Career Support Services

Meet Our Career Support Specialists

McKenna Goodwin

McKenna Goodwin is a Red Seal General Carpenter with 6 years of experience working in the construction industry. She has worked in residential and commercial construction, in both union and non-union environments. McKenna started her apprenticeship at 16 years old through the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) doing a full-time one-semester co-op placement in both grade 11 and grade 12. She went on to work in union environments after she graduated high school from age 17 until 21. At age 21 she received her Red Seal Endorsement and went on to be hired as Career Coach with Build A Dream at age 22. She has previous experience as a mentor for pre-apprentices in the Sisters in the Brotherhood Women’s Employment Readiness program (SIBWER). McKenna is also the Vice-Chair and a Technical Committee member for the development of the CSA Z301 Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility in Apprenticeship Programs standard.

Delaney Krieger

Delaney is a Red Seal Interior Systems Mechanic with 5 years of experience working in the construction industry. She joined the Carpenters Union after graduating high school in June of 2019. Since the early days of her career, Delaney has been vocal in her efforts to promote equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility within the skilled trades industry. After a few years of networking and speaking on topics surrounding being a young woman in the apprenticeship pathway to various audiences, she had the unique opportunity to then participate as a Delegate in the 2021 Daughters of Vote Conference. Participating in this four day event provided Delaney with access to a network of strong gender-diverse leaders across the country as well as valuable insight on EDIA best practices with an intersectional lens. In the summer of 2022 Delaney was able attend a variety of events across North America, networking with tradeswomen, industry leaders, and government officials on an international level. This led to incredible opportunities like taking a job contract up in Iqaluit Nunavut, becoming a mentor for pre-apprentices in the UBC Sisters in the Brotherhood Women’s Readiness Program, and sitting as a Technical Committee Member for the development of the CSA Z301 Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility in Apprenticeship Programs standard. In June of 2024, Delaney received Red Seal Endorsement and took the next step in her career journey by joining the Build a Dream Team as a Career Coach to further develop programs for equity deserving tradespeople.

In Delaney’s spare time she can either be found in the front row at various concerts and music festivals in a crowd of thousands, screaming her heart out or completely by herself in the middle of the mountains enjoying the silence. Delaney has a terrible fear of heights, and she not only chose a trades job where working at heights was required, she also makes it a point to do some form of adrenaline inducing jump off any building she can while travelling. She is a lover of chaos, spontaneous adventure, and the movie Talladega Nights. Delaney is also a proud mother to her two sons, the brothers she rescued as kittens and then so lovingly named Spaghetti and Meatball.

Career Support Services  

Working in the skilled trades as a women or gender diverse person presents its own series of unique challenges. Build A Dream is pleased to offer valuable free services for anyone working in or looking to work in a Red Seal trade.  

Our free Career Support Services offer one on one virtual communication with our qualified Career Support Specialists to assist with a variety of matters including.  

  • Upgrading your skills
  • Locating and accessing resources and supports
  • Addressing feelings of isolation
  • Help with finding pre-apprenticeship training and apprenticeship placement opportunities
  • Job hunting, resume writing and interview preparation
  • On the job conflicts such as discrimination, bullying and harassment
  • Career advancement  
  • Financial empowerment  
  • Finding a sense community

Career Support Funds

In many cases, women face significant financial barriers when entering the red seal trades. We have established the Career Support Fund, which will grant funds to women and gender diverse persons who are experiencing financial stress due to work expenses. These funds will be granted on a case-by-case basis in an amount up to $375.00 for expenses such as; 

  • Required work related equipment such as steel toed boots, tools, safety clothing, safety glasses etc.  
  • Childcare costs such as paying for a babysitter for a sick child or for unexpected overtime and shift work
  • Trade exam and certification fees  
  • Books and materials required for skills or coursework upgrading  
  • Unexpected work-related travel

If you are in need of funding for any of the above expenses or have questions about what can be covered under the fund, please contact one of our Career Support Specialists by booking a consultation or sending an email to mckenna@webuildadream.com.