OTTAWA, May 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the Government of Canada works to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan refugees by the end of 2023, Helmets to Hardhats (H2H) is collaborating with Aman Lara and local building trades unions across Canada to provide recently resettled Afghan nationals with opportunities in the skilled trades.
For many Canadian newcomers, finding and securing well-paying, meaningful employment is a critical yet difficult step in their resettlement journey. That is why Helmets to Hardhats, a national non-profit organization typically dedicated to supporting transitioning military members, Veterans, Cadets, Reservists and military family members into opportunities in the skilled trades, has expanded their program eligibility to include resettled Afghan nationals. Helmets to Hardhats believes that because of their sacrifices and support of the Canadian military, it is our turn to assist them. Helmets to Hardhats is easing the transition into Canadian society with career and apprenticeship opportunities in the unionized construction industry.
Helmets to Hardhats provides direct and meaningful connections to ensure that Afghans interested in joining the skilled trades can break into the industry with little to no stress and no cost to the career seeker. The inclusion of Afghans into the Helmets to Hardhats program is aiding their successful transition into Canadian life by providing financial stability, earn-while-you-learn training opportunities, and access to health benefits and pension plans.
Helmets to Hardhats works directly with Canada’s 14 Building Trades Unions to find our clients careers in over 60 different trades and occupations. Aman Lara is also supporting Helmets to Hardhats in connecting Afghan refugees to well-paying careers in the skilled trades. Currently, Helmets to Hardhats is working closely with:
These organizations are filling critical labour shortages while providing sustainable employment and developing a diverse and inclusive skilled trades workforce. Over the last 18 months, many of the Local Unions of the Carpenters’ Regional Council have provided work opportunities for Afghan refugees and their family members since they arrived in Canada, including Local 27 and Local 675 in the GTA and Local 1946 in London, ON.
Helmets to Hardhats will continue collaborating with Canada’s Unions and like-minded organizations to assist additional Afghan nationals in finding and retaining stable careers in the skilled trades.
View the Original release here
Normand Trépanier at our Helmets to Hardhats booth at Halifax Scan Seminar 16-18 May 2023. The Scan Seminar was held at CFB Shearwater.
H2H’s Paul Bury and Normand Trépanier participated to the North America Building Trade Union (NABTU) convention 24 - 26 April 2023. They enjoyed listening to US President Joe Biden’s speech. President Biden used the platform to officially announce that he’ll run for a second term. Over 3000 delegates across North America participated in the convention.
Today, on the National Day of Mourning, we remember and pay tribute to the Canadian workers who have been injured or killed on their job site. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to all those who have lost a loved one and are living with the heartache of these preventable tragedies.
A single injury or death on a Canadian construction site is one too many. To help prevent tragedies in the workforce Helmets to Hardhats only works with the unionized construction industry. Canadian Veterans and the military community have already put their lives on the line protecting our rights and freedoms. It is now our responsibility to protect them by ensuring they are being referred to Canada’s safest employers and job sites.
Helmets to Hardhats emphasizes the importance of safety to our clients which is why we offered free Safety Training Courses for Ontario based military members, funded through the Province of Ontario's Skills Development Fund. Helmets to Hardhats was able to run 12 different courses throughout Ontario, training a total of 87 military community members, including 8 Afghan interpreters. All participants were supplied with boots, helmets and vests to ensure they were prepared to start their careers safely.
According to a 2021 study conducted by the Ontario Construction Secretariat, unionized construction companies were associated with a 31% lower chance of injury compared non-unionized companies. Research shows that those working in the unionized construction industry are also less likely to file injury claims. The unionized construction workforce experiences a greater sense of overall health and wellness and averages 29% lower lost-time claims compared to their counterparts.
Researchers and stakeholders conclude that the unionized construction industry suffers less workplace injury because unions offer, "better occupational health and safety (OHS) training leading to safer working conditions and more knowledgeable workers. With training and union backing, unionized workers are more empowered to report on unsafe conditions, refuse unsafe work and ensure enforcement when needed.”
On this Day of Mourning, Helmets to Hardhats encourages Canadian employers, employees, unions, and industry stakeholders to continue to raise awareness about preventable work-related mishaps and promote union advantages. Helmets to Hardhats will continue to keep our clients safe and promote Canada’s unionized construction industry as a healthy and safe workplace with the safety, reliability, team work and the overall value added by a Veteran.
