One of the top issues negatively impacting construction contractors right now and into the foreseeable future is a shortage of skilled labour.

WHAT IF YOU COULD DOUBLE THE SIZE OF THE TALENT POOL?

Plan to attend Women in Construction 2023 on March 8, and learn successful strategies from our expert moderators and panelists for both recruiting women and retaining them in your construction business, and how to tackle and overcome issues of harassment in the workplace.

Welcome, housekeeping
11:25 am – 11:30 am

Keynote Address
11:30 am – 12:10 pm

Session #1 – Attracting Women to your Construction Business
12:10 pm – 1:10 pm

You’ve decided to make an effort to increase female participation in your workforce… but where do you start?

MODERATOR
Melissa Young, CEO and Registrar, Skilled Trades Ontario

PANELISTS
Jessica Bannister, Level 3 HVAC/R Apprentice, Cam Cool Refrigeration
Elizabeth (Beth) Buckmaster, Director, Client and Stakeholder Relations, Power, Hatch
Natasha Ferguson, Founder and Principal, Ethelfox Construct Group

Our moderator and panelists will share practical advice that you can use to develop plans and strategies for attracting women to the construction sector in general, and to your business specifically.

Break. Stretch your legs.
1:10 pm – 2:10 pm

Session #2 – Tackling Harassment in the Workplace
2:10 pm – 3:10 pm

Harassment is still an unfortunate reality on our jobsites, serving as a barrier to successful attraction, and especially retention.

MODERATOR
MJ MacDonald, CEO, Construction Safety Nova Scotia

PANELISTS
Anita Gara, Project Manager, Electricity Human Resources Canada
Erin Pollard, Electrician & Project Manager, Black & McDonald
Luiza Vikhnovich, Employment Lawyer, Sherrard Kuzz LLP

Attend this session to learn how to proactively develop and foster a harassment-free workplace.

Session #3 – Retaining Women in your Construction Business
3:10 pm – 4:10 pm

You’ve managed to attract women to your construction company, but that’s just one piece of a much bigger puzzle. What are you doing to ensure you retain them?

MODERATOR
Rebecca Kragnes, Director, Indigenous Relations and Community Engagement, Bird Construction

PANELISTS
Monique Buckberger, Vice-President and District Manager, PCL Toronto
Kelly Kienleitner, Chief Instructor, EJTC (Electrical Joint Training Committee)
Stephanie Hun, Director, Business Development, Flatiron Constructors Canada Ltd.

Our moderator and panelists will share practical advice that you can use to develop plans and strategies for retaining women in your workplace.

Women in Construction is a presentation of Annex Business Media’s Construction Group, a cumulative audience of approx. 190,000 construction professionals.