Creating Employment Opportunities

Our business activities and community investments have an impact on the growth and prosperity of the communities where we work. At Canadian Natural, we engage the local community across all of our operations by developing and promoting local capacity in all areas of our business.

We also support training and employment initiatives that enable the continued development of local workforces near our operations, so that we can train and employ people in the communities where we operate. We work with the communities, and with local and regional contractors, to explore potential employment opportunities. Canadian Natural continues to work closely with First Nations, Métis Settlements and local colleges to develop skilled trades programs that are accessible and affordable for community members. Examples of employment initiatives supported by our Company include the Blue Quills Camp Life Program and the Northeast Alberta Apprenticeship Initiative.

Since 2012, we have sponsored 37 students from the Northeast Alberta oil sands region, Bigstone Cree Nation, Saddle Lake Cree Nation, Onion Lake Cree Nation and Beaver Lake Cree Nation, to attend the Camp and Catering Program at the Blue Quills First Nations College in St. Paul, Alberta. All graduates from this program are offered employment with camp services providers working with the oil and natural gas, and construction sectors. This 12-week pre-employment program provides students with training and workplace readiness education for careers as camp attendants. It offers hands on experience in the areas of food production, housekeeping services, clerking and maintenance, as well as certification in 11 essential safety tickets. Most importantly, the program is designed to prepare individuals for a successful job placement and retention within the industry by addressing core life skills such as: personal and workplace communication, problem solving, conflict resolution and building healthy relationships.

The Northeast Alberta Apprenticeship Initiative (NEAAI) provides learning and support systems to increase the number of skilled Aboriginal tradespeople in Northeast Alberta. The initiative is a partnership between seven First Nations communities, post-secondary institutions, the provincial and federal governments, and industry.

Our Employees

Our business depends on a diverse workforce of individuals who take pride in ‘working together’ and ‘doing it right’. In 2015, we employed more than 7,500 full-time employees and more than 1,000 contractors worldwide, and hired 439 new employees. 

At Canadian Natural, hiring and developing local people is one of our priorities. We do this through internal training and mentorship, which are essential to our culture. We believe that creating a workforce of empowered employees is a key to “creating value” and therefore, developing people also means promoting people from within our staff whenever possible. At our Côte d’Ivoire (CDI) operations in Offshore Africa, for example, we work with the local community and the education system to develop local people. CNRI employs approximately 40 Individuals in CDI, 90% of whom are Ivorian, including two members of Management. Read some of their stories, inspired by hard work, mentorship and continuous development, in our 2015 Stewardship Report to Stakeholders (page 22).

To further support our recruiting goals, we participate in information sessions at universities, colleges, and career fairs.

In 2015, the employment created by our North American operations and through our capital investment program is equivalent to 60,300 person-years, including direct, indirect (suppliers) and induced (economy at large) employment. To learn more about the employment created by our Company, as well as additional benefits of our operations, visit our 2015 Stewardship Report to Stakeholders and our Economic Contributions section.