Taqa North, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, has been selected as one of Alberta’s Top 40 Employers.

The annual competition, now in its fourth year, recognises the best performing companies in the region based on eight criteria, including training and skills development, employee communications and work atmosphere.

The Alberta Top 40 Employers competition is backed by the two largest newspapers in Alberta: the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal. Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which offers the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.

Edmonton Journal and The Calgary Herald announced the results on October 18, as a prelude to Canada’s Top 100 Employers list to be announced later this year.

Taqa North managing director Frederic Lesage said the company’s inclusion in the 'Top 40 list' recognized Taqa’s ongoing commitment to its employees.

“This is a fantastic achievement and demonstrates the entire company’s commitment to creating a best in class workplace, which we can all be proud of,“ Lesage said.

"Taqa is delighted to be included amongst such a prestigious list of highly-respected companies," he added.

Employers were evaluated by the editors of Canada's 'Top 100 Employers' using the same eight criteria as the national competition: (1) Physical Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement.

The latest recognition comes only a month after Taqa North was awarded a 'Work Safe Alberta 2007' best safety performer award.

Taqa North, which has its corporate offices in Calgary and field operations located in Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan and Ontario, is part of the Taqa family of companies.

With interests in power generation, water production and oil and gas exploration and production, Taqa employs 2,800 people across Europe, North America, North Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

The company is listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and has a AA- credit rating from S&P and an Aa2 credit rating from Moody’s.-TradeArabia News Service