On March 16, at the Atlantic Gala for Women in Transportation dinner in Moncton, NB, Kelly Henderson, Executive Director of Trucking Human Resources Sector Council Atlantic received the “Woman of the Year” award. PMC caught up with the very busy Kelly recently to get her reaction to the award and much, much more.
What is your background in the industry prior to signing on with THRSC Atlantic?
Kelly Henderson: I started my career at Commercial Safety College, a private truck school that handles training truck, heavy equipment and more. My main focus during those years was to recruit and manage the entrance program for the truck school side of the business. This meant connecting with employers, working with them on student placements, and working to ensure our graduates secured employment. Included in that role as project manager were duties beyond the truck school component, where needed.
“Woman of the Year” is a very impressive honour. What is your reaction to the award? Where do you have it displayed?
KH: I was completely shocked. I was Emcee for the evening and was reading my notes preparing for the next part of the evening following the awards. I started to catch pieces of the person who was receiving the award and realized the history part was unique to me. Then things started to fall into place and I was completely surprised. After I got past the shock, I was truly honored with the recognition. I get the privilege of having a career I love and working within an industry I respect – to be recognized for that is quite humbling.
The award is displayed on the windowsill in my office (LAUGHS!).
Do you think you received the honour for a particular achievement or your entire ‘body of work’?
KH: I think the award recognizes the body of work spanning my career. Various accomplishments were highlighted throughout the presentation and it was rewarding to be recognized for those contributions.
What are you and the THRSC-Atlantic working on these days?
KH: We have lots of exciting things happening this spring. We just completed our annual HR Conference focusing on Building Inclusive Workplaces. This was to highlight various best practices in recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.
We have multiple training programs taking place this spring focusing on enhancing the skills of the existing workforce as well as entry-level professional drivers.
We are in the process of completing the development of an immigration toolkit for industry, preparing for Truck Show in Moncton, NB (June 9-10), and more!
There has been talk in quarters of targeting certain segments of society for hire in the trucking industry. Can you tell readers if you are aware of any initiatives to attract the following segments?
KH: a) Women: We have just started a program to recruit 12 women where they will get training to become professional drivers. In conjunction with that, we have employers who are prepared to offer employment to successful graduates of the program. We are working with a local group, Women Unlimited, to ensure we do our best to remove barriers and see this group secure full-time employment.
b) First Nations: In the past, we have worked with, and continue to work with, First Nations and the Native Council of Nova Scotia to remove barriers to training and employment in the trucking industry in Atlantic Canada. We continue to learn and improve on hiring practices and over the next year will be one of our employer recruitment/retention toolkits we launch.
c) Immigrants: Atlantic Canada has introduced the Atlantic Immigration Pilot – this is providing some opportunities to employers recruiting professional drivers, for example. We are also in the process of completing an online toolkit to help support employers working with the immigrant population in Canada. This will be piloted in the next couple months with a full launch in late summer.
d) Retired Armed Forces: We recently connected with, and will be signing on as a partner with, Canada Company. This organization works with veterans and their spouses to integrate them into the workforce. It’s a great organization and one that is a priority for us moving forward.
e) Youth: I believe there is a lot being done on youth – for us we are focusing on an employer toolkit after our immigration draft is completed and sent for piloting. We have more opportunity for youth in terms of recruiting and retaining.
Is your organization receiving support from the industry for your HR initiatives? Are you getting support from the various levels of government?
KH: We are a project-based organization, so that means we apply for funding through various levels of government. We also have support through industry by way of them paying for training or participating at conferences. We are a non-membership based organization.
When you aren’t at work or in meetings, how do you like to spend your free time?
KH: Well, I have a 10-month-old puppy – Oliver – who consumes a lot of my time. He’s just adorable! Trying to get some travel in around a busy schedule is always fun and I like to spend time learning new things through professional development that can support me in my current role.
