YouthCEO event opens students eyes to opportunities

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This article was published 01/03/2018 (2968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Steve Kroft was in a business meeting.

The president and CEO of Conviron, a Winnipeg-based environment control company that has 250 employees from here to China, was in the midst of offering a group of prospective future colleagues some advice on Thursday morning.

“Every single person that starts at our company knows nothing about what we do,” Kroft was saying. “What you’ll find out is everyone is in the same boat that you are.

“Remember, everybody starts somewhere,” he added, speaking to about 20 young prospects, seated in a circle. “There are no dumb questions. You have to realize that you are the future of all of our businesses. You are going to do as least as much for us as we can do for you. All of you should feel that you have it in you.”

Then someone rang a bell after 10 minutes, and another 20 or so youth replaced the 20 Kroft was speaking to, and his pitch began anew.

Call it career speed dating.

And so it went for over an hour at the Neeginan Centre on Higgins Avenue during the first-ever YouthCEO Career Connections event, the brainchild of the Manitoba Business Council.

The format was simple: Over 250 students — mostly inner city, Indigenous and new Canadians — were split up into seven groups. Students from four northern First Nations communities — Shamattawa, Oxford House, Pauingassi and Lac Brochet — also were in attendance.

For about 10 minutes, they were sitting face-to-face with CEO’s and representatives from seven Winnipeg corporations who offered advice, provided background at the opportunities available with their companies, and took questions.

Along with Conviron, the companies included Bank of Montreal, True North Sports and Entertainment, New Flyer Industries, Wawanesa Insurance, Payworks and Duha Group, a Winnipeg-based global printing company.

Kevin Chief, vice-president of the Manitoba Business Council, said the idea for the YouthCEO event sprang from a MBC employment program that began last summer, where over 20 students were matched with 13 member companies.

The goal, said Chief, is to open the eyes of students to opportunities — bursaries, internships, scholarships — that they might not otherwise have known are available. And for companies to connect with the fastest growing population base in Manitoba: Indigenous youth and new Canadians.

“This is the future workforce of Manitoba,” Chief said. “Any indication of success will depend on what these young people do.”

Having top company representatives deal one-on-one with the students (which also included 100 in adult education) sends a message that the companies are committed, he added.

“It’s not just what these CEOs are saying, but where they say it,” Chief noted. “Right here in the heart of Point Douglas. It’s powerful. That sincerity builds understanding. That understanding builds co-operation. And when you have cooperation there’s not anything you can’t overcome.”

Joshua Barthelette, 18, agreed.

“We don’t even know about these opportunities until we come to things like this,” the University of Winnipeg Collegiate student said. “And it’s not just the workers (speaking), it’s the CEO’s. If the bossman comes, it means a little bit more.”

Barthelette and his friend, Dawson Adair, who both grew up in the North End, made sure to shake the hand of every company rep after each presentation. They asked questions at every station.

“It’s really humbling,” said Adair, 18, who also attends U of W Collegiate, “when big name companies come and talk to kids our age.”

Tiana Thorassie, a Grade 12 student from Lac Brochet, said she was nervous at first asking questions in a large group. “My heart was just racing, but I’m getting over it,” she said. “I sort of just challenge myself with things.”

Thorassie said she’s thinking of a career in nursing. That’s not uncommon for youth from northern First Nations, who often lean towards professions they most see in their communities: nurses, teachers, police. All the more need to expand horizons, said Lac Roche high school principal Pierre Bernier.

“For them to come here… it gives them some hope,” Bernier said. “This is huge for our kids.”

Can programs like YouthCEO work? Only time will tell. But for Kelsey Lands, the difference has already been made.

Lands, 23, was a YouthCEO participant who last summer interned at Payworks. When a temporary position opened up in October, she applied and was hired. On Feb. 5, she was hired by Payworks in client services — her first full-time job.

It was the same day her daughter, Jaylynn, turned two years old.

“It was a big day for me,” Lands said. “Definitely a lot of stress has been lifted from my shoulders. I’m very proud of myself. Now I get to experience a whole new perspective of the world. It’s going to be a long journey.”

The event’s guest speaker, Senator Murray Sinclair, welcomed the YouthCEO initiative. “For these young people, that’s the best thing to happen to them,” Sinclair said. “Now they can feel they can belong and they should belong.”

However, Sinclair said for the program to ultimately be successful or meaningful, participating companies have to be committed to providing support that will be needed to accommodate a workforce with a unique set of issues related to Aboriginal history and racism.

“That’s the challenge we’re going to place to these CEOs,” Sinclair said. “Once they open the door, how will you let them in? And when you let them in, what are you going to do to help them? You have to recognize what the new chemistry combination is going to be.”

To that end, during his speech, Sinclair played an emotional clip from a residential school survivor, who testified that despite the physical and emotional pain he endured, he deserved to be happy. The students were listening with rapt attention.

“You have the right to be valid,” Sinclair told the students. “You have the right to be happy. You have the right to be whatever you want to be.”

randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @randyturner15