EHRC is delighted to announce that final preparations are being made for the electricity workforce event of the year. Will you be there?  Register now and also see the full conference program or scroll down below to see the 'at a glance' version.        

The Honourable Jason Kenney to speak to our stakeholders at EHRC's National Conference on November 7th!

The Honourable Jason Kenney
Minister of Employment and Social Development
to present November 7th at EHRC National Conference

EHRC proudly announces the lineup of Speakers at the National Conference and Inaugural Awards Gala

PROGRAM AT A GLANCE  

DAY 1:  Wednesday November 6th

Opening keynote Speaker:

Invited:  The Honourable Kellie Leitch, Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women

 

Plenary 1 - CEO Panel: Future Labour Force Needs for Business Success

 

 

Carmine Marcello  Hydro One Networks Inc.

Earl Ludlow Newfoundland Power Inc.

Tom Mitchell Ontario Power Generation

Emanuel    DaRosa    Northwest    Territories    Power Corp.

Colin    Anderson     Ontario Power    Authority

Moderator: Norm Fraser  Chair EHRC Board & COO Hydro Ottawa

Description: The aging workforce and skills transition remains one of the biggest challenges facing the electricity industry. This plenary will provide a range of perspectives on how to build the link between people, workplace culture and organizational effectiveness. Hear from Industry leaders on how they are building and empowering a world-class workforce for the industry

  

  

Morning Breakout Sessions:

Morning Breakout Session #1:  Developing your Organisation's Knowledge Strategy 

 

The Speakers:

Vivian Yoanidis, Manager Recruitment Solutions and Diversity, Hydro One.

Blake Melnick, President and Chief Knowledge Officer, the Knowledge Management Institute of Canada (KMIC)

 

 

Morning Breakout Session #2: The Aboriginal Advantage - Employing Aboriginal People in the Electricity Workforce and Supply Chain

 

Moderator: Jeannie Cranmer, Aboriginal Education and Employment Strategy Manager, BC Hydro

The Panel: 

Maria Moran, Benefits and Training Lead, Nalcor Energy

Lisa Ferano, President, Elephant Thoughts (Global Initiatives Development)

Brian Pelletier, Aboriginal Coordinator, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 793   

 

Lunch & Learn with Guest Speaker and Keynote

  

      

            Guest Speaker               Keynote Speaker

 

"Economic Outlook" Sonya Gulati, Senior Economist, Government Finance and Public Policy, TD Bank

"Power Managers:  Accountability and the Not-so-Secret Weapon in the Electricity Talent Challenge Julian Chapman,-VP Consulting & Business Solutions, Forrest & Company Limited.and Brigadier-General, Deputy Commander, 4th Canadian Division / Joint Task Force Central, Army Reserves "

   

Afternoon Breakout Sessions:   

 

Afternoon Breakout Session #1:  Bridging the Gap - Attracting and Retaining Women in the Electricity Industry 

 

Moderator:  Suzanne Desrosiers, Executive Director, Human Resources Development, New Brunswick Community College

 

The Panel: 

Cheryl Cottrill, Executive Director, Women in Nuclear 

Judy McKellar, Vice-President People & Culture, Hydro One Networks 

Kim MacLaren, Owner, KD MacLaren Consulting Inc.

 

 

Afternoon Breakout Session #2:  Renewing Futures - Building Powerful HR Strategies for Canada's Renewable Energy Workforce 

 

Moderator:  Jacob Irving, President, Canadian Hydropower Association 

 

The Panel: 

• Ted Kantrowitz, Vice President, Canadian GeoExchange Coalition 
• Tom Levy, Manager of Technical and Utility Affairs, Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) 
• Gary Thompson, Supervisor, Generation Planning & Transmission Capacity, Toronto Hydro 
• Bill Empey, Managing Director and Partner at Prism Economics & Analysis 
• Wes Johnston, Director of Policy and Research at Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA)

A conference exclusive! This session will present the findings from EHRC's National Renewing Future project, which consulted businesses and employees in a variety of renewable sectors, as well as institutions and governments. Learn about the labour market and skills issues challenging the industry and the vision, recommendations and human resource strategy being developed as part of this research.  The results of the research will inform ongoing analysis, which will in turn provide market intelligence for firms, educators and policy-makers   

 

 

DAY 2:  Thursday November 7th

Opening Keynote Speaker:  

The Honourable Jason Kenney,

Minister of Employment and Social Development

Plenery 2: 
Training Canada's Workforce - The Role of All Levels of Government    

 

Moderator:  Al Clark, Senior Advisor, Natural Resources Canada

 

The Panel:

Invited: Scott Armstrong, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment and Social Development 

John Somers, Senior Executive Director, Skills and Learning Branch, Department of Labour and Advanced Education

 

Description:  This panel will explore what policy and program initiatives the Federal Government and some provinces have been undertaking to manage the skilled trades shortage. They will also discuss forward-thinking strategies being put in place to meet demand while contributing to emerging skills requirements, specifically within the electricity industry, which will need almost 45,000 workers over the next few years. 

