Issue # 10 September 2010
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Greetings!
Once again, summer is winding down all too quickly. As many of us return from vacation and settle into serious work mode, the ESC is eager to share what it has been up to during the summer. Following the retirement of Catherine Cottingham, the ESC's Board of Directors has appointed Michelle Branigan as the new Executive Director. Michelle began as Senior Project Manager with the organization in 2007, and is eager to represent the Council in her new role. 
This issue of the newsletter will showcase the week-long Bright Futures Camps for Aboriginal Youth that took place in Qu�bec and British Columbia this July. We'll also cover important funding information on the Career Focus Initiative and newsworthy industry updates.
As a member of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges' (ACCC) Electricity/Renewable Energy Affinity Group, I want to applaud how the ACCC's partnership with the ESC is creating positive impacts on the industry and on the college community. The Council has been astute in having ACCC representation on its Board of Directors for the last four years. This consistent and high level engagement fosters a communications bridge between the various ESC programs and projects and the educational community that serves the training and learning needs of the electricity and renewable industry. This collaboration is critically important as it ensures programs offered both at the ESC and through the training providers are compatible and based on industry needs.
Another initiative of the Council that offers industry a significant networking opportunity is the 2011 Bright Futures in Canada Conference which is also highlighted in this edition of the newsletter.
As we transition into the cooler months, I hope you find this edition of the newsletter to be informative.
Board Member, ESC
Dean, School of Construction and Engineering Technologies, Red River College
Red River College is Manitoba's largest institute of Applied learning, has more than 32,000 enrolled students, and more than 110 full-time programs. With nine campuses across the province, the college offers certificate, diploma, advanced diploma, apprenticeship and degree education, Continuing and Distance Education, state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, and instructors with industrial expertise.
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Feature Projects
Aboriginal Bright Futures Youth Camps Once Again a Success!
As part of the Aboriginal Workforce Participation Initiative (AWPI) project, the Council held two Bright Futures Camps for Aboriginal Youth aged 10-13 years during the month of July. Girls and boys in Rouyn-Noranda, Qu�bec and Prince George, British Columbia had the opportunity to get together for a week of electricity-themed fun and learning.
Throughout the week, children from various communities learned about  different types of electricity including hydro, solar and wind; different types of circuits and conductive materials; how electricity is generated; and one of the most important parts of the industry: safety. These topics were combined with games and lessons about Aboriginal culture and visits with people who work in the industry. Also delivered throughout the week were several sessions adapted from the Aboriginal Human Resource Council's (AHRC) Guiding Circles program which helped the children identify what talents they excel at and enjoy doing, and how that might translate into a future career.
Each camp concluded with an open house where media and parents were invited to attend and listen to closing speeches and see what the children had learned during the week.
Thank you to our sponsors who made this camp possible:
QC Sponsors: Niskamoon Corporation, Cree Human Resource Development, Hydro-Qu�bec, Cree School Board
BC Sponsors: Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 258, BC Hydro, University of Northern British Columbia
The following sponsored both the Quebec and BC camps: Aboriginal Human Resource Council (AHRC), Canadian Union of Public Employees, Engineers Canada
2011 Bright Futures in Canada Conference "Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Workforce"
As reported in the last issue of the newsletter, the ESC's Bright Futures in Canada Conference entitled "Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Workforce" will be held at the InterContinental Toronto Centre Hotel from May 24-26, 2011.
Knowledgeable industry experts will speak to the current and most critical workforce issues that the electricity and renewable energy sector is facing today and in the years to come. Session topics include workforce planning, emerging technology trends, attraction and recruitm  ent of underrepresented groups, and training and learning development. CEO panels on the second day will provide an opportunity for attendees to hear what key industry players are doing in their organizations to address human resource challenges.
Organizations that partner with the ESC for this event receive national exposure through conference marketing and have the opportunity to showcase their business at the conference itself, along with other benefits. Join a growing list of highly respected industry companies who have already partnered with us for the conference - great opportunities are still available.
Online registration will open on November 15, and will be available through the conference website which will launch on the same day.
New Graduates and Employers to Benefit from Additional Funding for Career Focus Initiative
Due to an overwhelming demand from industry, ESC is happy to announce that the Career Focus Initiative (CFI) has received additional funding. Through the program, the Council is able to provide small and medium-sized companies with 1/3 of the base salary (up to $10,000) of a new graduate technician, technologist or engineer hired. The success of CFI is apparent with each new graduate that is recruited and retained through this funding opportunity. ESC has been offering industry employers a wage subsidy program since its inception in 2005, and considers it to be an excellent tool for both new graduates and employers.
