CEOs impressed by student program

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This article was published 11/07/2017 (3309 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In a rare role reversal, youth leaders and participants from an inner-city summer camp wowed a group of 13 CEOs from some of the province’s largest companies at an event launching a pilot program that introduces high-school grads to the world of business.

The program is called Youth CEO — Creative Employment Opportunities — and it is organized by the Business Council of Manitoba, in partnership with the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre (WASAC) and Centre for Aboriginal Human Resource Development.

It has connected 18 recent high-school grads, all of whom have been youth leaders at WASAC, with 13 Manitoba companies where they will have summer jobs that will expose them to the diverse kind of careers that exist in the business world. The student participants will gain valuable experience and then report back to WASAC, whose summer day camps provide free programming this summer for more than 2,000 inner-city kids.

The smiles on the faces of the 11 CEOs in attendance (two were out of town) made it clear they were likely as inspired as the students who helped put on the event, which included custom-made centrepieces and beautiful, hand-painted banners featuring logos of all the participating companies.

Steve Kroft, the CEO of Conviron, a manufacturer of plant-growth chambers, said interest was high from Business Council of Manitoba (BCM) members and non-members, but a decision was made to keep things small and get it right.

“But there is no reason to believe this program can’t be scaled up significantly,” Kroft said.

BCM, whose membership is made up of the CEOs of the largest employers in the province, has long stressed the importance of efforts to encourage more of the growing, young Indigenous community into the mainstream economy. It has a long-standing Aboriginal bursary program for post-secondary students and this is an effort to connect with students at an even earlier stage in their educational careers.

“There’s lots that government can do and lots that government can’t do and the business community is uniquely positioned to play a role,” Kroft said. “There is a perception that this is all about us wanting to help out our community. But this is about us wanting to build better businesses. We need these people to work in our businesses.”

Rylee Neepinak, 21, has been assigned to work at Conviron. He’s a high school graduate whose family is from Sagkeeng First Nation. He grew up in Winnipeg and has had a year of carpentry training.

“I didn’t know much about Conviron, but I feel blessed to have this opportunity and I’m looking forward to giving my best effort,” he said.

Kevin Chief, vice-president of the BCM and a former MLA, had a lot to do with initiating the program. Chief has often made a point of acknowledging the important encouragement he received during his own upbringing. He ran WASAC for several years before becoming an MLA.

He told the crowd at the Old Exhibition Centre, off Sinclair Street, that these business leaders believe in the potential and talent of the young people in attendance.

“They also believe that no matter who you are, no matter what start in life you’ve had, that everything should be possible and any job you aspire to is possible,” he said.

“It is irresponsible to ask any young person to overcome challenges or hardship unless you can show them others who have done it.”

It was an impressive show of commitment from the business leaders. Those present included CEOs Mark Chipman of True North Sports & Entertainment, Bob Silver of Western Glove Works, Edward Kennedy of the North West Company, Gerry Price of Price Industries, and Don Streuber of Bison Transport.

Barb Gamey, CEO of Payworks Payroll Services, has been assigned 20-year-old Kelsey Lands from Lac Seul First Nation northeast of Dryden, Ont. She’s a single mother who went back to finish her high school and wants to be an ultrasound tech.

“She’s amazing,” Gamey said.

“We have a really great program lined up for Kelsey including sitting in on board and management meetings. We hope to open up her mind to opportunities to things she had not thought about for educational pursuits including coding and marketing.”

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca