Sunday, November 1, 2020

Diverse Teams Are Better Teams

The answers to the skilled labour shortage in the construction industry are all around us. We just have to welcome diverse groups to our construction sites

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As you walk around most construction sites, you may notice the trend that the workforce is not very diverse. Take women as an example. The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum reports that the proportion of total female apprenticeship registrations is just 4.5 percent. Women, and other diverse groups, are underrepresented in the construction industry.

There are barriers that these underrepresented groups face that we all need to work on removing. One of the biggest barriers is that they are often not given the chance to succeed. These people have skills and ideas but they are not given the opportunity to join the construction community.

If someone doesn’t get hired, it is impossible for that person to showcase their skills. If someone is not welcomed into the workplace community, they won’t be able to thrive and become a star coworker.

The answers to the skilled labour shortage in the construction industry are all around us. We just have to welcome diverse groups to our construction sites.

Not only will this help solve the labour shortage, but it will make our workplaces better. Diverse teams have diverse knowledge and skills, making them better teams.

CLAC is doing its part to support these underrepresented groups through several initiatives and partnerships. One such initiative that CLAC is supporting is the new Supporting Women in Trades (SWIT) program led by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum.

You can check out their website (switcanada.caf-fca.org) for more information on this initiative. Keep your eye out for more initiatives from CLAC that support women and other underrepresented groups working in construction.

Diverse Teams Are Better Teams

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