For more information on the wage subsidy program, and to see if your company qualifies for funding, please click here.
Training and Learning Development Project Looks at Internal Training Functions
The TLD project, which started in the spring of 2010, is looking at the internal training function within the electricity and renewable energy industry to ensure that it is well prepared to manage the projected influx of workers needed to replace the large number of those expected to retire over the next few years. As reported in the March newsletter, over the 12-month project, the ESC will be looking to identify strategies and practical tactics to support the consistency of training capacity and quality.
Current project activities involve the identification of best practices case studies that showcase Canadian exemplars for internal training capacity and capability in the sector. These case studies will help to support both assessment and future trending of training operations across the country. Five initiatives will be selected to be profiled in more detail and made available through the ESC to all stakeholders.
Future project activities will include an online training survey; online industry forum for key training communities as well as a consultative training session taking place at the 2011 ESC Bright Futures in Canada Conference in May. For more information on this project, please click here.
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Industry News
New Deputy Minister at HRSDC
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) appointed Ian Shugart to the position of Deputy Minister on July 26, 2010. Prior to this, Ian served as Deputy Minister at Environment Canada for two years, and before that he held positions with Health Canada. Read Ian's bio.
BCTC and BC Hydro Converge
On July 5, 2010, British Columbia Transmission Corporation (BCTC) and BC Hydro integrated to form one single organization - BC Hydro. This transition, a part of BC's Clean Energy Act, will enable both organizations to play an integral role in providing clean energy to the province. To read more on how this will affect both organizations and residents of British Columbia, please click here.
Energy Sector Employers Can Benefit from Work Placement Opportunity
The M�tis Nation of Ontario (MNO) in partnership with Georgian College's School of Engineering introduced the Technology Foundations for Employment in Energy Project in May 2010. The thirty-week program is  for Aboriginal learners and includes both an academic and workplace training component. Energy sector employers are invited to provide one or more of the 27 students who complete the in-class portion of the certificate on October 8 with a 16-week work placement. The placement will begin on October 12, and a wage subsidy of $10.25/hour (based on 35 hour work week for 16 weeks) is provided. In addition, up to 14.3% mandatory employment related costs are also covered by the program.
For more information, please click here
If you have any industry news you'd like to see here, please contact us at (613)235-5540, or email us at info@brightfutures.ca.
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Andrea Canada
Steering Committee Member, ESC Aboriginal Workforce Partnership Initiative Project
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Aboriginal Employment Advisor, Employment and Recruitment Department, Human Resources Division, Manitoba Hydro
Motivation for Volunteering - As a 20 year employee of Manitoba Hydro, Andrea Canada has enjoyed an exciting and very rewarding career. She is passionate about ensuring that Aboriginal communities throughout Canada have open access to the many challenging careers in our industry; and conversely that the electricity and renewable industry has the tools necessary to tap into this vast talent pool.
Background - Andrea is the Aboriginal Employment Advisor in the Recruitment and Diversity Department at Manitoba Hydro. She first joined Manitoba Hydro in 1989 and has held administrative positions in many areas of the company. Since 2002, her main focus has been in the area of Aboriginal relations and working on strategies for the recruitment, retention and advancement of Aboriginal people at Manitoba Hydro. She is driven to work towards strengthening Manitoba Hydro's relationships with Aboriginal peoples through employment and helping the organization to achieve its goals in this area. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Political Science.
Personal life - Andrea, a M�tis woman, was born and raised in the north end of Winnipeg. She is active with the Manitoba M�tis Federation, sitting as a member of the Local Management Board for the Winnipeg Region, appointed by the M�tis Women of Manitoba. Andrea is a single mom and lives in Winnipeg with her son Nathan.
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Outreach and Partnerships
The ESC is responsible for promoting awareness of current and future career and employment opportunities in the electricity industry; and forming partnerships that will better enable the sector to meet its human resource needs. This includes participating in industry events.
T
he Council's representatives made the following presentations at industry events over the months of March to the beginning of June:
August 26, 2010 - All Canada Congress Meeting - IBEW Utility Caucus - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
September 14 & 15, 2010 - Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) Training Network Meeting - Kelowna, British Columbia
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| Contact Us
Address: 130 Slater Street, Suite 600
Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2
Phone: (613) 235-5540
Fax: (613) 235-6922
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In Our Next Issue
NEWS... New ESC projects
PLUS...
Update on ESC 2011 Bright Futures in Canada Conference
AND... New feature volunteer |
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