Fee Range for Jamie McMillan
$7,501 - $10,000
Jamie McMillan
Keynote Speaker, Journeyman Ironworker
& Skilled Trades Advocate
About Jamie McMillan
Jamie McMillan is a journeyman ironworker, keynote speaker and storyteller who has spent more than two decades opening doors to careers in the skilled trades.
She became an ironworker in 2002, when women made up about 2% of the trades workforce, and founded KickAss Careers to change how students, educators and employers see hands-on work.
Named one of Construction’s Most Influential People of 2024 by SiteNews, she speaks to more than 50,000 people a year across North America. Her keynotes cover hands-on learning, neurodiversity, mental health, inclusion on the jobsite and why human makers matter in the age of AI.
Jamie McMillan's Expertise
- Careers in the Skilled Trades — Opening pathways for youth, career changers and underrepresented groups into well-paid trades and technology careers
- Women in Construction — More than two decades as a female ironworker on what it takes to recruit, include and keep women on the jobsite
- Recruitment and Retention — Fixing the ground-level workplace conditions that drive turnover, incident rates and costly mistakes
- Diversity and Inclusion in the Trades — Helping unions, employers and associations build jobsites where everyone can thrive
- Jobsite Safety and Culture — Unearthing the “boots on the ground” practices that never reach the corporate office
- Hands-On Learning — Rekindling curiosity and confidence through making, building and learning outside the lines
- Neurodiversity in Education — Supporting learners with ADHD, autism and rejection sensitivity, and the educators who teach them
- Student and Educator Engagement — Keynotes and hands-on workshops for students, parents, teachers and school boards
- Future of Work and AI — Why real-world skills, curiosity and grit matter more than ever in a machine-driven world
- Mental Health in Construction — Breaking the silence on mental health in the trades and building resilience on and off the jobsite
- Resilience and Overcoming Adversity — Rebuilding self-worth, trading limits for strengths and starting over as many times as it takes
Jamie McMillan's Bio
Jamie McMillan has built a career on proving that there is more than one way to succeed. A journeyman ironworker and founder of KickAss Careers, she spends about 30 weeks a year on stages, in classrooms and at union halls. She reaches more than 50,000 students, parents, educators and employers annually across North America. In 2024, SiteNews named her one of Construction’s Most Influential People in Canada.
Her path into the trades was anything but straight. Growing up, she wanted to be a miner like her father, but the absence of women in the field steered her away. She spent years as a personal support worker, waitress and bartender, struggling to find work that fit the way she learned. After moving to Hamilton, she ran into a high school acquaintance who was an ironworker, and that conversation changed everything. She was hired as an apprentice with Ironworkers Local 736 in 2002, when women made up just 2% of the trades workforce in Canada and the United States. She has since worked as an ironworker and boilermaker on oil and gas plants in Alberta and potash mines in Saskatchewan.
In 2006 she began volunteering as a mentor with Skills Ontario, encouraging young women to consider the trades. That work grew into KickAss Careers, which brings skilled trades awareness into schools and communities. Unions, employers and associations now turn to her to improve recruitment, retention and jobsite culture. They include the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario, the Ontario Sheet Metal Workers’ and Roofers’ Conference, NAWIC, Skills Canada and FIRST Robotics Canada. In 2019 she was named co-chair of a National Skilled Trades Advisory Committee that created a federal campaign promoting the trades to youth as a first-choice career. She also co-created Building Resilience, a video series on mental health in the construction industry.
Her recognitions include the Top 20 Under 40 Award for her impact in the metal trades, the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program Champion Award and the District School Board of Niagara Technology Education Partnership Award. She also received the YWCA Hamilton Women of Distinction Award in the Science, Technology and Trades category.
Today, under her Made in the Trades banner, McMillan has widened her focus to students and the educators who guide them. Her four core keynotes are Born to Build; Zero Lore Required: Why the Future Belongs to Makers, Not Machines; Mask Off, Tools Out: Trading Up Is a Skill; and Some Assembly Required: The Toolbox Inside Every Learner. Together they explore hands-on learning, neurodivergence, mental health and the future of work with AI. She also offers hands-on workshops and created the colouring book series All the Kids on Builders Street. When she isn’t speaking, she still works on construction projects whenever she can.
Contact Us for Jamie McMillan's speaker fees, and date availability.
Jamie McMillan's Presentation Topics
Jamie McMillan travels from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She delivers keynote presentations, workshops, fireside chats, and moderated Q&A on a variety of topics. Keynote presentation lengths can be a minimum of 45 minutes to a maximum of 60 minutes. Most conference keynotes are typically 60 minutes. Each presentation is unique, customized and tailored for audiences, industries, conferences and event formats. All of Jamie's programs are also available for virtual events.
Born to Build +
Everyone starts out a maker, an inventor, an explorer. Somewhere along the way we're told to color inside the lines. Jamie brings the curiosity back, helping people celebrate how they learn best, trust their imagination and rediscover the joy of making things with their hands.
Key Takeaways: Confidence that goes beyond testing, learning outside the lines, and trusting your own imagination. --
Zero Lore Required: Why the Future Belongs to Makers, Not Machines +
The algorithm wants you predictable. Jamie wants you real. With zero lore and total honesty, she shares her path from restless student to ironworker who built her own way, and shows why hands-on creation, curiosity and grit are the ultimate superpowers in a machine-driven world.
