October 2023

Back in 2018 CKCA conducted an industry study based on input from members that there was a growing shortage of kitchen cabinet installers. While this career path can be quite lucrative, manufacturers are increasingly challenged to find installers. As this part of the kitchen cabinet manufacturing process is absolutely stage of deliver, the role of the installer is higher valued and sought after.

CKCA member, Möbel Cabinetry based in Hamilton, Ontario  decided it was time to do something about it. They approached the Wood Manufacturing Council to help fund a new training program. They wanted to create and encourage women to consider a career as a kitchen cabinet installer. And so began a great partnership that is currently underway.

If you speak with P. Chacko John at Möbel, he’ll tell you this isn’t just a training program, it’s a “woman empowerment project”. With Möbel’s 30 years in business they recognized that the number of woman in the industry was negligible with marginal growth. They wanted to create opportunities for women to become independent cabinet installation professionals.

With a whopping 80,000 construction workers set to retire in the next decade in Ontario, this being widely published,  there needs to be some serious steps to fill those gaps. Because at the same time this shortage is growing, the need for more housing grows too. Ontario alone is looking to build some 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. With over 500,000 currently in the construction industry in Ontario, just crunch these numbers and the massive bottleneck gets bigger. Companies are already feeling the pinch significantly with more than half (55%) of Canadian entrepreneurs are struggling to hire workers (according the the Business Development Bank of Canada, Fall 2021 study).

The labour shortage is a massive issue and it is a systemic issue. There is no cookie-cutter solution. However, programs such as the WIIT (Women in Installation Trade) program as well as CKCA’s Kitchen Cabinet Production Worker Training Program are programs that are working to address the problem. While they may be small compared to the problem, we all know that solutions have to start somewhere. “The more people we can get interested in our industry, the better and the more people who understand the opportunities that reside in our industry is even better still” says Sandra Wood, CKCA Executive Director.

Recently Möbel’ Cabinetry was featured on the local news. Be sure to check out the news video clip here »

On behalf of the CKCA we’d like to commend Möbel’ Cabinetry and the Wood Manufacturing Council (WMC) for supporting this program. We wish them continued success and we encourage women to take a second look at career paths that they might not typically consider was suitable. You could be pleasantly surprised!