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Young Guns
Young Guns: Here's a tough one: What do an aspiring filmmaker, a drummer in a heavy metal band, and an eight-year veteran for the Army Reserves have in common? Answer: They are all part of an emerging workforce at the NEB, each only 25 years old or younger, and each having holstered enough talent, drive, expertise and fire power to successfully shoot the organization into the next 50 years.
At just 21 years of age, Jasmine Atay is already a seasoned veteran at the NEB. For two years this hip and stylish youngster has been designing communication material, videos, posters and reports for external and internal audiences at the Board. A graduate of the New Media Production and Design diploma from SAIT and passionate about illustration and cinematography, her job as graphic designer and multimedia specialist allows her creativity to thrive and contribute to an impressive portfolio of projects. "It's a great job," says Jasmine. "I like interacting with the 'older folks' here and I can bring new ideas to work with me every day."
While most of his friends hammer nails at their summer jobs, 23-year-old Rick Hegan confidently sits in the first co-op student chair position at the NEB - a new initiative developed to increase the potential for qualified students to choose long-term employment with the Board following graduation.
Currently working with the Learning and Development team to usher in the E-Learning program, build content for HR training courses and facilitate courses for NEB staff, Rick doesn't blink when asked if he was intimidated by the big shoes he was asked to fill. "I had two job offers the same day and knew the NEB was the one for me," says Rick. "When I'm finished school I'll have a Bachelor of Business Management, specializing in labour relations and a Bachelor of Arts in Historical Studies - it's a perfect fit." In May, Rick will be moving onto the Labour Relations team until heading back to the University of Lethbridge in the fall for his final year of studies. He currently plans to continue on his career path with the NEB after graduation. "They are grooming me to have a full time position," says Rick. "And since Megadeth doesn't need a new drummer, I'm definitely looking forward to sticking around."
Serendipity brought 25-year-old whiz kid, Kim Maddin to the NEB a year and a half ago - after an eight year stint in the Army - and she hasn't looked back since. "I was working with Natural Resources Canada in Ottawa and had to move to Calgary. I remember thinking to myself 'what am I going to do? There is no Government' there," says Kim. Then, in a twist of fate she met NEB employee Nadia McCarthy who fired her up for an available position at the Board. "When we met she asked what kind of engineer I was, I told her 'the unemployed kind'," she laughs.
Working on the Compliance Team, the well-spoken and wry chemical engineer's dizzying list of projects is impressive. "Right now I'm working on two application assessments, I'm the OPM on two section 58s and one section 52; I'm certified as an NEB inspector, I worked on an audit in January and am involved in assessing the Corrective Action Plan; I'm also a process steward for the Leave to Open process; collecting and analyzing data for the ESPI Report and am on the OPS QMS Committee'," she says grinning mischievously, "Plus, I get to play in the dirt once in a while, too."
Currently there are 16 other "Young Guns" at the NEB making up about five per cent of staff and each playing a valuable role at the Board. Jocelyn Elias, Human Resources Advisor thinks both the students and current cast of young, permanent employees gives a youthful perspective to the NEB. "It's definitely a win-win situation - the Board gets the best and brightest and they get meaningful work and a chance to build loyalty right from the start," says Jocelyn.
Clearly these 'Young Guns' are perfectly aimed for great careers and futures with the NEB. Bring on the next 50 years!
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