Testimonials

Don't just take our word for it. Read on to learn about what some recent new grad participants were working on.
 

"I highly recommend TransAlta's New Graduate Program as a way to discover where your passions lie, hone and enhance your skills and build your network before taking on a longer term role."

By completing four 6 month rotations, the New Grad program at TransAlta gives recent grads the chance to explore a variety of departments across the company. This allows the New Grad to apply their knowledge right away and discover his or her strengths and align them with interests. My time in the New Grad program gave me front line experience on projects which exposed me to a wide array of groups in TransAlta, and allowed me to develop my network.

I highly recommend the program as a way to discover where your passions lie, hone and enhance your skills and build your network before taking on a longer term role.

Patrick Taylor, BA International Relations & Applied Energy Economics

"From contributing to trading strategies, to presenting to senior management on key initiatives, I have built a foundation of knowledge and experience that will advance my career in the future."

Having had the opportunity to work in a diverse set of business groups at TransAlta, the New Graduate program over the past two years has helped me develop the skill set needed to be successful in the corporate world. From contributing to trading strategies, to presenting to senior management on key initiatives, I have built a foundation of knowledge and experience that will advance my career in the future. Now that the four rotations have been completed, I have accepted a full time position on the Corporate Development team to start in early 2012. Looking back to the process of the job hunt after University and considering my personal growth over that time, I cannot think of a more effective way to have spent the last two years. The business insight, exposure and the levels of responsibility I have earned will be instrumental in my future and is a true testament to the value of a rotation oriented program.

Ben Gudewill, BComm in Energy Management

"The opportunity to rotate through different work groups has given me a clearer direction for my career."

TransAlta’s New Grad Program has provided me with the opportunity to develop my career, try the areas I’m interested in, and build my network. It’s difficult to know exactly what you want to do post-graduation, but the opportunity to rotate through different work groups has given me a clearer direction for my career”.

Jennifer Patzer, Bachelor of Commerce, HR

"I really appreciated the degree to which I was involved in this project, and was happy to see how many decisions were based on my model."

During my first rotation in the reliability engineering and performance group, I worked with my supervisor on an extensive study of erosion in the coal-fired boilers at our Alberta thermal plants. I had the opportunity to work with several experts, and to develop an Excel-based model to estimate the maintenance work required. The data collected came from various sources including the plant historian, the inspection team database, and lab analyses. I also consulted engineers and supervisors at the plant regarding maintenance practices and procedures. I really appreciated the degree to which I was involved in this project, and was happy to see how many decisions were made based on the model. On the whole, it was a great learning opportunity and a very rewarding experience."

Binnu, B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering

“These diverse experiences have given me a solid understanding of our business and an appreciation for how asset management impacts the bottom line.”

Throughout my experience in the New Graduate Program, I was exposed to a variety of areas in both Engineering and Maintenance Planning. Within Technical Services I was involved with regulatory work to ensure compliance with NERC and AESO operating standards. I also did two rotations at our Alberta Thermal coal-fired generating stations in both Plant and Project Engineering. These roles provided hands-on experience working with maintenance and operations to scope out major maintenance work and commission electrical and instrumentation projects. Lastly, in support of our long-range forecast development, I conducted benchmarking assessments of our coal and gas plants to measure the effectiveness of our maintenance spending. These diverse experiences have given me a solid understanding of our business and an appreciation for how asset management impacts the bottom line.

Anthony, B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering

"This rotation allowed me to build financial modeling skills and techniques I will be able to apply to any role in the future."

During my last rotation in the New Graduate Program, I was responsible for utilizing complex financial models to value a variety of TransAlta’s assets. Dynamic forecasts were used in these valuations; for example: future commodity prices, depreciation rates, cost escalations, operational forecasts, and tax complexities are considered. In this role I also interacted with all corners of the organization to forecast future earnings and returns on an asset by asset basis. I have been exposed to many factors going into strategic investment decisions. This rotation allowed me to build financial modeling skills and techniques I will be able to apply to any role in the future.

David, B.Comm in Finance, B.A. in Economics

“Looking back, each rotation has allowed me to acquire various set of skills and expand my network within the company.”

I recently finished my last rotation as a New Grad in Investor Relations. In this role, I had the opportunity to work with the executive team in the development of presentations and communication materials for road shows and conference calls. I was also responsible for providing weekly and monthly reports to senior managers and the Board of Directors informing them of market trends, shareholder activities, and TransAlta’s performance relative to its peers. Looking back, each rotation has allowed me to acquire a different set of skills and expand my network within the company.

Yeganeh, B.Comm in Finance