Michael Lewis
Special to Ontario Construction News
The former Canadian Armed Forces infanteer and now assistant director, Canadian Elevator Industry Educational Program (CEIEP) for the International Union of Elevator Constructors, and member of IUEC Local 50 Toronto, found his purpose in the construction sector after military service. And he got a boost from Helmets to Hardhats Canada.
“Helmets to Hardhats definitely changed my life,” Houston said in a video on the (H2H) Canada website, among a list of testimonials from vets aided by the non-profit registered charity.
Founded in 2012, Ottawa-based H2H Canada gives second career opportunities within building trade unions to the military community, helping transition veterans into civilian construction jobs while at the same time alleviating labour shortages in the industry.
Thousands of former Canadian military members have been referred into the trades through the program with a retention rate of 90 per cent, said H2H Canada founder Joe Maloney.
The organization partners with employers and trade unions to help veterans, reservists, senior cadets, military spouses and dependents and Afghan interpreters in finding careers in some 61 unionized construction occupations. Many start on the job after receiving high quality training at no cost through the program.
“They gave me an opportunity that I wouldn’t have been able to get myself,” Houston said.
Born in Quebec, and raised and educated in Toronto, Houston served with the Royal Canadian Regiment 3rd Battalion light infantry, stationed out of the Petawawa base in the Ottawa Valley for most of his time in the military from 2009 to 2012. He served with the parachute company and finished his time in uniform with the reconnaissance platoon.
Houston registered for the H2H program near the end of his military term and soon found work as an elevator mechanic at a high-rise development in Toronto. He became a union member and then a fully licensed elevator mechanic after attending classroom sessions at the union hall.
He spent the bulk of his field career as an elevator mechanic before becoming a CEIEP instructor and winning election as a member of the union executive.
Earlier this year he responded to a posting for the assistant director’s position and landed the Pickering-based job after a two-month interview and hiring process. The work involves developing curriculum, training trainers, and administering an educational program that runs from coast to coast.
“My understanding between the trustees and the director is that he was the one that knocked it out of the park in terms of everybody who showed up for that interview,” said Jim Miller, IUEC Local 50 business manager.
“He showed up in suit and tie, dialed in, prepared and with questions to ask. He wasn’t just saying ‘hey, please give me the job.’”
Miller added that the union has an active list of vets available for work in construction, modernization and maintenance of elevator devices, from dumb waiter lifts to heavy duty freight elevators.
He said the union has welcomed many veterans through the H2H program and has an agreement with employers to fast track them into jobs.
“We’ve had several employers say when they’re hiring, they want all of them,” suggesting that employers are impressed with the vets’ ability to “flip a switch and get focused on the task at hand.
“They are respectful, they’re mindful of folks around them and they understand that they are representing themselves, their family and the organization they work for.”
Houston a married father of a 10-year-old daughter, whose wife is a schoolteacher in Oshawa, said during his transition to the trades from military service he was always treated well, helping him find stability and a new course after military life.
“Everyone I’ve worked with, all my colleagues, mentors, have been very supportive of the fact that I was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces.”
After his outreach to Helmets to Hardhats, the process moved rapidly. “Within two to three hours the union was calling saying we will put you in a 24-hour safety course.”
Houston said he has been surprised by the degree to which military skills have been transferable to building trades, from tying knots to radio communications. He also said he is grateful to H2H and the union, calling his success a humbling experience.
Now a frequent flyer, delivering materials and developing curriculum at locals and training centres across Canada, Houston is no longer teaching in the classroom.
“It’s been quite a life change, from working in elevators in downtown Toronto to travelling across the country,” the 37-year-old Bowmanville resident told Ontario Construction News.
“There’s no process or path for this and it’s not what I expected, not what I planned.
“This was nowhere on my radar. I assumed I would be a part-time teacher and full-time elevator mechanic for the rest of my life.”
