In order to shape an energy future that is...

Net Zero AND Inclusive AND Leverages Existing Assets AND Sustainable AND Equitable AND Innovative AND Prosperous for All...

instead of seeing "EITHER/OR" trade-offs,
Tech Stewards find "BOTH/AND" opportunities.

Why the Tech Stewardship for the Energy Transition Program?

Tech Stewardship is a professional identity, orientation and practice that supports people to find opportunities for creative solutions within the tensions they encounter as they work to accelerate the energy transition.

  • Meaning

    Tech Stewardship practice will help you build a meaningful career by enhancing your ability to contribute to the energy transition.

  • Credential

    Leading organizations are seeking employees who can navigate complexity. The TS+ Energy Transition micro credential will help you stand out in your field.

  • Connections

    Build your professional network by connecting with peers at other organizations and leaders who are working towards or have an interest in the energy transition.

Program Overview

The program is for any professionals or post-secondary students who are interested in becoming Tech Stewards for the Energy Transition.

This program builds upon the base Tech Stewardship Practice Program, which is a pre-requisite for this program.

If you have not yet completed the TSPP, there is an option to register for a version of the TSPP with the Energy Transition content integrated. In this case, you will earn both the base TSPP micro-credential and the additional TS+ET micro credential at the same time.

  • ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING
    Deepen understanding about the nature of technology, the energy transition and the relationship between them.
    Estimated 2 hrs to complete 3 practice cycles

  • ENERGY TRANSITION VOICES
    Hear tech stewardship reflections from energy professionals who are working to accelerate the energy transition.
    Estimated 1 hrs to sample videos

  • PRACTICE SIMULATIONS
    Engage with one or more scenarios that place you in the centre of a tough decision relating to the energy transition..
    Estimated 3 hrs to complete
    Including a group session (virtual & in-person options)

Presented In Collaboration With The Energy Futures Lab (EFL)

Since 2015, the EFL has been bringing together the diverse viewpoints of leading energy innovators and organizations in service of leveraging Canada’s energy assets and innovation capacity to accelerate an inclusive and equitable transition to a prosperous net zero future.

In the program, you will hear perspectives from numerous EFL Fellows and Community members.

The Energy Futures Lab is based in Alberta, Canada, the country’s largest energy producing region. This gives the EFL a unique perspective on the many tensions associated with the energy transition - and the resulting opportunities within them.

Whether you’re based in Alberta or not, we believe that the same fundamental tensions show up in other jurisdictions - so exploring them in the Alberta context should be informative no matter where you are based.

Earn A "TS for the Energy Transition"
Micro-Credential

What leaders are saying

“Too often technological development is focused on frivolous purposes when there is so much to be done to meet our sustainable development challenges.”

Mary Wells, Dean, Waterloo Engineering

“The creators and designers of technology have the right to interrogate the ethics of what they are developing. But our ethics only extend as far as our lines of inquiry. More responsible technology starts when we grant ourselves and each other the permission to inquire.”

Martin Ryan, Strategy & Stewardship, ServiceNow

“Diversity and inclusion is critical to both the means and ends of tech stewardship. To start we must combat the ‘myth of rationality’ in engineering and tech fields that has for too long created a headwind against substantive change.”

Marisa Sterling, P.Eng. – Past President, Professional Engineers Ontario

“To find regenerative paths forward, there is an opportunity to dance with different ways of knowing. Instead of choosing sides, we can enter a reflective space that welcomes a third presence where we combine insights from both.””

Melanie Goodchild – Co-Founder, Turtle Island Institute

Late Registration For The Winter 2024 Program Open

The program costs $160 CAD (approximately $120 USD).
There are discounted and free spots available through our many partners.
Click the "Register" button below for more info.

This program is for people who have already completed the base Tech Stewardship Practice Program (12hrs). If you have note yet completed this program, click here to register for the base Tech Stewardship Practice Program with the Energy Transition content integrated (16hrs total).

Funding Partners

Business + Higher Education Roundtable
Royal Bank of Canada - Future Launch

Facilitation Partners

Organizational Partners

Facilitators

Alison Cretney

Managing Director, Energy Futures Lab

Alison Cretney is the Managing Director of the Energy Futures Lab. She oversees the organization's strategic direction and operations, including supporting dozens of entrepreneurs, energy companies and stakeholders in generating opportunities to identify, test and scale new initiatives and collaborations. As a professional engineer, sustainability consultant and social innovator, Alison has advised and supported numerous multinationals, government agencies and startups. She has worked at the cross-section of energy, environment and collaboration for almost two decades.

