(KITCHENER, ONTARIO/CANADA) – International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 804 - a major Construction Local located in Kitchener, Ontario/Canada - had eight Women among its Membership.

Leadership decided that needed to be addressed.

The Local needed to give more people a chance at the life-changing impact of IBEW Membership and help meet the need for skilled Construction Workers.

Brian Jacobs, now Local 804’s Business Manager, was on Staff as an Organizer then.

He's pleased to report that the number of Women is growing - Local 804 now has 42 Women working as Members.

And Jacobs is convinced that the number will grow at an even faster pace in the future after 13 joined in the past year alone.

"Construction has been a male-dominated profession for the most part from the beginning," said Jacobs, who has been Business Manager since February 2020. "It's a little intimidating for Women to step into that world.  But the reality is you're excluding fifty-percent of the workforce. That's a whole bunch of untapped skill sets.  Mark and I decided we needed to address that."

Jacobs was referring to Mark Watson, Local 804's previous Business Manager, who now serves as Executive Assistant to the IBEW First District International’s Vice President.

Jacobs said Local 804's recruiting efforts largely have been targeted at high schools and Trade colleges throughout its jurisdiction.

He noted the Federal Government's Union Training and Innovation Program provides financial incentives for recruiting historically underserved groups into the Trades.

But a large part of Local 804's work is ensuring Women have the skills and support to succeed once they become Members.

That's why someone like Local 804 Training Instructor Jessica Gemmell is so important.

Gemmell has been around the IBEW for most of her life.

Her father, two uncles and deceased grandfather are either past or current Members.

She graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa and joined the workforce before deciding to become an Electrician and beginning her Apprenticeship in 2012.

"You don't make a lot of money (with a political science degree)," she said. "I was struggling to find something that suited my lifestyle.  I was looking for something that paid well and that had a pension with benefits."

Yet she's aware that many Women interested in a career in the Trades haven't been exposed to Trade Unions - not just as children, but as adults.

That's why she enthusiastically agreed when Jacobs and other Local 804 Leaders asked her to assist in such efforts.

To Continue Reading This IBEW Apprenticeship And Training Labor News Story, Go To: Ontario Local Made Recruiting Female Apprentices a Priority. It Paid Off. (ibew.org)