Gender Equity Best Practices Recruitment An organization’s success in creating gender diversity in the workplace begins with sourcing and selecting interested and qualified female applicants. Recruitment must be designed to attract a diverse group of job applicants. There are many reasons it can be difficult to attract women to trade jobs, and while several of the challenges are societal, systemic and outside the scope of this report, there are practical steps that organizations can take to increase the likelihood of being successful. These include: Promotional Campaigns Using targeted promotional campaigns can be a very effective means of promoting an organization’s commitment to gender equity within the trades. It is important to cast a wide net to ensure that job opportunities reach beyond the usual referrals from current male trade workers. Using social media effectively will help reach a targeted audience and avoid the trap of hiring more employees who look just like current employees. Participate in local trade career fairs but also consider hosting open houses for local area students and their parents. As depicted in Figure 1 below, Manitoba Hydro used this method to source applicants who may be interested in becoming power electricians. Figure 1: Manitoba Hydro Promotional Campaign Material
10 | CEA’s Advancing Women in Skilled Trades - Best Practice Guidance Document
