39 Issue 4 Winter Edition 2017 UPWORD BUILDING HER STORY SERIES Photos by Teri Hofford Photography mentoring a female colleague or employee – all simple actions generating colossal benefits. Benefits are Twofold From a management perspective, companies with a diverse workforce offer a competitive advantage, stimulate economic growth and advance innovation. “The forward-thinking companies are realizing this and embracing it,”says Urban, noting that Bockstael Construction Limited is a key player in the employment of women in the field. “It starts with being open to change and offering opportunity,” explains Bockstael President and CEO John Bockstael.“We see the value in diversity in the workplace and construction sites. In order to retain women in the industry,we shouldn’t treat them any differently than other employees.”He also emphasizes the importance of having firm guidelines in place, saying, “You do need to reduce the barriers for job site access through strong workplace employment policies and you will be amazed by the results.” With roughly a quarter of a million construction workers retiring this decade, BuildForce statistics indicate there is an urgency to recruit a future workforce. Dutfield is optimistic about the direction in which the industry is headed. “The professional associations and industry organizations have important roles in providing a supportive environment for advancing diversity,” he says, “and I expect to see an increased representation of women in these organizations over time, which will further accelerate this positive trend we are seeing.” Resources for Recruiting and Retaining Women in the Trades After joining forces withWomen Building Futures in October 2016 to further emphasize the urgency of retaining women in trades, BuildForce announced its newest endeavour earlier this year. With its three-year The Changing Face of Construction project, funded by the Status of Women Canada, BuildForce is creating an awareness program and developing a toolkit for employers to assess and train their workforce in diversity. Visit www.advancewomenintrades.com for tools and templates. Our people and solutions make an impact everywhere you look We pride ourselves in building better cities and better communities, from the buildings in which we live and work, to the roads and bridges that connect our cities and towns. We provide construction solutions that respond to the needs of our customers and the people living in the communities we help create. Our people and solutions make an impact everywhere you look We pride ourselves in building better cities and better communities, from the buildings in which we live and work, to the roads and bridges that connect our cities and towns. We provide construction solutions that respond to the needs of our customers and the people living in the communities we help create. Visit us at Lafarge.ca or call (204) 958-6333 Our people and solutions make an impact everywhere you look We pride ourselves in building better cities and better communities, from the buildings in which we live and work, to the roads and bridges that connect our cities and towns. We provide construction solutions that respond to the needs of our customers and the people living in the communities we help create. Visit us at Lafarge.ca or call (204) 958-6333 Building a Better Winnipeg Building a Better Winnipeg