MONTREAL, March 1, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada has been named one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers for the fourth consecutive year. In recognizing Air Canada, Mediacorp Canada Inc. cited the airline's ongoing work to foster inclusiveness through various partnerships, its success outreaching directly to diverse communities when recruiting and other initiatives. 

"We are very proud to be recognized for cultivating diversity and inclusion as these are important strengths for a global airline like Air Canada.  By having a diverse and inclusive workforce, we can attract and retain the best talent and our customers and stakeholders also see themselves and their cultures reflected in our 30,000 employees. Our people work in more than +80 languages, and women occupy prominent roles throughout our airline, from non-traditional roles to the C-suite," said Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Senior Vice President, People, Culture and Communications at Air Canada.

"We continually nurture diversity and inclusivity by offering equal career opportunities to qualified members of all communities. The recruitment partnerships we have undertaken with First Nations, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, and other communities all aim to replenish our diverse talent base. This award is also welcome because it raises awareness that anyone qualified with the right skills and aptitude can be sure Air Canada is inclusive and welcoming."

In naming Air Canada, Mediacorp Canada Inc. cited the airline's inclusivity through partnerships including:

• Indspire's Indigenous scholarship and award program, providing financial support for Indigenous students completing their education in an aviation-related program such as pilot or aircraft mechanic;
• a program with Jazz Aviation to create a partnership with First Nations Technical Institute to help young Aboriginal students become pilots -- the initiative includes guidance on resume and job interview preparation as well as site visits to flight simulators and flight operations;
• Ready, Willing and Able to match the unique qualifications of candidates with intellectual disabilities or Autism Spectrum Disorder to specific roles -- the company also participates in Dolphin Digital Technologies' disability mentoring day.

Canada's Best Diversity Employers competition recognizes the nations' leaders in creating inclusive workplaces for employees from five diverse groups:  women, visible minorities, persons with disabilities, Aboriginal peoples, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) peoples.  Employers are selected by the editors at Mediacorp based on submissions to the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers project.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving nearly 220 airports on six continents. Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2018 served nearly 51 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 63 airports in Canada, 56 in the United States and 100 in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,317 airports in 193 countries. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax, which also named Air Canada the 2018 Best Airline in North America. For more information, please visit: aircanada.com/media, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.                                      

SOURCE Air Canada