BILD Edmonton Metro’s first luncheon of the year set the stage for an engaging discussion on the labour challenges facing the construction and development industry. Featuring a panel of industry leaders, the event provided informative suggestions moving forward, and critical insights into the pressing workforce issues that many are dealing with today.
Moderated by Mike Kohl, Senior Vice President of Brookfield Residential, the panel brought together Henri Rodier, CEO of Coventry Homes, Scott Fash, CEO of BILD Alberta, and Rohit Gupta, President and CEO of Rohit Group of Companies. Together, they tackled key challenges, discussed long-term solutions, and led a collaborative conversation with a room full of industry professionals.
Kohl set the tone for the discussion by asking what steps we can take to future-proof our industry. He highlighted the importance of forecasting and adapting to challenges such as labour shortages, talent attraction, job creation, and housing affordability. “Now more than ever, we need to work collaboratively amongst diverse skillsets to build cities,” he said.
“We must ensure that our industry has the skills and capacity to meet the needs of our communities, address long-term housing demand, and maintain our affordability advantage,” Kohl emphasized. “BILD is the key organization that can help us achieve these goals.”
Rodier suggested that one of the most effective ways for the industry to move forward is by investing in young people. Whether it’s by helping them understand the benefits of a career in the real estate sector, showing how it can impact their lives, or promoting it as a viable career path, fostering the next generation of professionals is essential.
Starting Early
By engaging students early, Rodier says, it allows them the opportunity to explore the world of trades and get hands-on experience. With 250,000 students in Alberta, he believes there are boundless opportunities to address the growing shortage of skilled tradespeople.
One program that is already making a difference in feeding the labour force is Building Futures, supported by Coventry Homes. Since its inception in 2012, Coventry Homes has helped over 175 students, from junior to high school, through this initiative, which integrates construction and trades into the curriculum.
“Their classroom is our construction sites,” Rodier said. “They receive practical education and training, and there’s a real sense of pride and accomplishment when they see a home being built — knowing they played a part in it.”
Rodier emphasized the value of providing high school students with the chance to work on-site and test the waters before making career decisions. This experience, he believes, benefits both the students and the community.
“Being in the trades can open doors to many opportunities, including the possibility of starting their own companies,” Rodier said. “So, we just need to reframe this conversation and approach it from a forward-thinking perspective.”
Constructing Careers
In recent years, BILD Alberta has been actively advocating at a macro level, influencing government policies on workforce development, with a strong focus on labour and skill-building within the construction sector. In 2022, they launched a scholarship initiative that raised over $7 million in Calgary and Edmonton. These funds have directly supported 254 scholarships at NAIT and 305 scholarships at SAIT, helping over 400 students advance their careers in construction.
“Since the launch of our fundraising campaign, NAIT and SAIT have seen a consistent year-over-year increase in enrolment for programs in cabinet making, carpentry, electrical work, plumbing, and roofing,” Fash said.
He further emphasized, “Early career experiences, such as apprenticeships, are essential to cultivating a sustainable workforce, ensuring that skilled labour remains available as the industry evolves and grows.”
This May, Fash highlighted that BILD Alberta will launch a social media campaign, funded by the Government of Alberta, aimed at inspiring individuals aged 18-25 to pursue skilled trades and spotlighting the diverse job opportunities the industry offers. “If we’re not creating a direct pipeline for people to actually get a job, then we haven’t solved the problem,” he said. “We haven’t been able to fix that yet in the residential construction space.” At the end of the day, “it all comes down to reframing what post-secondary education can look like when it comes to experiential learning.”
Labour as Economic Engines
For Gupta, addressing labour shortages demands a fundamental rethink of how cities are designed and developed.
“Cities are labour markets and economic engines,” said Gupta. “If we invest in our cities, we can cultivate a hub of talent and drive economic growth in the Capital Region.”
He emphasized that as cities evolve, we must proactively future-proof our workforce to meet the demands of the coming decades — and this may include embracing new construction technologies, material innovations, and the growing influence of artificial intelligence. With a massive revolution around these new technology changes, it’s important to stand out. “If you want to attract the next round of talent, you better be relevant,” she said.
Gupta broadened the discussion beyond the trades, calling for a more holistic, interdisciplinary approach to city-building. He stressed the importance of forward-thinking planning, integrating both technical expertise and hands-on skills, and remaining adaptable to an ever-changing industry landscape.
“With ongoing collaboration and strategic investments, the industry is presented with a unique opportunity – one that can set the stage for sustainable growth and innovation, inspire interest in education and training, and strengthen the region.”
Where to Next?
As Edmonton’s population continues to rise, we must consider the challenges that come along with meeting these demands. How do we ensure that we are not only filling the labour gap today, but also building a resilient future for decades to come? Promoting pathways, creating partnerships, fostering collaboration, and problem solving.
There is a variety of job opportunities in the real estate sector, but shifting our focus from current opportunities to thinking ahead and inspiring youth will be the game changer in bridging the gap moving forward. This industry can continue to create jobs and internships for young people to get their start, and post-secondary educational institutions can seek to change their curriculums, in favour of promoting these learning opportunities
And the presentation’s closing remarks further solidified this: “Our industry has a diverse spectrum of city builders – developers, builders, trades, suppliers, consultants, contractors, city planners, and inspectors,” Kohl said. “Together, we can work towards ensuring that we have a strong, diverse talent pool to meet the needs of our cities and labour shortages, and to thrive in this ever-changing and increasingly complex environment.”
Written by Payton Phillips