Manitoba's Top Employers

14 MANITOBA'S TOP 25 EMPLOYERS 2015 W hen you work for the Manitoba government, you don't just have a job, you have a career – with opportunities to grow professionally in a broad range of fields across 17 provincialdepartments. It's a place where many start in entry-level positions – including internship and student co-op placements – then move up into new opportunities, sometimes transitioning across other areas of operations, all with the sameorganization. Continuous professional development is encouraged through a range of learning opportunities, including educationalleaveandfinancialsupportforformaltraining,as wellasinformaldevelopmentopportunitiessuchaslearning events organized by employee networks and temporary assignmentsworkingonspecialprojects. Employees of the Manitoba government also benefit from a dedicated in-house learning and development unit, Organization and Staff Development, which provides an extensiverangeofdevelopmentopportunitiesforemployees on topics ranging from writing and communication skills, to diversityawareness,topolicyanalysis,andlanguagetraining. Their offerings include stand-alone workshops and more comprehensivecertificateprogramsinpartnershipwithpost- secondaryinstitutionsandothersubjectmatterexperts. In 2014, the Manitoba government launched a new interactive portal on their intranet site to further boost information-sharing among employees and senior management. The portal includes regularly updated content on workplace topics such as performance management, leadership and planning, discussion boards to exchange informationonthesetopics,andafunctionwhereemployees cansubmitideasonimprovementstogovernmentoperations directly to the highest-ranking Manitoba government civil servant,theClerkofExecutiveCouncil. This portal integrates with other internal communication tools such as an instant messaging system, virtual meeting tools, and a searchable database to find colleagues with professionalexpertiseinaparticulararea. Employee engagement is another key focus for the Manitoba government, which provides a number of ways for its14,000employeestoconnectandlearnabouttheworkof colleaguesinotherareasofgovernment. JessicaNatiukisaCo-ChairoftheManitobagovernment's New Professionals Network (NPN), an internal employee network particularly geared towards those who are new to a role or to the provincial government. The group's executive team organizes noon-hour learning sessions, an annual professionaldevelopmentconference,andafter-hourssocial eventsopentothenetwork's1,200members. "NPN has given me a chance to hone many skills for the work I do. The extra time outside of working hours to help run this network pays back tenfold in new connections and synergies – and a deeper understanding of the work we do aspublicservants,"saidNatiuk. Withover1,300members,ServiceQualityPartners(SQP) isanotherlargeManitobagovernmentemployeenetworkthat promotesinnovation,trainingandrecognition forManitoba's civilservants. As Tony Sailer, the Chair of this group explained, "SQP volunteers give their time to activities that help foster a collaborative and engaged workforce. For example, our largest annual event is the Manitoba Service Excellence Awards,whichrecognizescivilservantsthatgotheextramile intheirworkprovidingservicestothecitizensofManitoba." Saileraddedthatforhim,"theManitobagovernmentreally isaplacewherepeoplecanbuildcareers,notjustholdajob. Ithinkthat'sdefinitelyoneofthethingsthatdistinguishesus frommanyemployers." ByJenniferMcFeeforTheFreePress MANITOBA GOVERNMENT Manitobagovernmentoffers rewardingcareers TheManitobagovernmenthasseveralemployeenetworksheadedbyemployeeteamswhoorganizelearning sessions,newsletters,networkingactivitiesandothereventstoconnectwithcolleagues.Herearesomeof thenetworkleadersgatheredonthestepsoftheManitobaLegislativeBuilding.PhotobyDarcyFinley Yoursearchisover. TheManitobagovernmentoffersyouopportunity,diversityandarewardingcareer. We'relookingfortalentedindividualstocontributetheirenergy,passion,skillanddedication toservingManitobainoverahundredinterestingcareers. Weofferacompetitivesalaryandbenefitspackage,andanenvironmentthatencourages continuouslearningandcareergrowth.Joinusnow! ClickontheJobsbuttonatmanitoba.ca.

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