At ATCO, students have the opportunity to explore various career paths across all business units through internships and co-op placements.Supplied
When he was job-hunting during the pandemic, the posting for an opening at ATCO jumped out at Connor Doane.
“I knew that ATCO was a local company that was involved in nearly everything. I would see their name at construction sites, as a home energy provider, at sports games as a sponsor, at a pancake breakfast.”
Doane, now a communications advisor at the Calgary-based energy company, knew he had to apply. “It was the one at the top of my list,” he says. “The mantra of ‘always there, anywhere’ really does capture what ATCO is.”
Doane, who had jobs at a tech startup and the Alberta Energy Regulator after graduating from Mount Royal University with a degree in public relations, says he had “a great onboarding process” when he started at ATCO.
“I had the feeling that I was trusted, and I was enabled to do what I knew how to do,” he says. “My colleagues did a great job teaching me about the company and the business and then using the work to explain it. They were really looking out for me long term as opposed to just getting through what we were working on at the time.”
“ATCO is all about relationships and how our young people can grow that internal network,” says Deanna Girard, vice-president of human resources.
“We have multiple businesses in different areas, whether in utilities or renewable energy. They’re very diverse companies that people can move around in. It’s really critical that employees and leaders have discussions about where they want to go in their career, what their plan is and how they get there.”
The onboarding process is crucial, especially for young employees right out of school, who might have joined through internships or summer programs. Girard says ATCO people try to help however they can, “even with things like office and email etiquette, because we do understand for many students or young people this might be the first time they’re in a corporate work environment.”
There are also flexible benefits and monthly seminars on financial wellness, which Doane says he really appreciates.
“Everyone has their own set of circumstances,” he notes. “Someone like me who’s unmarried and in their twenties has different needs from someone who’s married with young children, or that person who’s going to retire in the next few years.
“ATCO does a really good job not just giving you the opportunities, but they give you the knowledge to make decisions for what you need. They’re constantly coming to employees saying, ‘this is what we offer, here’s where you can learn more, here’s a webinar.’”
“We’re focused on the development of all employees as well as these new generations,” says Girard. “Leaders have conversations with their employees about their individual plans as well as their goals advancing through their careers at ATCO.”
“ATCO got its start as the Alberta Trailer Company,” says Doane, “and that’s still a big part of what we do, selling and leasing trailers and manufacturing modular structures. And then we have the home energy provider, and we have Rümi, which is a home service company. We have offices in Australia, the United States, Canada’s north, among others. It’s a company that touches a lot of different areas.”
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Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.