Ontario Construction News staff writer
PCL Construction has signed on as lead sponsor of That Could Be Me, a new educational initiative designed to raise awareness of careers in the skilled trades and encourage more young Canadians to enter the industry.
The partnership brings together PCL Construction, Stature Films and Spitfire Recruiting Inc. to produce a documentary-style educational video series that will be shown in schools, highlighting career opportunities in the skilled trades.
The initiative comes as Canada’s construction sector continues to grapple with labour shortages driven by retirements and growing demand for skilled workers.
PCL said its sponsorship reflects the company’s commitment to workforce development and promoting skilled trades education as part of efforts to help build the next generation of workers.
“This is a very big priority for PCL, getting more young people into these incredible, rewarding careers,” said Chris Gower, PCL’s president and CEO. “The skilled labour shortage affects all of us and we need to act immediately to fix it.”
Andrew Sorlie, co-founder of Stature Films and co-creator of the project, said the partnership demonstrates industry leadership by investing in practical solutions.
“PCL is demonstrating real leadership by putting resources behind a solution, not just talking about the problem,” Sorlie said. “That Could Be Me is about changing perception, opening doors, and showing more Canadians that a future in the trades is a future worth choosing.”
Victor Pereira, owner of Spitfire Recruiting Inc., said the project will feature authentic stories from job sites and tradespeople to help students better understand career pathways in the industry.
“Real job sites. Real tradespeople. Real career paths that keep our country running. We’re telling real human stories, and introducing real pathways to students,” Pereira said.
He added that increasing representation is also an important goal of the project.
“I have three kids of my own, two are girls. They need to see themselves on screen if they are going to take this idea seriously. This partnership helps advance a message the industry needs to hear: the skilled trades are essential, and if you want to be a part of building Canada, there is room for you here.”
That Could Be Me is an in-school, film-based educational initiative intended to reshape perceptions of skilled trades careers among students, educators and families through documentary storytelling and collaboration with industry partners.
PCL Construction is a 100 per cent employee-owned construction company with operations across Canada, the United States, the Caribbean and Australia. The company has supported youth engagement and skilled trades initiatives through a range of workforce development programs.
The project is led by Toronto-based Stature Films in collaboration with Spitfire Recruiting Inc. Stature Films, founded by Andrew and Emily Sorlie, specializes in documentary-style, interview-driven video productions for organizations.
Learn more about That Could Be Me online here.
