CKCA, Laurysen Kitchens and others collaborate!

May 1, 2023

Giuseppe Castrucci former VP, Sales and Marketing may have retired from Laurysen Kitchens but he’s not sitting still. Instead Castrucci has initiated a collaboration between CKCA, Wood Manufacturing Council (WMC), National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA Ottawa Chapter), Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association ) GOHBA and Algonquin College to spearhead a one day conference in November in Ottawa to shine a light on the many career opportunities available in the residential building sector in Ottawa.

With the City of Ottawa committed to building 151,000 new homes in the next 10 years (that’s about 15,00 a year) the demand for skilled workers is only going to increase and we are all seeing the exodus of workers from the building industry as they head into retirement.

In a recent article in the Ottawa Citizen (Housing Renos – March 25 P2)  it was mentioned that 400,000 skilled labourers will be retiring over the next ten years.  But it’s important to note these retirees have plans to live in their homes, a trend that the kitchen cabinet industry has been hearing more about for some time called “aging in place.”  CKCA ran a webinar on this trend 2 years ago, you can find the link to the recorded session here.

Add this to the newcomers to Canada and demand to build more housing for them and you have the highest demand for housing and renovation the industry has ever seen at a time where we have a diminishing workforce.

Jason Burggraaf, Executive Director of the Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association says “GOHBA is actively promoting skilled trades as a first-choice career while leveraging strategic partnerships like these to attract young people, immigrants, and those looking for a new career to consider a skilled trade in residential construction and professional renovation. Building approximately 10,000 new homes a year and renovating our 400,000 existing homes means that in Ottawa we need an average of 800 new workers every year for the next 10 years to keep up with labour demand.”

The residential and home renovation industry across Canada has found itself in a chicken or egg situation.

“Collaboration amongst stakeholders isn’t just a nice to do any more, its a must do as we all face the same issues” says Sandra Wood, Executive Director, CKCA. With CKCA participating in the collaboration the hopes is to create a one day event that profiles the building industry in Ottawa and the career paths available. We need to expose youth, parents, newcomers and those looking to change careers to the residential building sector and dispel the myths and celebrate the many positives this industry has to offer” says Wood.

The collaboration is a work in progress. CKCA has reached out to it’s local members inviting them to participate in the one day event. Castrucci is pleased with the progress made so far  “As industry it’s important we do what we can to bring new talent into our industry. We can no longer assume we will have workers. The business potential for the kitchen cabinet industry in Canada is enormous. We need to get stakeholder organizations working together if we’re going to move the dial on the skilled labour shortage.”

As Chair of the collaboration, Castrucci is encouraging the group to leverage their individual expertise because each organization has been doing work on this issue for some time. The hopes is that this initiative will serve to become a template used in other parts of Canada. If you are interested in getting an initiative like this started in your local area, reach out to Sandra Wood at CKCA info@ckca.ca.

 

 

American #CICM campaign attracting new people to skilled trades careers

Oct 31, 2022

Article prepared by: Chris George, CKCA Communications Consultant, CG&A Communications

Through the month of October, American construction companies conducted a public awareness campaign designed to attract new workers to consider career opportunities in the various skilled trades required in the construction industry.

The expressed goals of Careers in Construction Month (#CICM) are to inspire, recruit, and train the next generation of craft professionals and to shape positive perceptions of a career in construction.

This campaign helps construction companies effectively outreach and promote their job opportunities with attractive social media materials and useful information. And the #CICM appeal is compelling for young people and workers looking to enter the workforce or advance their careers.

The #CICM messages are a calling that is both inviting and promising: Build Your Career. The overarching theme encourages “anyone looking for a profession with life-long learning and limitless potential for growth and advancement to check out construction.”

In a day and age where most people have misconceptions about work in the trades, it is very important to highlight that a career in skilled trades offers a great opportunity. The #CICM campaign emphasizes this point by stating “Construction careers in today’s market are all about high-tech, high-stakes, huge earning potential and the opportunity to travel the world.” One of the catchy campaign taglines suggests the potential for upward mobility: “A career in construction can take you all the way to CEO.”

American companies were encouraged to reach out to local high schools and colleges to introduce themselves, tell their story and provide a glimpse of the career opportunities in construction. They were encouraged to dispel misconceptions by sharing information and data on skilled trades and explaining a student’s route to entry, including education and training contact information.

There are important take aways from this American campaign for the Canadian kitchen cabinet industry. For CKCA members, consider that we have an attractive story to tell students and all who are interested in cabinetry…. Our task is to paint the picture:

  • Given the current job vacancies and the great number of retirees in the next decade, there is a growing demand for skilled trades in jobs that provide good salaries and endless possibilities for career growth.
  • There are so many specialties within the kitchen cabinet industry, something for everyone whether you are creative, mathematically inclined, attentive to detail, wanting to work with your hands, or to acquire technological expertise.
  • When you complete a technical degree, apprenticeship or craft training certificate, you are highly marketable in the job market. And that skilled trade can take you anywhere in Canada or around the world.

Just as the #CICM campaign has, our kitchen cabinet companies must speak directly to the next generation of Canadian workers and inspire them to “Build Your Future.”

Benefits of working in the kitchen cabinet manufacturing sector

Walk through a kitchen cabinet manufacturing company in Canada these days and you will see a diverse range of jobs.

Everything from design to engineering to woodworking and management. There’s something for everyone.

So why consider working in our sector? There’s lots of great reasons to get in to our industry. Most people you talk to who have been in the industry a long time will tell you that they love it and it’s why they stayed. But we know there has to be other reasons to enter this industry so here’s some of the top reasons:

  • Regular working hours to balance with friends and family
  • Lots of employment opportunities
  • Essential industry, everyone has a kitchen! (our industry kept very busy through Covid-19)
  • Make a difference in people’s lives by designing and building beautiful spaces where people live and work
  • Wide range of jobs to choose from within the industry
  • High School or College level apprenticeships
  • NO large student debt
  • Career Advancement to work your way up in the business
  • More independent to be able to fix things and have the confidence to do it
  • Option to work with your hands and create – the skies the limit!
  • Lots of tech, software/robotics etc.
  • Great working environment, part of a team
  • Canadian industry, manufacturing a Canadian product and being proud to do so
  • Good for environment – Wood is a sustainable product
  • Men and women are in this industry – women make great woodworkers!
  • Own your own business – be your own boss!
Continual Work!
"I don't think there will ever be a time that we are no longer making things out of wood. I feel like there's always a place for woodworkers in the world. I can't think of a lot of disadvantages to it because it's a pretty useful trade and you can be creative, add your own flair."
Learning and Growth
"You learn something new every day. It's a satisfying and fun job because you're building something and you're done and you look at what you've done and you are proud and impressed with what you can do."
Skills for Work and Home Life
"It's super fun once you get used to it. It's something that you'll always have, you'll never forget it. It's handy if you ever need to build something in your home and it's just a good skill to have."
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