Enbridge selected to Canada’s Top Employers for Young People
Kara Edmonson approaches her career with curiosity, practicality—and, above all, energy.
“The more you learn,” says the Calgary-based engineer-in-training with a laugh, “the more you realize that there’s so much more to learn.”
Edmonson, 30, has spent nearly four years at Enbridge, after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Queen’s University in Kingston, ON. Formerly a technologist in water and wastewater treatment with Environment Canada, she now deals with the day-to-day hydraulics of Enbridge’s crude oil network as a member of our capacity management team.
“Being closely connected to the delivery of a natural resource that fuels so much of our life is exciting. There’s definitely satisfaction in working together with my colleagues to deliver product through our pipelines in the most safe and reliable manner,” says Edmonson.
“As a company, Enbridge is more and more active in renewable energy,” she adds, “and we are always looking for ways to run our pipeline network more efficiently, which is beneficial to everyone.”
A native of Hamilton, ON, Edmonson is moving rapidly toward her professional engineering designation—and as a member of the Young Pipeliners Association of Canada (YPAC), who participated in the 10th International Pipeline Conference and Exposition 2014 (IPC 2014) in Calgary as a member of YPAC’s local executive, Edmonson is a leading light among her counterparts.
“I personally like the technical challenge that my job at Enbridge presents,” she says. “And working at Enbridge means you can take advantage of professional development courses, informal collaboration events, and soft-skills training that helps you perform the day-to-day tasks better.”
Through success stories like Edmonson’s, Enbridge has been named to the 2016 edition of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People. This year’s winners were announced today through a special section in the Globe and Mail.
Canada’s Top Employers for Young People scrutinizes companies on their efforts to attract and retain younger workers. In drafting the list, competition organizers evaluate a wide variety of programs and benefits, including:
- Tuition assistance;
- The availability of co-op or work study programs;
- Mentorship and training opportunities, and associated benefits; and
- Career management programs that can assist younger workers in advancing faster through their organization.
“Investing in our people’s development continues to be a priority for us,” says Jane Haberbusch, Enbridge’s vice president of human resources. “The programs we’ve developed for recent graduates, particularly from engineering fields, help us attract and develop future leaders with the potential to move throughout our business. That’s great for their careers and for the long-term success of our organization.”
Canada’s Top Employers for Young People has been released as a full-fledged annual index in 2009; Enbridge was previously named to the list in 2011.
