Hydro One announces Women in Engineering University Partnership

TORONTO, ON – Hydro One has announced a new partnership with the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) to increase enrolment and career opportunities for female students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Three other Ontario universities are also part of the partnership: Ryerson University, University of Waterloo and Western University.

The Hydro One Women in Engineering University Partnership program will support female students by:

• Launching a campaign to increase the awareness and understanding of engineering as a career option for young women.
• Enhancing the success of female undergraduate students by providing support through mentoring and other networking opportunities.
• Creating supportive networks for female engineering graduates as they transition into the workforce, providing co-op and internship opportunities and workforce preparation development.

According to the 2006 Census, Statistics Canada reported just over 10 per cent of all electrical engineers in Ontario are women. The goal of the partnership is to increase the number of female engineering students and graduates over the next four years by leveraging the expertise and leadership of each university and Hydro One.

“Hydro One is committed to investing in educating and training our future workforce,” said Carmine Marcello, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hydro One. “We understand the benefits, from a personal, professional and societal perspective, of greater involvement of women in science, technology and engineering and are proud that 20 per cent of our engineers are women, but we want to see that number increase. With up to 30 per cent of Hydro One’s workforce eligible to retire in the next five years, promoting careers in engineering is a timely initiative.”

“On behalf of UOIT and the students who will benefit from the generosity of Hydro One, I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you,” said Dr. Tarlochan Sidhu, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, UOIT. “This investment in our students will strengthen the opportunities for our female engineering students to become leaders in the 21^st-century workplace.”

This $1.4 million investment is the second major partnership Hydro One has created with educational institutions in Ontario. In 2007, the Hydro One College Consortium was created in partnership with Algonquin, Georgian, Mohawk and Northern Colleges. The funding provided for this program supports scholarships, curriculum development, co-op placements and equipment to educate the next generation of energy professionals.

In 2008, Hydro One was awarded the Ontario Colleges Community/Corporate Partnership Award in recognition of its contribution to the advancement of Ontario’s college system.

Hydro One delivers electricity safely, reliably and responsibly to homes and businesses across the province of Ontario and owns and operates Ontario's 29,000 km high-voltage transmission network that delivers electricity to large industrial customers and municipal utilities, and a 121,000 km low-voltage distribution system that serves about 1.3 million end-use customers and smaller municipal utilities in the province. Hydro One is wholly owned by the Province of Ontario.

Media contact

Melissa Levy
UOIT Communications and Marketing
905.721.8668 ext. 2513
289.928.0268 (cell)
melissa.levy@uoit.ca

Hydro One Media Relations
1.877.506.7584
416.345.6868