ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF WOMEN BUILDING FUTURES Canadian Design and Construction Report special feature Established in 1998, Alberta based Women Building Fu- tures (WBF) is a leading force in initiatives to recruit, train and retain women in construction trades and occupations. WBF CEO JudyLynn Archer, says the skilled trades short- age is real, it is coming and it will present a significant chal- lenge for the Canadian economy. She says the challenge though is not just getting people into these positions, but doing so in a way that educates individuals about what is in- volved and then preparing and supporting them to stay. Over the past decade, she says WBF has seen a huge turn- around in women’s participation in construction, in part be- cause of awareness of the looming shortage, and in part be- cause organizations have decided to invest more in develop- ing Canada’s local workforce, specifically, women. Companies such as Mammoet, Suncor, TransCanada as well as labour or- ganizations such as CLAC and the Building Trades of Alberta have recognized the value in hiring WBF graduates and have partnered with WBF to position their organizations as ‘WBF Employers of Choice.’ Despite this progress, she says the trades are not spoken of enough in the context of women, and still it is a conversa- tion not had early enough with girls. That early introduction, as well as supporting women’s decisions along the way, is crucial. J US ANO TH ER JUST T ANOTHER C A S CASE E OF W NI DOW ENVY. WINDOW ENV Y. .Y Visit allweatherwindows.com to find allweatherwindows. com out why we stand out from the crowd, from the crowd, and don’t ’t be surprised if your job site don job site attracts more attention. OFFICIAL P PARTNER AR TNER 000816.26.01.15 15 000816.26. 01. The Canadian Design and Construction Report — March 2016 – 43