Forget the quotas. No more arbitrary demands. The purpose of Belonging and Excellence for All (BE4ALL) is to meet real-world demands for the best, most qualified workforce available for the industry. That requires recruiting outside the box and building public awareness for the rewarding career opportunities individuals can achieve in the sheet metal industry and related trades.
Access an array of learning journeys, podcasts and workplace tools at smacna.org/about/about-smacna/be-4-all, including a BE4ALL calendar with important holidays and observances for different cultures and faiths. The industry is ever-evolving — plug into what matters to your people to build a stronger workforce culture.
“The calendar includes QR codes you can scan to learn more about the holidays, and really inclusive dates,” says Lisa Davis, administrator, NEMI.
Exciting projects launch from the learning journeys, she adds. For example, BE4ALL introduced bathroom kits that included items such as feminine hygiene products that were mailed to Joint Apprenticeship Training Committees (JATC). This followed a guide, The Importance of Providing Access to Menstrual Products for your Employees.
“The kits went to training centers,” Davis says, adding that information on how and why to incorporate the material in contractors’ businesses is included.
Bimonthly Toolbox Talks focus on topics including increasing worker productivity, reducing bullying and harassment on job sites and promoting solidarity among members. Learning Journeys cover topics including mental health awareness, addiction and recovery, Pride month and other diversity topics.
BE4ALL emphasizes that belonging is different than diversity and inclusion. It goes deeper. Everyone can bring their full, authentic self to a table we set together with a mind of transforming the industry, so it stays relevant and competitive. Davis says, “It’s an incredible, multi-organizational initiative to get everyone on the same page about creating workplaces where everyone is welcome.”
