A program to help Parks Canada staff find their career path inside the government agency put employees in direct contact with upper levels of management for a no holds barred conversation.
The program, developed as part of the Generaction corporate initiative within Parks Canada, was held for the first time in Banff last week at Parks’ administration building.
Staff sat down with managers and supervisors to ask any question they had about furthering their career and afterwards the program will be launched across the country, according to Tracy Thiessen, executive director of the mountain parks.
“Parks Canada is trying to inspire youth and those who are looking to spark their career with career development advice and opportunities to find mentoring and a way to break into the Parks Canada system,” Thiessen said. “The agenda for the day is to expose staff to a senior management perspective.”
Dialogue and informal interaction made up most of the afternoon for any Parks staff in the Banff field unit who were interested in attending, including University of Calgary student Karen Lamola.
This summer is Lamola’s second working at Parks as coordinator of the young Canada works explorers program. She works with children between ages six and 11 and will soon head back to school for her fourth year in international relations.
Lamola said the day’s activities were helpful for her in considering a further career with Parks even if her degree is not directly related as there are still practical skills that can be valuable within the department.
“I think it is amazing, it is great Parks is being so open,” she said. “I think it is possible for me to start a career in Parks.”
Lamola said she used the opportunity to ask many questions and she is particularly interested in pursuing areas of the agency’s mandate that focus on bringing new Canadians into national parks.
For the first time, the agency also engaged in speed mentoring – developed by Thiessen and modeled after speed dating.
Upper management were paired with staff for three-minute mentoring sessions. Staff, said Thiessen, were encouraged to ask any question and had up to 20 mini mentoring sessions in one hour.
“This is all about Parks Canada’s effort to engage its workforce and help them develop careers,” she said.
Breaking into the public service is not easy, Thiessen added, but it is possible and the tools provided through the daylong workshop are meant to help those keen on career development.
There are definite career opportunities, but as a government agency, navigating the system can be daunting.
Michelle Macullo, communications advisor for the seven mountain parks, said had the program been in place 20 years ago when she began with Parks it would have made all the difference to her.
“I was keen, but I was clueless,” she said when she started as a campground attendant at Tunnel Mountain in 1991. “I got to where I am because of good luck.”
Macullo said her career would have developed in a different way had she had the opportunity to get a better sense of the organizational structure at Parks Canada and be exposed to people beyond the campground.
“It is a chance to let staff know it is okay to speak with supervisors and talk to managers,” she said.
Macullo spent eight seasons at the campground. With a background in journalism and political science, it wasn’t until she was in Wood Buffalo National Park and met the communications manager there that she was given the advice to speak with Banff’s communications manager.
“That gave me the courage to finally introduce myself and have a one-on-one with her,” she said. “There was a job posting a few months later and I got it.”
The communications manager at the time was Pam Veinotte, who is now superintendant for Banff.
Thiessen said the afternoon workshop is a prototype event. It is the first time Parks has undertaken such an initiative and after being held in Banff it will be reviewed, refined and used across the country.
“We will take our lessons learned, refine it and hand it out so it can be replicated across the country,” she said. “We are really proud it is starting here in Banff.”