Mark Abbott (he/him)

Director, Tech Stewardship

Mark Abbott, P.Eng., MBA, is an Ashoka Fellow who currently serves as the founding director of the Tech Stewardship Initiative and the Engineering Change Lab. Both initiatives are based at MaRS Discovery District, the world’s largest urban innovation hub. Tech Stewardship are the practices that help bend the arc of technological development towards benefit for all. The goal of the Engineering Change Lab is to make Tech Stewardship the new normal in the engineering community. Previously, Mark served as a member of the Executive Team at Engineers Without Borders Canada for several years. Before that, Mark spent fourteen years working for a heavy industrial consulting engineering firm based in Vancouver.

Mark Franklin (he/him)

Practice Leader at CareerCycles & Co-Founder of OneLifeTools

Mark Franklin, MEd, PEng, spent 10 years in engineering before shifting into career development. "People often ask me about my career change from engineering to career development. Really I never left engineering! In my work leading CareerCycles and OneLifeTools I “redeployed” my systems thinking and structured problem solving skills to focus on the 'wicked problems' of dissatisfaction and disengagement." Much of Mark's work is with engineers and others with technical professions, and leading employers who are looking for Tech Stewards (whether they use that term yet or not!). Mark has been involved in the Engineering Change Lab for several years.

Energy Futures Lab Community

A Diverse Group Of Leaders

Throughout the program, we will introduce you to a diverse group of leaders from the Energy Futures Lab (EFL) community. The EFL is an Alberta-based coalition that brings together the diverse viewpoints of leading energy innovators and organizations in service of leveraging Canada’s energy assets and innovation capacity to accelerate an inclusive and equitable transition to a prosperous net-zero future.

6hrs | Online | Self Paced

Late Registration For The Winter 2024 Program Open

This program is for people who have already completed the base Tech Stewardship Practice Program (12hrs). If you have note yet completed this program, click here to register for the base Tech Stewardship Practice Program with the Energy Transition content integrated (16hrs total).

FAQ

  • Can I take the TS for the Energy Transition Program (TS+ET) if I haven't yet completed the base Tech Stewardship Practice Program (TSPP)?

    We won't stop you, but if you haven't yet completed the base TSPP we recommend that you complete the TS+ET materials integrated with the base TSPP. This will require 12+4 = 16 hours as opposed to the 6 hours that would be required if you'd already completed the TSPP. When you click on "Register" on this page, it will give you this option.

  • Do I need a technical background? Will I learn in this program about how different energy technologies work?

    No - the program is specifically designed to look at our relationship with technology as individuals and as a society and examine how that relationship is shaping the energy transition. Every one of us is concerned about energy affordability and access but we are also concerned about climate change and pollution. How can we better understand these and many other value tensions so that we can be better informed on how we use, access, develop or otherwise support different technologies as part of the energy transition.

  • What if I disagree with this program or other participants when it comes to key questions about the energy transition?

    Good! This program is not about getting everyone to agree about one specific path forward when it comes to the energy transition - rather it is about enhancing our individual and collective capacity to understand different values and perspectives, and find opportunities within tensions. This program is about challenging ideas, not people. We welcome a diversity of opinions on what the energy transition should look like, but it's worth noting that our program recognizes anthropogenic climate change and is rooted in the scientific principles of sustainability.

  • What will the program look like / how will it be delivered?

    The program has been designed as a light and flexible overlay to existing work and education activities. It consists of a series of "practice cycles," each of which is framed around a simple, yet powerful question. Short videos are used to introduce questions and share sample responses before you are invited to share your own reflection. There is then a short debrief video before you go to the next cycle. There are slides that can act as a substitute or supplement for each video and optional resources materials for those who want to go deeper on any topic. The course also includes online interactive sessions with other Tech Stewards who are also taking the course. These sessions are a great way to maintain your practice once you’ve launched it.

  • How long / how much effort will the program take?

    The program is estimated to require 6hours of effort. This includes a 2 hour group session, which is offered with virtual and in-person options.

  • How will this program help me to get a job / advance my career?

    More and more leaders are looking for Tech Stewardship - whether they use the specific term or not. At the same time, leaders are engaging directly in the growing Tech Stewardship movement; you will have an opportunity to connect with some of them during the program. We also provide strategies to leverage the micro-credential you earn in the program to support continued connections once you're done.

  • How will I be evaluated?

    The program consists of a series of reflective questions that don't have right or wrong answers. Therefore, we won't be evaluating the substance of your responses, rather simply that you've taken the reflection process seriously.