebrating its 10th anniversary on March 8, coinciding with International Women’s Day, Gervais notes.
She points out membership in MWC is free and both men and women are invited to participate in the professional development and networking programs.
Despite the progress that has been made, Gervais notes there is still a long way to go.
“Women still make up just three-to-four per cent of the workforce in the construction trade,” she says.
“While women in the trade are fairly well accepted in urban areas, that is not the case in the northern regions or southeastern part of the province, where there remains a strong resistance to change.
“We still have a lot of work to do.”
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