Construction Industry Training Network
Training for a future in construction
The CITN is pleased to offer a series of workshops on various Microsoft programs. This software is used in most offices, by thousands of people every day, and we want to help you take your efficiency to the next level.
Currently we offer four different courses: Microsoft Project, Microsoft Outlook – Strategic Management, Microsoft Excel for Business, and Microsoft Excel Advanced. Today, we’ll look at Microsoft Project.
Women make up roughly 50 percent of the world’s population, and yet only approximately 10 percent of apprentices in the trades are women. That needs to change.
We were able to attend a recent presentation by the Industry Training Authority called “Women On The Tools: Hiring and training women in the trade industry.” The event brought together a panel of industry professionals to discuss how the industry can benefit from women in the trades, and tips for employers looking to hire women on their job sites.
Some of those tips included connecting women with others in the industry. One of the issues that many women face in the trades is being the only female on the job, and that can be nerve-wracking. Women who are already established in their career in the trades can act as mentors for both men and women who are starting out, offering assistance and different perspectives.
One panelist recounted the story of being the first woman in the company, and how the male employees were told to clean up their work space and remove any photos or items that could be deemed demeaning or sexist. While the boss’ heart was in the right place, the panelists agreed that it was the worst thing he could have done, as the woman was blamed for making everyone else change their behaviour despite the request not coming from her.
[Read more…]
Young workers, especially those new on the job, are statistically more likely to get hurt. WorkSafe BC recently published a piece in their WorkSafe magazine noting that when a company adds a mentoring program for young workers, accidents and injuries drop. The piece cited Ledcor Group’s successful mentorship program.
Here’s a snippet: The program pairs novice young workers with experienced hands on the jobsite. Both workers stay together at all times. “This person is their buddy. If they are embarrassed to ask a supervisor a question, they’re more comfortable asking their buddy,” Brissette says. “When you’re new on the job, no one wants to look stupid. But this is someone who will guide you, someone who really knows the job well.”
Last year, almost 10,000 employers sponsored apprentices. This is up from about 9,500 in 2014. However, there are many misconceptions about hiring an apprentice; among them is that training someone will slow you down or cost you too much time and money. This can cause problems down the road as people retire. “Skilled tradespeople only come from three sources: you either grown your own through apprentices, or you poach them from others, or you import them,” says Industry Training Authority CEO Gary Herman.
According to the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, for every dollar invested in an apprentice employers get a return of $1.47, which doesn’t count annual tax credits or grants for the employer and apprentice.
The Journal of Commerce asked members of its Editorial Advisory Board how they thought the industry could improve in 2016. Jack Davidson, president of the BC Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association and one of our founding members, had this to say:
“The construction industry needs to do a better job of finding, recruiting and training our next generation of skilled workers. The industry needs to: promote careers not just jobs; ensure training standards meet industry needs; help workers and employers make connections; help find the appropriate training that a worker requires to advance, track and update their credentials; and do a better job of advising government and other stakeholders on key workforce and labour issues.”
The CITN does all of these things, and we appreciate the support that Jack and our association partners have given us.