Key Takeaways: Real-world skills, self-reliance, and why human makers will always outlast machines. --
Mask Off, Tools Out: Trading Up Is a Skill +
Jamie wore the mask for years, composed on the outside and fighting unseen battles inside. Then life slowed her down, and she found out what was waiting on the other side. This honest, funny, no-fluff talk is about taking the mask off, trading limits for strengths and starting over as many times as it takes.
Key Takeaways: Rebuilding self-worth, practical mastery, and knowing it is never too late to start over. --
Some Assembly Required: The Toolbox Inside Every Learner +
Teachers are the architects of humanity, and every one of us was born with a toolbox. Jamie opens one on stage, tool by tool, to show the strengths already inside us and how to put them to work in ourselves and in the people we teach, raise and lead. Expect emotional intelligence, early childhood development, ADHD, autism, rejection sensitivity and a few surprises.
Key Takeaways: Seeing every learner, supporting minds that work differently, and opening one door for one person. --
Book Jamie McMillan to speak at your next conference or corporate event.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jamie McMillan
Who is Jamie McMillan? +
Jamie McMillan is a Canadian journeyman ironworker, keynote speaker and founder of KickAss Careers. She has worked in the skilled trades since 2002 and was named one of SiteNews’ Construction’s Most Influential People of 2024. --
What does Jamie McMillan speak about? +
Jamie McMillan speaks about careers in the skilled trades, women in construction, recruitment and retention, hands-on learning, neurodiversity in education, mental health, resilience and the future of work in the age of AI. --
What are Jamie McMillan’s keynote presentations? +
Her four core keynotes are Born to Build; Zero Lore Required: Why the Future Belongs to Makers, Not Machines; Mask Off, Tools Out: Trading Up Is a Skill; and Some Assembly Required: The Toolbox Inside Every Learner. --
Is Jamie McMillan a real ironworker? +
Yes. Jamie McMillan began her ironworker apprenticeship with Ironworkers Local 736 in Hamilton in 2002. She has worked as an ironworker and boilermaker on projects across Canada and still works on construction projects when her schedule allows. --
Does Jamie McMillan speak to students and educators? +
Yes. Students, parents, teachers and school boards are a core audience. Her talks focus on hands-on learning, confidence beyond testing and supporting learners whose minds work differently. --
Can Jamie McMillan help unions and employers with recruitment and retention? +
Yes. Jamie McMillan works with unions, contractors and associations to address the jobsite conditions behind turnover, safety incidents and the loss of women and underrepresented workers from the trades. --
Does Jamie McMillan speak about neurodiversity and mental health? +
Yes. Her keynote Some Assembly Required covers ADHD, autism, rejection sensitivity and emotional intelligence. Mask Off, Tools Out explores rebuilding self-worth and resilience. --
What awards has Jamie McMillan received? +
Jamie McMillan was named one of SiteNews’ Construction’s Most Influential People of 2024. She has also received the YWCA Hamilton Women of Distinction Award, the Top 20 Under 40 Award, the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program Champion Award and the District School Board of Niagara Technology Education Partnership Award. --
What is KickAss Careers? +
KickAss Careers is the organization Jamie McMillan founded to promote skilled trades careers to youth through school and community outreach. It is now joining her Made in the Trades speaking platform. --
Can Jamie McMillan present virtually? +
Yes. All of Jamie McMillan’s programs are available for virtual events. She also offers keynotes, workshops, fireside chats and moderated Q&A in person. --
What is Jamie McMillan’s speaking fee? +
Jamie McMillan’s current speaking fee falls in the $7,501 to $10,000 CAD range. Fees vary with event date, location and format. --
Is Jamie McMillan represented by a speaker's bureau in Canada and how is the contract handled? +
Jamie McMillan is exclusively represented by K&M Productions Speakers & Shows for conference keynotes and corporate events. They coordinate bookings and handle the contract-agreement with the client. Keynote speakers in Canada often work through a bureau to take care of their contracts and payments while they look after the creative and content aspects of their topics and presentations. Bureau representation ensures consistent communication between the client and the speaker as well as an "insurance policy" for your conference in the unlikely occurrence of speaker illness or cancellation. --
How do I contact Jamie McMillan to check her date availability and begin the booking process for events in Canada? +
Jamie McMillan is contacted through K&M Productions Speakers & Shows. They will check Jamie's availability, discuss your event's goals, and provide a customized proposal for keynote or workshop formats. --
How do I book Jamie McMillan for my event? +
To book Jamie McMillan, simply contact K&M Productions Speakers & Shows, who will help you choose the right program and handle all the booking details in a very straightforward and transparent process. K&M Productions can also arrange for a no-obligation pre-event call with Jamie to confirm her content aligns with your event objectives, prior to booking. --
This speaker profile was last updated by K&M Productions on October 27, 2026.
What Clients are Saying About Jamie McMillan
Very happy with the session! Her ability to help people overcome hesitation and gain the ability and confidence to see themselves in careers in the skilled trades is a very special and unique ability. She is one of the best in our industry, helping grow awareness and confidence for the next generation of skilled trade professionals.
–Adam Melnick, Program Director, Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario
It was absolutely wonderful, she was a pleasure to work with!
–Rocky Chamber, Rocky Mountain House, AB
Thank-you to Jamie for sharing her journey with our delegates, apprentices, and guests at our annual Ontario Sheet Metal Workers and Roofers Convention. It was very well received and gave us a lot to contemplate as we try to be a more diverse and inclusive Union. I would recommend her to speak in front of any labour or management group.
–Mike Mahon, Business Manager, Ontario Sheet Metal Workers’ & Roofers’ Conference