Opening the Floodgates: BC Hydro’s Community Outreach Program

Since 2006, BC Hydro has increased its workforce diversity by signing on 81 new Aboriginal employees – which represents a 311 per cent jump from the 26 Aboriginal employees already on board. As the result of wider advertising of job postings and greater outreach to Aboriginal communities, more candidates are eagerly lining up to work at the utility company.

“Across BC, Aboriginal people make up 4.4 per cent of the population,” says Jeannie Cranmer, BC Hydro’s Aboriginal education and employment strategy coordinator.

“Our goal of recruitment, capacity development and retention is to continue increasing our numbers over the next seven years by hiring 10 new Aboriginal employees each year while also retaining and developing our diverse talent of Aboriginal workers.”

Many of BC Hydro’s generating stations and reservoirs are in the north or remote interior where Aboriginal residents make up more than half the population in some communities so Cranmer says, “we’re not stopping once we reach that 4.4 per cent goal. We want to be regionally representative as well.”

Since 2006, Cranmer has attended more than 360 information events in Aboriginal communities across the province. As a result of these visits as well as presentations to chiefs and councils, job postings in Aboriginal media, and interviews on community radio stations, more than 2500 new Aboriginal applicants that have knocked on BC Hydro’s door. Interest continues to swell with an average of 113 new names added to BC Hydro’s employment database of potential Aboriginal applicants each month.

Community Outreach Programs

Eight of the new Aboriginal employees are enrolled in BC Hydro’s Trades Trainee program – a two-year, entry level power line technician program that prepares workers to continue into a trade apprenticeship.

“The trades trainee requirements are principles of Math 11 and Physics 11, a class 5 driver’s license with air brakes and no other formal training,” says Cranmer. “The expectation is that while they’re on a power line technician crew, they’re going to drive the bucket truck and assist the crew, where possible.”

At the next level, BC Hydro’s apprenticeship program requires Physics 12, Math Principles 12 and English 12, and, historically, hasn’t attracted many Aboriginal people to the program. “The trades trainee program, at least, provides me with an opportunity to encourage people to come in at a more junior position and be exposed to the trade,” says Cranmer. “For example, the four currently working as trades trainees are all taking their apprenticeship requirements.”

BC Hydro’s most successful community programs includes its Youth Hire program, designed to encourage students to stay in school and graduate with Grade 12 course levels so they can qualify for college, university or trades apprenticeship training.

BC Hydro is also creating more Aboriginal scholarships as part of its capacity development initiatives. Last year, it received 195 applications from Aboriginal students for seven $1,500 scholarships. It also offers another general $2000 scholarship, as well as a $4500 occupational health and safety coordinator scholarship that covers two years of tuition and books at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, leading to a four-year job opportunity at the company’s GMS generating station in the Peace River region.

In addition, BC Hydro has formed partnerships with a variety of Aboriginal Human Resource Development Agreement Holders (AHRDAs) and others in the utility sector such as Terasen, BC Transmission Corporation and Spectra to run summer utility boot camps for Aboriginal students in BC. These 10-day camps include one day of training at BC Hydro’s Electrical Industry Training Institute. The goal is to increase local capacity to engage in contract and employment opportunities.

“We’re seeing Aboriginal education and employment strategies added into benefit agreements,” says Cranmer. “We’re identifying procurement opportunities on our capital projects and we’re ensuring that the community is aware of what contracting and job opportunities are going to be available as well.”

In February 2008, BC Hydro joined the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB)’s Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) program, becoming the first utility company in Canada to participate in the program – a program that is the first of its kind in the world.

Throughout 2008, it undertook a self-assessment process that was externally verified by the National Quality Institute. In December 2008, BC Hydro’s commitment to Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) earned the company a silver designation from the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Businesses (CCAB).

Clearly, BC Hydro has continued to climb the inclusion continuum, building on its on-going partnership with the Aboriginal Human Resource Council. In the past, it assisted with the development and testing of the council’s Mastering Aboriginal Inclusion training program and, today, it remains a strong partner – a role that continues to make it one of Canada’s diversity leaders.