UPDATING A STUDY OF THE UNION EFFECT ON SAFETY IN THE ICI CONSTRUCTION SECTOR Amick III BC, Hogg-Johnson S, Latour-Villamil D, Saunders R. Protecting construction worker health and safety in Ontario, Canada: identifying a union safety effect. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2015; 57(12):1337- 1342.
For Immediate Release: March 8, 2023- Ottawa
In recognition of International Women’s Day, Helmets to Hardhats (H2H) and the Office to Advance Women Apprentices (OAWA) are reaffirming their commitment to support women in service to find rewarding second careers in the skilled trades. Today, on International Women’s Day, we celebrates the achievements, contributions and sacrifices that women and girls have made around the globe to help shape the world we live in today, while reflecting on the work that stills needs to be done to advance gender equality.
Canada is up against a tight timeline to recruit, hire, train and retain skilled trades workers as the government predicts that 700,000 skilled trades workers are expected to retire by 2028. To counteract the ageing demographic of the workforce, the construction industry needs to recruit 309,000 new workers over the next decade. H2H and OAWA believe that Veterans are one under-utilized demographic that will be part of the solution to fill these critical labour shortages. The above groups’ combined efforts aim to develop a diverse and inclusive skilled trades workforce, including outreach directed toward female Veterans. It is an effort to keep building Canada, into a brighter and more inclusive future.
Statistics Canada states only five percent of skilled trades workers in Canada are women. The organizations H2H and OAWA are committed to spreading awareness among female Veterans about the rewards of a career in the skilled trades, such as - benefits and pension plans, financial stability, personal and professional growth opportunities and job stability.
Veterans Affairs Canada also supports these outreach initiatives with funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund. To date, the targeted outreach efforts have welcomed 59 new individuals into the Helmets to Hardhats program. As of International Women’s Day 2023, H2H has reached 41% of their recruitment goal of women and gender-diverse individuals into the skilled trades. By March 2024, H2H aims to accomplish their goal of referring 150 participants to the skilled trades, therefore aiding in the successful transition, financial stability and increased visibility of underrepresented groups within the skilled trades.
Many new Helmets to Hardhats clients have connected to us through our partnership with OAWA. Including Diana Scott, a military Veteran who served as a Naval Signalman in the Royal Canadian Navy. She is now looking for work as an Industrial Mechanic – Millwright in Newfoundland and Labrador. Diana is 1 out of 22 women who have recently registered with Helmets to Hardhats to start a new career in the skilled trades. H2H and OAWA are hopeful that this partnership will lead to additional female Veterans joining the skilled trades.
H2H and the OAWA believe that all Canadians have a role to play in breaking down barriers and biases to ensure that all women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals have the chance to find success in the skilled trades. The work of H2H, OAWA and Canada’s 14 Building Trade Unions will pave the way for future generations of diverse skilled tradespeople.
View the Original release here
Gary Young the Organizer of the HVAC/Insulators local 137 here in St. John’s, NL. HVAC are now housed in the NL Building Trade in St. John’s. Cora Saunders Helmets to Hardhats Outreach Specialist Veteran Women and LGBTQ2+ and Darin King is the Executive Director of Building Trades NL. Want to become a mechanical Insulator? Read more here: Local 137 JATC
H2H representatives Paul Bury and Norman Trépanier spoke before the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs ( ACVA) about Veterans Employment after Service. Read more here: National Strategy for Veterans Employment After Service
Photos of the safety trg this week in Thorold, Ontario. We had our first Cadet participate, seen here wearing the new H2H safety jacket.
Helmets to Hardhats at the Canadian Rangers Conference at Rigaud, Québec 12 Jan 2023 was well appreciated by attendees. H2H are thankful to the organizers and the work they do to protect Canada North.
Join us for
Concrete Wins Alberta #TalentTuesdays: Helmets to Hardhats
presented by Paul Bury on January 24, 2023.
#TalentTuesdays
is a winter webinar series on all things
#Recruiting
&
#Retention
~ open to all cement, concrete, aggregate, masonry association members across Canada!
Major-General Paul Bury (retired) OMM CD, joined the Helmets to Hardhats (H2H) team after he transitioned to civilian life after 33 years of dedicated service in the Canadian Armed Forces. H2H is a non-profit organization
providing opportunities in the unionized construction industry for serving, transitioning and former military members.
Register:
https://lnkd.in/gvnFbCkB
Registered members taking the free course by H2H @H2HCanada in Richmond Hill this week, giving them all the right courses to start their second career in Ontario’s construction industry!
Helmets to hardhats is offering five courses AT NO COST at IHSA facilities across Ontario for the military community.
