Building Builders

Building Builders

Author: Tom Gogela

Building Builders reaches 650+ mentorship matches six months ahead of schedule

by Tom Gogela

BCCA’s Program matches aspiring construction professionals with experienced Mentors, building the construction workforce British Columbia needs

OCTOBER 13, 2026 (VICTORIA, B.C.) – The British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) is celebrating having connected over 650 new workers and apprentices with experienced construction professionals through the Building Builders Mentorship Program, kickstarting hundreds of careers and filling gaps in B.C.’s construction workforce.

“We’re proud to announce that the Program reached this milestone six months ahead of the target date, set at the end of March 2027,” says Chris Atchison, President and CEO of the BCCA. “This speaks to the demand for and success of the program – we know that experienced professionals are enthusiastic to pass on their knowledge to the next generation of construction workers, and we know that B.C. needs skilled workers. Our job is to connect the two.”

Funded by the Government of Canada’s Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy, Building Builders is the only construction mentorship program serving all of B.C.’s construction industry. Built by construction for construction, for the past four years Building Builders has been making connections between experience and ambition, helping to build the future of B.C. Construction.

It’s about attracting, supporting, and retaining construction workers through the entirety of their careers, by connecting them with experienced, well-suited mentors and mentorship resources. It supports individuals from groups underrepresented in the industry, drives economic development, and creates inclusive, collaborative, and productive work environments.

The program has transformative impacts for new construction workers and the industry workforce. Mentors work across 30+ trades, with nearly half holding red seal certifications, while almost half of mentees are pursuing apprenticeship. “This ensures a range of expertise and deep experience to train the next generation of tradespeople that the province needs,” says Atchison.

Building Builders is a BCCA initiative to create mentorship opportunities and is one of many BCCA workforce solutions for the construction industry. We are proud to shape the next generation of construction leaders, in partnership with those leading the industry today.

To learn more and get involved with the Building Builders program, visit: https://buildingbuilders.ca/about/

Key Program Stats:

  • Mentor/Mentee matches to date: 650
  • Number of Mentees who participated in volunteer work experience, job shadow, or site visit: 314
  • Number of Mentees who have registered for SiteReadyBC training: 423
  • Number of Mentees who gained employment or got promoted while participating in Building Builders: 198
  • Number of cities and towns across B.C. with Building Builders Mentors and Mentees: 57
  • Number of Mentees and Mentors who received BCCA Builders Code information packages: 1,110

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About the British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA): BCCA is a non-partisan and non-profit organization, working with four Regional Construction Associations to serve more than 10,000 employers in the province’s industrial, commercial, institutional, and residential multi-unit construction industry regardless of labour affiliation. BCCA advocates on behalf of employers, so B.C.’s construction sector remains productive and resilient.

For more information about Building Builders, visit: https://buildingbuilders.ca/about/
For more information about BCCA, visit: https://bccassn.com

MEDIA CONTACT:

Greg Descantes
gdescantes@pacegroup.com
604.417.1379

Building Builders Mentorship Program Opens Across BC

by Tom Gogela

View PDF version here

September 20, 2022 – Victoria, BC Beginning today, the Building Builders program will start connecting under and un-employed workers with experienced mentors across all disciplines in BC’s construction industry. 

The program is created and managed by the BC Construction Association (BCCA), an industry-leading non-profit organization that specializes in sector workforce development and has successfully placed thousands of job seekers into construction careers across the industry.

Building Builders is the only province-wide mentorship program serving BC’s construction industry, filling an important gap in an academic-leaning culture that often does not adequately encourage the skilled trades as a career path. 

Expert, personal guidance can be difficult to access for job seekers without connections inside the industry, and it can take years for talent to get on an accelerated path.  The average age of an apprentice in BC is 27, and BCCA hopes that Building Builders will help first year apprentices get started earlier and stay in the system by providing personalized, ongoing career guidance.

“If you don’t have the right contacts, it can be hard to navigate a career in the construction industry” says Chris Atchison, BCCA President. “Guidance counsellors, parents, and teachers aren’t always fully informed about the opportunities or encouraging of a non-academic path. BCCA is thrilled to connect industry leaders with young talent, get their questions answered, get them personal advice from experts who really know the way, and help them fulfill their career goals.”