 

Workshop:

Employee Engagement - The Powerful Impact of an Engaged Workforce

Speaker:  John Wright, President & Managing Director, Canadian Management Centre  

 

Plenary 3 - Training & Development. A Structured Approach

Speaker: Greg Comis, HR Manager of Training, ATCO Electric

 

Plenary 4 - Managing Succession as a Strategic Lever

Speaker:  Audra August, Principal, Succession & Talent Planning Solutions, Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions

 

Plenary 5 -

Creating the Workforce of Tomorrow - Industry/Education Partnerships in Action

 

Moderator:  Nimal Rajapakse, Professor and Dean of Faculty

of Applied Sciences, Simon Fraser University 

The Panel:

Lyne Parent-Garvey, Chief Human Resources Officer, Hydro Ottawa Group of Companies 

Dan Brooks, Associate Dean, Georgian College of Applied Arts and Technology
Invited: Dr. Hassan Farhangi, Smart Micro Grid Network, Director of the Group for Advanced Information Technology (GAIT), British Columbia Institute of Technology

 

 

Keynote Speaker:  Angela Ferrante, Board of Directors, Via Rail and the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)

"Employee engagement at all levels of the organization"      

  

 

Thank You National Conference Sponsors!  

K-Line Maintenance & Construction Limited   

Ontario Power Generation 

Hydro One  

Ontario Power Authority  

Simon Fraser University

Power Workers Union 

Hydro Ottawa  

Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario (ECAO)  

Mohawk College 

HRWARE 

IBEW First Chapter    

National Supporting Marketing Partners  

Women in the Workforce   

As many of you are aware, EHRC is looking to increase the recruitment of women in the electricity and renewable energy industry in non-traditional roles. Through our Bridging the Gap project, we will look at some of the barriers women have faced, how we can overcome them, and organizations who are already doing just that. A video series will be launched at our national conference in November alongside a panel of distinguished speakers who will share their passion for this subject and how we can move forward as an industry.

   

Cheryl Cottrill Executive Director, Women in Nuclear

Judy McKellar Vice-President People & Culture, Hydro One Networks

Kim MacLaren Owner, KD MacLaren Consulting Inc.

Suzanne Desrosiers Executive Director, Human Resources Development, New    Brunswick Community College

To ensure that we capture the thoughts and experiences of all points of view on this important issue, we will be conducting an industry validation process starting in October. From October 1st to 31st, we will also have an online survey to capture feedback from the following three stakeholder groups: employers, women working in the industry, and young women looking at the industry as a possible career option. To access the survey, please visit:  http://electricityhr.ca/our-work/projects-programmes/bridging-the-gap/  

We are also conducting a number of in person validation sessions:

• Tuesday, October 29th - 9am, 2pm, and 7pm - Toronto, ON
• Wednesday, October 30th - 9am and 2pm - Ottawa, ON

To participate in the validation sessions or for more information, please contact the project manager, Kevin Joseph -joseph@electricityhr.ca 

The role of Trainer within the Electricity and Renewable Energy industry is key to the success of our organizations.  These are the people that prepare our workforce and ensure that we have a safe and knowledgeable group of employees who are capable of meeting the country's electricity needs. EHRC needs your help to establish a national occupational standard and essential skills profile that best represents the skills and competencies of the occupation.  EHRC will launch a survey for the month of October for industry stakeholders to provide input.  There are also opportunities to provide feedback at one of our two validation sessions:

•  Tuesday, October 8th Online
•  Wednesday, October 9th in Toronto, ON
   

Summer of 2013 saw another successful delivery of our Bright Futures Aboriginal Youth Camp programming bringing our reach to over 200 youth since our program began a few short years ago.   

We ventured a little farther north this year with our first camp held in Lax Kw'alaams, BC, an island community north of Prince Rupert. They were a very welcoming community with many eager young people excited to learn about electricity and renewable energy. While learning about the different ways in which electricity can be created and what the different jobs are that exist within the industry, they were even treated to rides in the bucket truck sent over from BC Hydro.

The second camp held this summer took place in Curve Lake, ON. The Curve Lake First Nation is a community near Peterborough in the Kawarthas who played host to our Ontario camp with some members of surrounding communities also in attendance. The youth were engaged in hands-on experiments and were so enthusiastic about what they learned that we often had community members stop in to see what all the excitement was about!.

We would like to extend a big thank you to all of our 2013 sponsors without whom, this would not have been possible: Power Workers' Union, BC Hydro, Engineers Canada, Embark Engineering, Canadian Union of Skilled Workers, the Lax Kw'a'aams First Nation, Ontario Power Authority, Ontario Power Generation, Curve Lake First Nation, and the Aboriginal Human Resource Council.