The individual contributor numbers in this table are strongly weighted by the number of male employees belonging to the IBEW union, whose average pay is above that of CUPE union members. (Pay rates are based on market factors and job requirements.) The overall ratio is also impacted by the relatively low membership of women in the middle management ranks. While their salaries are competitive with those of men in middle management, this alone does not compensate for the number of job categories such as engineering where the salaries are higher and in which more men are employed.
In 2009, ENMAX launched E-WIN, the ENMAX Women’s Initiative Network. Believing that diversity makes us stronger, smarter and more productive, E-WIN is a new initiative aimed at providing our female employee population with opportunities to learn, grow, share and connect with other female role models and mentors in our organization.
Maintaining a Skilled Workforce
As an electric utility, our operations rely on a large number of highly skilled and specialized workers. That's why we have created several programs and processes to ensure the ongoing availability of a skilled workforce for our electrical operations.
ENMAX Power strategically supports and operates a Technical Training Centre (TTC) to provide skills training and upgrading primarily to field crews. This is accomplished through a mix of apprentice development, upgrading of new staff from other jurisdictions as well as keeping the experienced staff at a current level of competence. In 2009, the total amount of time spent training ENMAX employees under this program was 12,754 hours. Some of the key courses delivered were to the 52 apprentices enrolled in the program who took training in Power Line Technician, Power System Electrician, and Mobile Boom Truck Operator. In addition to the TTC, there are two committees that ensure the technical training programs fit with the needs of our employees and the organization.
The Joint Apprenticeship Training Council (JATC) is comprised of an equal number of ENMAX and IBEW representatives and oversees the operation of ENMAX apprentice training programs including job rotation, work experience and links to provincial training.
The Technical Training Advisory Council (TTAC) involves stakeholders from across ENMAX who determine course content, delivery methodology and scheduling of technical training and offer guidance and feedback on programs.
ENMAX also has an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) Program, offering Electrical and Mechanical Engineering students the opportunity to fast track their careers. To qualify, students must be in their final year of either a Mechanical or Electrical Engineering Bachelor of Science Degree Program at a recognized post-secondary institution. Graduates are offered the chance to rotate through different areas within ENMAX over a 10-month period, to help them gain an understanding of the entire organization and determine the department they may eventually want to work in full-time.
In the past year, ENMAX Power has provided support for three foreign-recruited and trained Power Linemen to secure their Journeyman status. We provided community and corporate support for permanent residency to our employees and their families in Canada. This included sponsorship through the Alberta Immigrant Nomination Program.
Combined, these initiatives are strategically ensuring our ability to meet our current and future skilled workforce needs.