Public Power - September/October 2007 - (Page 58)

may encourage them to stick with us. And, we’re better off than doing nothing. Breaking the gender gap— We have a bigger challenge in developing female candidates for this traditionally maledominated industry. It is hard to find women who can meet the strength requirements for field careers. Even when they can, these jobs are often not attractive to women. The T3 and College Internship Program assist in getting career information out in front of potential candidates. We have recruited several female engineering interns, but are still working on ways to attract women into our field careers. We are studying recruitment programs used by our police and fire departments as a possible model for the utility. Recruiting partners—One must never forget the best partners when recruiting younger, local candidates: their parents! If we can encourage candidates with potential local jobs, parents can use their influence to encourage their Hydraulic Tools Hydraulic pavement breakers, water pumps, impact wrenches, drills, cutters and crimpers, and tree trimmers. Battery Crimpers and Cutters Our tools make your jobs safer and easier. Stanley Hydraulics; the tools of choice for building and maintaining infrastructures. children to stay in their hometown with the prospect of a promising and rewarding career at the local utility. I have made presentations at various community meetings, encouraging parents to consider utility jobs when discussing career paths with their children. While we do not have direct interaction with the parents of staff in our training and internship programs, we know that they are at home rooting their kids to success. Why this is so important to me—Why is this so important to a middle-aged, white general manager, who appears to fit the demographic management stereotype we are all used to? While I am a white male, I am a gay white male, with an African-American partner, in an industry not known for gay members in the top ranks. (By the way, I have never experienced a derogatory comment to me in the nearly two decades I have been with the city and its utility.) Maybe this makes me more aware of diversity in the work force. It might also be a reason that I am focused on creating an environment where diversity is welcomed and seen as the strength it is. Diversity in the workplace makes the organization stronger and the community it serves a better place. Just like it takes a variety of skills to develop and build a successful project, it takes a variety of people to develop and build a great organization. s David Wright is general manager of Riverside Public Utilities. For more information about Riverside’s diversity and succession planning programs, contact him at DWright@RiversideCA.gov or 951/826-5781. Contact us today for more information Stanley Hydraulic Tools, Milwaukie, OR 97267 Tel 503-659-5660 Fax 503-652-1780 www.stanley-hydraulic-tools.com 58 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2007 PUBLIC POWER http://www.stanley-hydraulic-tools.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - September/October 2007

Contents Washington Focus 10 Questions Public Power (Every) Week Training Tomorrow’s Work Force What’s in Your Wallet? U.S. Lags in Broadband Deployment Now What? For Engineers Safety Community Broadband For Governing Boards Human Resources Hometown Connections Customer Service DEED Index to Advertisers Advertisers by Category Parting Shot

Public Power - September/October 2007

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