Manitoba Hydro recognized for employment equity efforts

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It's been almost two decades since Manitoba Hydro put in place its first affirmative action policy, but by no means has the corporation grown complacent about its efforts to achieve a representative workforce.

The provincial Crown corporation, which currently employs more than 4,800 people across the province, is always coming up with new ways to try to meet its employment goals for the four designated groups targeted through its employment equity practices-women, people with disabilities, members of visible minorities, and Aboriginal people.

Currently, Aboriginal people make up 8.3 per cent of the Manitoba Hydro's workforce. In northern Manitoba, where there is a greater concentration of Aboriginal people, 27.4 per cent of the corporation's workforce are Aboriginal. The goal is to get the overall corporate representation of Aboriginal people up to 10 per cent by 2005, and up to 33 per cent in the north.

The employment equity efforts of the corporation were officially recognized recently, when Manitoba Hydro received the Vision Award given out by the labor program of Human Resources Development Canada. This is the second time Manitoba Hydro has received the award-the first one was in 1996-given out annually to organizations that demonstrate creativity and innovation in their employment equity efforts.

In its efforts to increase Aboriginal representation within its workforce, Manitoba Hydro has formed partnerships with Aboriginal organizations to determine the best ways for the corporation to attract and retain Aboriginal employees. A zero tolerance policy regarding workplace discrimination and harassment has also been put in place, and work has begun to develop an internal Web site describing Manitoba Hydro's Aboriginal relations and employment initiatives.

A review of in-house training programs has been done to identify any systemic barriers. Processes have been put in place to assist with hiring of Aboriginal candidates for local short-term employment opportunities. And an outreach process has been implemented to get information about employment or training opportunities out to the Aboriginal communities.

The corporation has also increased the value of the scholarships and bursaries it offers to Aboriginal candidates, as a way of encouraging them to stay in school, and work toward training for careers with Manitoba Hydro.

The provincial utility has also formed partnerships with post-secondary institutes, and initiated the formation of working groups to build the education and training capacities of northern communities. The corporation is working to develop career information tailored to an Aboriginal audience, and efforts are being made to market Manitoba Hydro as the employer of choice for Aboriginal people.

Efforts to attract more Aboriginal candidates for summer employment opportunities, and for co-op placements, internships, and part-time employment are also being made.

One of the initiatives the corporation really takes pride in is its special Aboriginal pre-employment training initiatives, said Dana Beljanic, manager of equity and employment services with Manitoba Hydro.

Those programs are designed to help Aboriginal candidates meet the requirements for entry into Manitoba Hydro's in-house training programs.

Over the years, Manitoba Hydro has developed its own in-house training programs, a sort of apprenticeship system within the organization that trains employees, providing them with skills and knowledge that are specific to employment with an electrical utility.

"We've implemented as a temporary special measure an opportunity for candidates who have the potential to be successful in our in-house training programs to, over the course of about a 10-month period, rotate through three different trades so as to gain a better understanding of what's involved in those areas.

"And also to address any of the transitional things that might come up, in terms of maybe being away from home, impactng on your family, things of that nature. Some life skill questions that come into play when somebody's moving into the work environment for the first time. And also to allow for any necessary academic upgrading. So at the end of the pre-employment training, the objective is that the person then has the necessarily qualifications to then successfully move into our in-house training program. So in a sense, it's kind of like a bridging program."

While Manitoba Hydro has made great strides in its attempts to hire more Aboriginal people, Beljanic admitted that Aboriginal representation isn't spread out among all levels of the corporation.

"There should be diversity across all areas of the organization, and we're not there yet. And we are working towards that," she said.