Lunch Along the Pipeline initiative connects Enbridge scholarship students, industry pros
Lunch is on the menu, but Michael Hnatiuk has an appetite for insight.
Before he sits down at a busy downtown Calgary restaurant to meet with a group of Enbridge Pipelines employees, Hnatiuk has a long list of questions ready in his mind. The second-year University of Calgary engineering student, who’s taken time out from studying for midterm exams to attend this meeting, is determined to make the most of the next hour-and-a-half.
Joining Hnatiuk for the lunch meeting are Enbridge engineers Stephen Hunt, who specializes in transient modeling, and Jo-Yi Wei, an infrastructure planning supervisor, as well as Enbridge’s Gina Phipps, a human resources advisor, and another engineering student from the U of C.
“It’s great to sit down with people from industry, especially engineers, and find out: ‘What’s a typical work day like? Why did they choose engineering? How did they get into this line of work?’ Any information that can help me to visualize future career possibilities,” says Hnatiuk, a 21-year-old Aboriginal student who’s midway through a four-year electrical engineering program.
This gathering, and others like it, are part of an Enbridge pilot initiative called Lunch Along the Pipeline. It’s part of an effort to strengthen relationships with Aboriginal students who have received Enbridge scholarships in the past.
“In each case, it involves a casual information interview event that matches Enbridge Aboriginal scholarship and bursary recipients with Enbridge staff for a lunch meeting. It’s another way we can support the students’ professional development — help them build the networking and people skills they can use later to find employment,” says Zoe Rezac, a key Lunch Along the Pipeline organizer and an Aboriginal community investment and training advisor with Enbridge.
Since Lunch Along the Pipeline was launched last fall, 13 students and 12 Enbridge employees have taken part in five events in Edmonton, Calgary and Sarnia, Ont. And judging by Hnatiuk’s response, it’s the kind of event that’s welcome to students.
“I can still remember how important this support was when I was a student. When someone in industry gives you advice or shares contacts to help you to get your foot in the door, it’s greatly appreciated,” says Hunt, who graduated in 2008 with a chemical engineering degree from the University of Alberta and now leads a team of technical engineering specialists.
Rezac notes that the Lunch Along the Pipeline initiative benefits Enbridge, too – as a conduit for potential recruitment.
“We can stay in touch with past Enbridge scholarship and bursary recipients as a potential talent pool for summer student, internship and entry-level positions,” she says.
Hnatiuk still has two more years to complete his degree, but his lunch meeting has given him more to consider. “I learned more about Enbridge and now have a bigger picture of what engineering means in oil and gas,” he says. “The meeting was a really positive experience.”