Anyone seriously interested in exploring a construction career should apply for one of the 300 mentee positions.  Building Builders will carefully match each mentee with a successful leader in construction who aligns with their goals and life experience. All mentors are carefully screened to ensure they have been working in the industry for at least 10 years, and program staff will stay connected and help facilitate a productive experience for everyone.

Early adopters to the program include Ellis Don, Penfolds Roofing, and Corrcoat Services Inc.

Building Builders is funded to run for three years, and support 300 mentees through a 12-month mentorship period.  Mentees will receive Site Ready safety training, and mentees and mentor companies will receive culture training through the Builders Code.

Mentors and mentees should go to www.buildingbuilders.ca to apply. Stay up to date and follow Building Builders on Facebook (@BCCAmentorship), Instagram (@BCCAMentorship), Twitter (@BCCAmentorship), and LinkedIn (@Building Builders).

Funding for Building Builders has been provided by the Ministry of Employment and Social Development Canada. 

About the British Columbia Construction Association

The British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) works with four Regional Construction Associations (NRCA, SICA, VICA and VRCA) to serve more than 10,000 employers in the provinces industrial, commercial, institutional (ICI) construction industry. BCCA advocates on behalf of all employers to ensure British Columbia’s construction sector remains productive and resilient.

For more information about BCCA, please visit: www.bccassn.com

CONTACT:

BC Construction Association
Greg Descantes
604-646-3564
gdescantes@pacegroup.com

BCCA News Release – BC Construction Association Launches Building Builders Mentorship Program

by Tom Gogela

View PDF version here

June 22, 2022 – Victoria, BC – Encouraging Canadians to explore career opportunities and develop connections with employers in the skilled trades is a key priority for Canada’s Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness (STAR) Program. Receiving training and connecting with experienced tradespeople and industry leaders for guidance can be a valuable a benefit to workers who are considering a career in the construction industry. To help deliver these important services, the Ministry of Employment and Social Development Canada will provide $3.6 M to the British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA).

To reduce skilled workforce shortages, the Building Builders program will connect under and unemployed workers, labourers, and unregistered apprentices working in BC’s construction industry with established credentialed tradespeople, executives, and industry leaders who have been working in construction in BC for a minimum of ten years. These mentorships will provide career guidance for workers and a talent acquisition opportunity for employers who are seeking new workers during the ongoing labour shortage.

The program objectives are to:

  • attract non-traditional workers to the industry
  • retain existing workers who are not yet on a solid career path and potentially not supported in apprenticeship by their current employer
  • lower the average age of apprenticeship initiation (currently 27)
  • improve apprenticeship registration and completion rates
  • Place mentees in employment with mentor companies

“Mentorship is a tradition in the construction industry, where apprentices learn their craft under the experienced guidance of an accredited journeyperson,” says Chris Atchison, President of the BCCA. “Building Builders amplifies the role of mentorship well beyond the apprentice/journey relationship, giving job seekers and those workers who are under-employed in their current construction job a way to connect to employers and mentors who might otherwise be out of reach.”

There is currently no established mentorship program for BC’s construction industry. Mentees will receive one-to-one coaching, job leads, and work experience. Program staff will provide connection, support, opportunities, and guidance for both the mentor and the mentee throughout the program.

In BC there are 27,630 anticipated job openings in construction by 2027 due to expansion and retirement; many of those jobs need to be filled from outside the industry by new entrants without established connections, and through much better retention of current workers. Building Builders seeks to establish a greater sense of community that will result in more institutionalized support for newcomers to the industry.

The Building Builders program will open to applications from mentors and mentees in August 2022. The program is funded to run for approximately two years and will seek to support 300 mentees through a 12-month mentorship period. Mentees will receive Site Ready safety training, and mentees and mentor companies will receive culture training through the Builders Code.

For further information on the STAR program visit https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2020/02/skilled-trades-awareness-and-readiness-program.html

About the British Columbia Construction Association

The British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) works with four Regional Construction Associations (NRCA, SICA, VICA, and VRCA) to serve more than 10,000 employers in the province’s industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) construction industry. BCCA advocates on behalf of all employers to ensure British Columbia’s construction sector remains productive and resilient.

For more information about BCCA, please visit: http://bccassn.com/

To subscribe for Building Builders program updates, please visit https://buildingbuilders.ca

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CONTACT:

BC Construction Association
Greg Descantes
604-417-1379
gdescantes@pacegroup.com