History of the Program
In January 2021, the ECAO launched its Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee to address systemic barriers and combat racism within the electrical contracting industry. Tasked with advising and equipping members with resources to foster inclusive policies and practices, the committee quickly became a catalyst for change, advocating for gender-neutral language in the Principal Agreement and partnering with the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) to promote equitable workplaces.
In 2022, ECAO secured $2.167 million from Ontario’s Skills Development Fund to launch a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training program through Leadership Surge, led by Alex Willis. In collaboration with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), this training involved over 150 participants in 12 sessions, focusing on trust, bias, tolerance, judgment, and empathy to foster inclusive environments on job sites.
In 2025, the training evolved into a self-directed, five-module course titled “Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity & Belonging – “Empower U” Leadership Surge,” forming a key component of the ECAO Learning Centre’s course library. Whether you’re a project manager, supervisor, or contractor, this course offers a transformative, self-directed learning experience for Ontario’s electrical contracting and construction leaders, equipping participants with practical skills to foster inclusive workplaces. Spanning approximately 90 minutes across five engaging video modules, it covers trust and respect, unconscious bias, tolerance, overcoming judgement, and compassion and empathy. Participants will also have access to a Toolbox Talks Kit, a practical resource for facilitating live workshops with employees to reinforce DEI principles. The modules are:
Module 1: Trust and Respect (25 min ~)
This module lays the foundation for inclusive leadership by exploring how trust and respect drive team performance on job sites. Participants will learn to define diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging using relatable metaphors, understand the leadership shadow (how actions influence crews), and recognize personality types (Blue, Green, Gold, Orange) to improve communication. Through real-world scenarios, such as resolving crew conflicts, learners will discover strategies to address industry challenges like racism and harassment, ensuring all team members feel valued and respected.
Module 2: Understanding and Addressing Unconscious Bias (18 min ~)
Unconscious bias can undermine fair treatment on job sites. This module equips participants to recognize and mitigate biases shaped by upbringing, media, and experiences. Learners will explore how unconscious bias shapes perceptions of race, gender, or job qualifications, using examples like misjudging a worker’s capabilities based on appearance. The module introduces the Human Genome Project’s finding that humans are 99.9% alike, debunking racial myths, and offers strategies like pausing and questioning assumptions to foster equitable crew interactions.
Module 3: Understanding Tolerance (8 min ~)
Tolerance is key to respecting diverse perspectives in construction’s fast-paced environment. This module defines tolerance as respecting differences without agreement and distinguishes it from acceptance. Participants will learn to overcome human barriers like tribalism and ethnocentrism, which can exclude diverse workers, and adopt cultural curiosity by asking questions to build connections. Practical examples, such as respecting a crew member’s differing beliefs, show how tolerance creates inclusive team dynamics.
Module 4: Overcoming Judgement (11 min ~)
Leadership roles carry power and privilege that can shape job site culture. This module explores how to use these responsibly to overcome judgement and foster inclusion. Participants will learn the five levels of leadership (positional to respect-based), the importance of human decency as a baseline respect for all, and the Platinum Rule: treat others as they want to be treated, respecting cultural norms (e.g., eye contact). Scenarios like addressing fear-based respect help learners build trust-driven crews.
Module 5: Developing Compassion & Empathy (16 min ~)
This module challenges construction’s “hard-nosed” culture by cultivating empathy and compassion for inclusive leadership. Participants will define these concepts, recognize how upbringing shapes biases, and acknowledge privilege as invisible advantages (e.g., education, socioeconomic background). Four compassion steps (awareness, connection, desire to help, action) are introduced, with examples like mentoring a struggling worker to create belonging environments where all thrive.
A message from Alex Willis, founder of Leadership Surge
Access the 5-module, self-directed course
Additional Information
For more information on the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development.
Ontario’s Skills Development Fund is supported through labour market transfer agreements between the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.
