PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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FUTURE FOCUSED
MEETING LOCAL NEEDS
Over the next year, Branches will continue to build upon the suc- cesses of the past year and will be working on several new initia- tives, including succession planning. “Before, the different Branches were going their own way,” says Mr. Walters. “Now, we have more direction. We’re no longer isolated islands working on our own. People are more involved, and the changes we’ve made will help the Branches be more successful in our activities.” Ms. Oler, who first volunteered with APEGA five years ago as a recent university grad, encourages Members to get engaged and be part of their professional community. She just transferred jobs from Lethbridge to Calgary, and has already contacted the local Branch to see how she can get involved. And she continues to be involved with APEGA as a legislative review champion. “It’s important for me to know what’s going on in the profes- sion, and have a say in how things evolve,” she says.
Branches have been working hard to streamline their events to bet- ter meet the needs of Members. “We need to engage with our membership to find out what ser- vices they’re really interested in. Are they interested in PD sessions at lunch, or does it work better for them in the evening?” asks Mr. McCuaig. Surveys are being used to find out what works best for Members in the various communities. Each Branch has different needs, wants, and capabilities, so the offerings vary by location. Calgary and Edmonton, for example, have big membership bases and hold monthly luncheons in their downtown cores, close to the workplaces of many Members. Other branches have fewer Members, and often Members and their com- munities are spread out over large areas. “That’s a big challenge, reaching those Members who aren’t located in the community where you’re holding events,” says Sa- mantha Oler, P.Eng., who’s served as Lethbridge Branch Secretary for the past several years. “Lethbridge Branch includes communi- ties like Crowsnest Pass and Taber, which are up to an hour away, so we’ve been exploring new ways to reach out to those Members.” The Lethbridge Branch just finished planning its 2016 calendar and has expanded its offerings to include four lunch-and-learns and two PD seminars, which is more than double the number of events held this year. “We want to get our Members more involved, so we’re looking at doing something every second month,” says Ms. Oler. In Edmonton, notes Mr. McCuaig, the Branch Executive is look- ing at holding events in outlying communities like Spruce Grove and Sherwood Park and providing a mix of both professional and social events. The Branch is also exploring ways to better engage with female Members, Aboriginals, and Members originating from other countries, by holding events targeted at their interests and needs. Finding ways to increase volunteer participation at the Branch level, especially for science outreach, is also a top priority. Calgary Branch has expanded its offerings. As well as regu- lar luncheons and seasonal activities like golf tournaments, it has formed a social committee to bring Members together for family events, like a TELUS Spark family night that attracted over 200 guests. “This is another way to allow our Members, from many different industries and age groups, to engage and chat in an infor- mal environment,” notes Ramez Hanna Alla, P.Eng., former Calgary Branch Outreach Coordinator. Of course, Members won’t go to events if they don’t know about them, so communication is an important focus for APEGA and the Branches. “Our messaging sometimes isn’t getting out there, so people don’t know when events are happening. That’s something we’re working on improving,” says Ms. Oler. The Lethbridge Branch has looked at doing mailouts, and developing key contacts within Permit Holders, who would keep their staff informed about Branch activi- ties. The Branches have also worked with APEGA staff to strength- en their messaging in electronic branch newsletters. Social media is another channel for Branch communication. Several Branches now have Facebook groups to encourage interac- tion with Members, and more Branches will follow suit.
BRANCHING OUT APEGA’s 10 Branches represent the following regions: Calgary Central Alberta Edmonton Fort McMurray Lakeland Lethbridge
Medicine Hat Peace Region Vermillion River Yellowhead
CALL FOR ACTION APEGA’s Yellowhead Branch hasn’t been active for many years. All we need is a few volunteers willing to help re- start it. APEGA staff will provide the support you need. The Branch is located to the southwest of Edmonton and is made up of the following communities: Alder Flats, Blue Ridge, Brule, Buck Creek, Cadomin, Carrot Creek, Carval, Cynthia, Drayton Valley, Edson, En- trance, Entwistle, Evansburg, Fox Creek, Gainsford, Granada, Grande Cache, Green Court, Haddock, Hinton, Jasper, Lodgepole, MacKay, Marlboro, Mayerthorpe, Muskeg River, Niton Junction, Nojack, Northville, Obed, Peers, Pocahontas, Robb, Rochfort Bridge, Rocky Rapids, Sangudo, Violet Grove, Whitecourt, Wildwood.
MORE INFO HEIDI YANG, P.ENG., FEC, FGC (HON.) APEGA Director, Member Services hyang@apega.ca
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