To enroll:
Today, Helmets to Hardhats (H2H) was awarded a 2022 Veterans Ombud Commendation. This award recognizes H2H for our significant contributions to the lives of Veterans across Canada. Although it is an honour to receive this award, H2H is committed to continuing our important initiative of supporting Veterans, Reservists, Cadets, military family members and Afghan interpreters in finding a meaningful second career in the unionized construction industry.
At H2H, we believe that because of the dedicated service of our Veterans, it is now our responsibility to provide our services to Veterans as they transition into civilian life. This is the mission that drives us, as we think about Veterans every day, all year long.
We would like to thank Construction Labour Relations An Alberta Association for the nomination and their continued support of H2H. We look forward to expanding on our initiatives and making a positive difference in the lives of Veterans.
News Release: https://www.ombudsman-veterans.gc.ca/en/media/news-releases/2022-veterans-ombud-commendations-announced
Ontario Labour Minister Monte McNaughton met with @H2HCanada Alex Lolua & Joe Maloney to launch their new poster campaign informing homeless Veterans of opportunities H2H can offer. The skilledtrades are open to all military community.
The unionized construction industry, employers, contractors, and the skilled trades are facing unprecedented challenges in finding and retaining the workers they need during this period of economic recovery and growth across Ontario. Helmets to Hardhats (H2H), the Millwright Regional Council of Ontario (MRCO) and the Association of Millwrighting Contractors of Ontario (AMCO) are partnering together to take action to address these shortages while supporting Veterans, Reservists, and Cadets.
Executive Director of H2H, Joe Maloney, along with Mark Beardsworth, MRCO Executive Secretary-Treasurer and Patricia Penney-Rouzes, Executive Director from AMCO are announcing a joint initiative to offer a tailored scholarship, the “Millwright Scholarship: Investing in our Future” to provide Veterans the opportunity to return to school to earn a certificate from a recognized Millwright program. This will allow the successful Veterans to gain knowledge and experience to enter the workforce and offer employers sustainable and hardworking employees.
With more than 8,000 Veterans and Reservists transitioning out of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) every year at the average age of 32, these individuals have long working careers ahead of them. Joining the unionized construction industry is an appealing option for many Veterans because of the competitive wages, benefits pension plans and training. Together, H2H, MRCO and AMCO are making it more accessible, efficient and streamlined for Veterans to learn the trade and fill Millwright opportunities across Ontario.
The Millwright scholarship will:
This partnership emphasizes the importance of employing Veterans with meaningful second careers in the unionized construction industry. As a partnership, we strongly believe that it is now our responsibility to provide second career opportunities to Veterans after the service they have given us.
Please submit your application for the Millwright Scholarship: Investing in our Future, here: https://www.jotform.com/223074864190053
“Veterans, Reservists, military family members and Afghan interpreters provide immense value on the unionized construction opportunities they join. They bring solid work ethic, consider safety a priority and will get the job done. Ontario needs to look at every option to harness the skills and workforce needed to fuel the provinces growth. By supporting transitioning Veterans into the unionized construction industry H2H, MRCO and AMCO are leading the way for Veterans to gain valuable experience in the Millwright trade to offer long term prosperity to the Veteran and the economy”
“We’re pleased to partner and strengthen our relationship with H2H and AMCO with our new collaborative millwright scholarship program that provides opportunities for military veterans throughout Ontario wanting to embark on a new career as a UBC Millwright. We’re delighted with the opportunity to work with our industry partners and lead the way in recruiting the next generation of millwright professionals”.
“We believe this to be a very beneficial partnership venture, bringing a variety of transferrable skill sets into the Millwright trade, while in turn, supporting our Veterans for the long haul.”
Aidan Strickland, Director of Communications for Helmets to Hardhats
astrickland@helmetstohardhats.ca
The Millwright Regional Council of Ontario media@millwrightont.com
Official News Release available hereToday, Joe Maloney, Founder and Executive Director of Helmets to Hardhats Canada (H2H), and Bill Walker, President & CEO of the Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries (OCNI), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This MoU will promote and support hiring Canadian Veterans, transitioning military members, Reservists, Cadets, military family members, and Afghan interpreters into the Canadian nuclear industry and the nuclear supply chain. Under the MoU, both organizations recognize
Helmets to Hardhats is grateful to the many contributions it has received in the 10 years we have served the military community. The real recipients of these donations are the men and women who have found meaningful careers after their military service. Read their stories to see how your donations impact not only the Veteran, but their families as well.
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