Beyond Employment; Kaiden’s Success Story

Kaiden bought his first car this year. He paid for it with a job he loves, working with his hands as a truss assembler at Nelson Lumber, in the construction industry he’s passionate about.

Getting there took a change of direction. When Kaiden first reached out to Gateway Edmonton in the fall of 2021, he found work quickly, with a snow removal company. He loved the work itself, but the transportation, the sporadic schedule, and the long hours that come with the snow removal industry made it harder and harder to sustain. So Kaiden made the tough call to leave and find something better suited to him.

He came back to Gateway’s employment team and started again right away: updating his resume, polishing his interview skills, and restarting the search, this time for the same kind of hands-on work in construction but on a structured schedule. A few interviews later, Nelson Lumber offered him the role, and he took it.

Now Kaiden works in a job that fits both what he’s good at and how he wants his days to run, and he drives himself there.