Inter Pipeline Ltd.: Supporting women and gender-diverse individuals on the path to life-changing careers

Published On

August 28, 2024

Catherine felt it was time for a career change after spending years as an esthetician.

After meeting many clients who worked in the skilled trades and transportation, the nudge in the right direction would come from Catherine’s lash chair. On a quest to find new opportunities, she started talking to some of her clients about what they do for work and what they were passionate about. She discovered many of her clients were power engineers, and that piqued her interest.

“They shared the diversity of [the work]. I think it’s really interesting how you can work anywhere in the world and in so many different places, not just in plants in Fort McMurray but also in hospitals and schools. And there are also endless learning opportunities [as a power engineer],” says Catherine. “And I think that’s really cool,”

Since hearing her clients’ stories, Catherine’s interest in powering engineering has grown over the last 4 years. With no experience, she wanted additional support to get ready for the industry. One of her clients graduated from Women Building Futures, and that led Catherine to the non-profit, where she found what she was looking for.

“I really wanted to be part of a group that empowered women and helped them prepare for and get into [industry]. I obviously don’t have any on-site experience, so I wanted all the resources to be successful. It can be quite intimidating to enter a male-dominated industry with no experience. I wanted to be ready,” says Catherine.

Catherine recently graduated from the Women Building Futures’ Power Engineer Career Accelerator program, a free introductory 2-week program comprised of workplace readiness training. The program is for students starting an approved power engineering program at one of our partner post-secondary institutions. Catherine is now starting her Power Engineering 4th Class Comprehensive program at Keyano College.

“I’m so happy to be moving forward,” says Catherine.

Supporting women on their path to a new career—and new life—would not be possible without the support from partners. Over the last 4 years, Inter Pipeline Ltd. has helped Women Building Futures surround women and gender-diverse people with the support they need to change their lives.

Inter Pipeline’s investment in Women Building Futures has allowed us to deliver industry-relevant training programs in Alberta, including the Power Engineer Career Accelerator program. Through their support, more women like Catherine are on the path to life-changing careers.

Thank you, IPL, for your immense support!

To learn more about our PECA program, visit https://womenbuildingfutures.ca/programs/power-engineer-career-accelerator/