Last fall, some YP's participated in a virtual games night

Associated Engineering has long promoted learning, peer mentoring, and networking for young professionals through our Young Professionals (YP) Group. Young professionals in our offices organize activities, seminars, and field trips to promote technical and personal growth. 

Currently, our Young Professionals Group consists of approximately 350 people across the company. Melanie Richmond, National Chair, and Max Lauretta, National Vice-Chair lead our YP Group. Local YP Chairs and committees in our offices coordinate local activities. Management and our senior leadership team provide strong support of our YP Group; their support has been essential over the last few months, as most of the YPs are working remotely.

Throughout the year, the local YP Chairs have organized virtual professional and technical development events, such as networking sessions, lunch and learns, webinars, and socials. Events have included “Meet the Managers”, Envision training, networking with external YP groups, and after-work trivia games.

At a national level, YPs hosted the first National Panelist Webinar in May, with Martin Jobke, President & CEO, Lance Kubrak, COO, and Lianna Mah, Vice President of Business Development. The panelists discussed key areas of concern for YPs, such as flexible work options, career advancement while working remotely, and COVID-19 impacts. 

A second National Panelist Webinar is planned for early 2021, which will feature new panelists and address topics such as mentorship while working remotely, returning to the office, and paternity/ parental leave.

In November 2019, the Calgary YPs took a technical tour of the Calgary Zoo to learn what goes on in the “background” at the Calgary Zoo.

Another initiative that started in 2020 is the Technical Leadership Series. The objectives of this series are for YPs to virtually meet our Technical Vice Presidents and National Practice Leaders, learn about their roles, and gain insights on their areas of expertise. 

As we start a new year, the YP Chairs are already collaborating and arranging events to allow all YPs to continue their professional and technical development as we continue to navigate the ‘new normal’.