Bruce Power employees at its recently renovated Visitors’ Centre, where they worked as summer students.Supplied
Deborah Jones says support from her colleagues at Bruce Power made her transition from the telecommunications industry so much easier.
“You would think that would be really daunting. But the number of opportunities they give you to learn is almost endless,” says Jones, technical officer. “I also got paired with a mentor pretty early with one of the shift managers. They showed me around and explained how the systems work and helped me gain an understanding of the plant. All the people at Bruce Power are willing to share their knowledge. It is incredible.”
Located in Ontario’s Bruce County on the eastern shore of Lake Huron, the private-sector nuclear plant produces 30 per cent of the province’s power and employs more than 4,000 people. It is also a leading supplier of medical isotopes, which are used worldwide in cancer-fighting treatments and sterilization of medical devices.
For young employees, Bruce Power provides a range of programs to help foster learning and development. For example, the engineering professional development oversight committee helps engineers work toward getting their professional engineering licence. Other programs include an upskilling platform that partners with postsecondary institutions and other learning organizations, which offers courses curated based on an employee’s position, such as project management or data management.
Bruce Power also offers web-based courses to help employees continue their education and maintain professional certifications. A leadership pipeline program, in partnership with Western University’s Ivey Business School, accelerates the development of high potential leaders and strengthens the organization’s succession plans. Postsecondary student opportunities are also available in many fields.
The Bruce Power chapter of North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NAYGN) runs sports leagues, social and networking events and lunch-and-learn sessions. Jones, who is membership and recruitment chair of NAYGN, recently organized a speed mentoring event, where employees could sign up to rotate through a schedule of 20-minute chats with senior executives.
“The level of executives who came to support the initiative was outstanding. Even our CEO sat down with some of the mentees,” Jones says. “It is easy to offer these programs, but when you see the senior leadership taking the time to participate, that’s a demonstration that they actually care about what’s happening.”
Jason Ng, shift supervisor and president of the NAYGN chapter, says senior leadership members go beyond sharing their knowledge at these events. “They’re also willing to listen and willing to hear from these young mentees who have just started. They listen to their stories and their journeys and to where they want to go in their careers,” he says.
“The sky’s the limit here,” Ng adds. “When I started, I was really welcomed to the company. I could see how I could spend my whole career here. There’s so much opportunity here.”
Karen Smith, vice-president and chief human resources officer, agrees. She started at Bruce Power in 2007, shortly after graduating from university, and was a mentor at the speed mentoring event. “It was exciting to see the bright young employees and to see people creating these networks and sharing their experiences,” she says.
“The beauty of Bruce Power is, no matter what you study at school, there is a good chance we have a role here, whether it’s engineering, operations maintenance, accounting, human resources or something else. I started my career in communications and then moved to HR.”
Smith believes the future of Bruce Power is bright. “It makes me optimistic. The people who work here are responsible for building our strong culture and we’re proud of their commitment to working safely to provide clean, reliable electricity to the people of Ontario and medical isotopes for the global medical community.”
More from Canada’s Top Young People Employers
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.