See the Skill. Not Bias. Campaign

The launch was step one. Step two is where you come in.

If you weren’t in the room on June 18, here’s the work behind the campaign, and how you can help carry it forward.

On June 18, a full room gathered at TELUS World of Science Edmonton to launch See the Skill. Not Bias. But the campaign was never really about one evening. It is about a problem Alberta can measure, and an answer that is already at work.

The problem: Alberta’s construction sector is facing more than 42,000 retirements by 2033, and the industry needs skilled, certified workers ready to contribute from day one. The answer, in part, is already here. More than 6,000 Indigenous apprentices are registered in Alberta’s apprenticeship system right now. The skill exists. Too often, bias keeps it from being seen.

That gap is what Trade Winds to Success works on every day.

The work behind the campaign

For 20 years, Trade Winds to Success has trained, certified, and placed Indigenous tradespeople, and then stayed in their corner long after the hire.

Our program is longer and more hands-on than most pre-apprenticeship training. Graduates arrive work-ready, with industry and safety certifications, trade-specific tools, and full PPE already in hand, having proven their attendance and work ethic under real conditions.

The support does not end at graduation. Trade Winds stays involved through the apprenticeship as a bridge between the worker and the employer, helping both sides navigate what they might not have the context for alone.

The results are concrete. Curtis Kematch has built a career in commercial electrical, growing into a skilled electrician known for his precision and craft. Cheyenne Day Chief leads ironworking crews as a General Foreman after 19 years in the trade. Todd Pruden is advancing as a carpenter while pursuing his Master of Architecture at the University of Calgary this fall. Carmen Maurice is working toward journeyperson certification in two trades at once. And at Stanley Construction, our employer partner, Trade Winds graduates have become a valued and lasting part of the team.

You don’t have to take our word for it. Hear it from them>>

None of this happens alone. Our thanks to the alumni who shared their stories; to Stanley Construction’s Paul and Dave Gantar; and to our sponsors, the City of Edmonton, Octo Mechanical, Lorneville, and Strike Group.

Step two: where you come in

A launch does not change a workplace. What changes a workplace is what happens on it, every day, after the cameras are gone. That part needs all of us.

If you hire:

• Give an Indigenous tradesperson an opportunity. Trade Winds graduates arrive trained, certified, and ready to build a career, not just fill a shift.
• Become an employer partner. You do not hire alone. Trade Winds stays involved to help it work.
• Build a site where people are safe to do their best work, physically, psychologically, and culturally; with a zero tolerance policy. Confidence and good work, will grow there.
• Invest in apprentices for the long term, the way the trades were built to do. Develop the person, and the loyalty will follow.

Whoever you are:

• Share the campaign with the people who hire. A link in front of the right hiring manager is real influence.
• Talk about it with your colleagues, your crews and your networks.
• Support the work. Trade Winds is a registered non-profit, and donations fund the training, certifications, tools, and PPE that get apprentices onto job sites. It’s easy to donate online here>>

Every hire, every conversation, and every safer job site moves us closer to a trades workforce where skill is what gets noticed first.

See the stories, the data, and everything you need to take action here:

See the Skill. Not Bias.

The skill is here. The workers are ready. The only question is whether we are willing to see it.