George Brown College (GBC) and Hilti Canada have recently announced a $40,000 partnership for the Women Transitioning to Trades and Employment (WTTE) program. Through this collaboration, students enrolled in the WTTE program will gain access to mentors, development plans, tools, and other resources related to the construction industry. 

Jason Aurora, the director of human resources of Hilti Canada, says the partnership will allow women to enter a growing market. 

“We understand that the labour market is extremely tight on a good day, but adding skilled and trained women in the mix will support the Canadian economy, and provide more skilled-trained individuals in the market,” said Aurora. 

With only 4 per cent of employees working in Canada’s construction and trades industry being women, Hilti Canada and GBC are looking for new ways to bridge the gender gaps and decrease stigma. While Hilti reinforces its efforts on a diverse team, GBC focuses on accessibility and exposure to the programs. 

“There is underrepresentation of women in the trades and taking part in programs like these and getting access to these GBC programs,” said Kizzy Bedeau, GBC’s director of community partnerships. “Once more women start to see other women in the trades, this underrepresentation will hopefully rectify.” 

The idea for this partnership started last summer. After negotiations with Hilti’s talent acquisition team and post-secondary institutions, GBC was identified through the WTTE program. 

“Since September last year, we learned about the work [the faculty and students] do in the program, and we were immediately interested, especially being an organization in the construction industry,” said Aurora. “It was very appealing not because of the industry, but because of the WTTE program; it aligned well with our diversity, equity and inclusivity mission.” 

In order to build the comfort and confidence levels of students entering the construction industry, Hilti Canada also donated around $100,000 worth of tools, including drills, drivers, and saws. Along with these tools, Bedeau says that students will be able to gain insight through on-site visits. 

“Hilti is very interested in talking about the emerging job opportunities at Hilti Canada and share resources, such as sending over their experts and guest speakers, about what is the sector,” said Bedeau. “They are opened to on-site visits where students can go on site and learn about the hands-on perspective.” 

Although construction and trade programs do emphasize mainly on the hands-on aspect, Bedeau and Aurora both say that students will also explore the corporate part of the industry as well and finish the program with a versatile skill set. 

“Hilti is allowing us to amplify the program because by partnering with Hilti, we are really allowing that exposure that encompasses all the trades industry,” said Bedeau. “Construction isn’t just about the forklift, as there is the business side of it, the project management side of it, the Human Resources and the planning. Women can decide what their career path can be.” 

Even though the pandemic has proven to be a barrier to trades programs, Bedeau say that more opportunities relating to trades will arise soon for students who are interested. 

“This is an opportunity for the college to innovate through our partners and in our partners,” said Bedeau. “When partners come together, there is more we could do and see how the partnership can evolve. We can figure out the next steps.”