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Gender Equality Week and the Trades

September 22-29th marks Gender Equality Week, as recently announced by Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women Tanya Fir. At CLRA, we believe it is essential to reflect on the representation of women in the skilled trades, especially within the construction industry. While Alberta has made significant strides toward gender equality, the underrepresentation of women in these vital fields underscore the challenges we face in the ongoing labour shortage. Alberta is on the brink of a transformative period, with more than $22 billion in proposed or confirmed projects slated for the coming years. These initiatives, alongside the remarkable recent increase in population, present tremendous opportunities for our province in terms of economic growth and diversification. However, we cannot fully seize these opportunities without a robust skilled trades workforce. We must continue to foster a culture that encourages women to pursue careers in the skilled trades. This requires not just policy changes but a collective commitment to challenge biases and support initiatives that promote inclusivity. One way that CLRA is doing this is through our new website where we have compiled several education, apprenticeship and training resources for women looking to enter the trades. We also reshare other organizations’ –

We are the most essential and influential labour relations voice for Alberta’s construction employers.

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Learn about diversity in the trades:
WorkAlbertaTrades.org/Todays-New-Workforce

CLRA Teaming Up with the Edmonton Elks

Here’s why you should consider the trades:
WorkAlbertaTrades.org/Education-Tools-for-Trades

News

Announcement

Supporting Alberta’s Skilled Trades: The Journey to Becoming a Journeyperson

As a key player in the construction and labour sectors, CLRA was excited to see the Business Council of Alberta (BCA) launch their “The Journey to Becoming a Journeyperson” taskforce-led project earlier this week. This initiative comes at a critical time, as Alberta faces a rising demand for skilled tradespeople amid its rapidly expanding population and growing list of upcoming major projects. Report author Dylan Kelso shared that BCA’s ultimate goal with this project is to suggest policy recommendations on how to increase the number of skilled tradespeople in our province. This project is a commendable effort to support aspiring tradespeople in navigating the certification process. With its detailed step-by-step breakdown of credentials and training programs for various starting points, it aims to demystify the journey toward becoming a journeyperson, making it more accessible for all Albertans looking to join or switch into the trades. Projects like this are vital for the long-term health of the construction industry – and by compiling education and training resources on our newly launched website, CLRA is helping to accomplish the same goal. By equipping individuals with the knowledge and resources they need, we can collectively address labour shortages and strengthen Alberta’s workforce. We

Announcement

Building Futures in the Trades: New School Collegiate Programs

As students return to school this fall, Alberta is investing significantly in career education to align better with opportunities arising from our booming economy. With a focus on fueling interest and growth in various sectors, including the skilled trades, the provincial government is establishing clearer pathways for youth to pursue and secure fulfilling careers in the construction industry. Seven new collegiate programs will be introduced across Alberta during the 2024-25 school year. These programs are geared towards piquing student interest in trades careers (amongst others) and to provide them with the pathways and opportunities to fulfill them. Developed in partnership with post-secondary institutions, these initiatives feature blended learning, combining in-person studies with online learning experiences. CLRA supports innovative education avenues, including the seven upcoming collegiate programs that encourage high school students to pursue the skilled trades. We are currently promoting our new ‘Build Your Future’ digital campaign, focused on inspiring individuals of all backgrounds and abilities to consider joining skilled profession training programs and apprenticeships. We believe that these initiatives will help equip young people with the necessary skills to thrive in Alberta’s dynamic construction job market – and further contribute to the province’s economic advantage. Read the government’s full

Announcement

CLRA Granted Position on the Alberta Board of Skilled Trades

CLRA is pleased to announce that our President, Joe McFadyen, was recently granted a position on the Alberta Board of Skilled Trades by Minister of Advanced Education Rajan Sawhney. We are honoured and excited to have the opportunity to contribute to this board’s vital work over the next three years. We have played a crucial role in guiding Alberta’s unionized construction employers through labour negotiations for over 50 years, uniting contractors, owners, and skilled tradespeople to strengthen local and provincial economies. Whether by ensuring our presence on boards like ABST, or promoting education resources to prospective tradespeople through our new campaign, we are dedicated to advancing the skilled trades in this province. Learn more about the Alberta Board of Skilled Trades here. Check out the other members of ABST here.

Excerpt: Board Chair's New Year Message to Members

“Over the next several months, much of our association’s focus for that work will be advocacy with the provincial government and with other industry stakeholders. Politics in Alberta have changed dramatically and permanently over the last decade. As a result, we have work to do to raise awareness about CLRA with decision-makers and influencers in government.

“We have important messages to deliver on your behalf about the value of the collective agreements we’ve signed with the skilled trade unions, about the value CLRA offers to government efforts to attract investment and workers to Alberta, about the need for more predictable and stable investments in the construction industry, trades education and workforce retention, about the impact of potential changes to labour legislation, workplace safety regulations and building codes, and about the need to attract and recruit more people to our industry from underrepresented groups including women, LGBTQ2S+ and Indigenous people.

“As Chair, my only ask of our members this year is to support these efforts.”