As a company that values collaboration and innovation, TransCanada is committed to encouraging diversity of background, gender and experience in the workplace. When our employees are able to bring a wide range of knowledge and opinion to the table, their decisions are invariably more creative.

"Such diversity of thought propels our company forward," according to Renate Poole, Senior Human Resources Consultant, HR Talent Acquisition, "and keeps us on the leading edge of the industry."

For years we have reached out to many who have long been under-represented in the workforce - women, Aboriginal people, visible minoities and people with disabilities - through training opportunities and employment programs. We have made great strides on all those fronts.

In the first quarter of this year, we embarked on yet another venture in the field of diversity. We partnered with the national, not-for-profit Youth in Motion organization to connect new Canadians under the age of 20 with TransCanada employees who expressed an eagerness to mentor them about the world of work.

Between January and April, 21 Calgary-based TransCanada employees each volunteered five to seven hours of their time to this important program. They connected with their "mentees" either face-to-face or via email or telephone and shared their insights into the lifestyle and expectations of corporate Calgary. Formal training for the mentors was provided by Youth in Motion staff.

To the surprise of some mentors, they found that they, too, learned a great deal. They came away from the experience with a new appreciation of the different perspectives their young mentees brought to the discussions and a host of ideas about how to serve as more effective leaders within our own company.

"We sometimes forget that mentoring is a two-way street," says Renate. "As a result, opportunities like this have much to contribute to the understanding of diversity and the removal of age-old employment barriers."