Bridging the gap between youth and employment

North End youth continue to be connected with some of the most prominent organizations in the city for job opportunities.

The Business Council of Manitoba held its second #YouthCEO Career Connections event on March 1 at Neeginan Centre where more than 200 young people, including Indigenous youth and new Canadians, were exposed to the opportunities that are some of the most significant companies in Manitoba.

The event is organized by the BCM in partnership with the Centre for Aboriginal Human Resource Development and the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sports Achievement Centre.

This time, CEOs and their human resource directors would spend about 15 minutes in a circle, and the groups of youth would take turns to talk to each of the companies. #YouthCEO also brought in kids from four northern Manitoba communities.

"It’s a great opportunity for young people to learn about summer internships, about bursaries, about scholarships, about the kinds of opportunities that are available in some of these big companies and they got to ask and hear directly from the CEOs," Kevin Chief, BCM vice-president, said.

From the first #YouthCEO event held last summer, the participants were hired for summer internships, and some of them even got permanent jobs out of it.

Kelsey Lands, a graduate of St. John’s High School, interned with Payworks and now has a permanent job with them.

"Today’s event helps students learn about the different career paths available in Manitoba companies," Lands said. "Taking part in the program last summer has led me to a full-time job with Payworks and a chance to give my two-year-old daughter a better future."

Chief added companies realize they need more young employees and the youth need these companies for employment. Therefore, BCM is bridging the gap between the two. He said it is especially crucial that CEOs are making themselves available to North End kids.

"These things they are saying are going right in the community," he continued. "They launched the summer employment program in the North End of Winnipeg, in the Old Exhibition Grounds. Our Career Connections event, the CEOs came right into the heart of North Point Douglas, at the Neeginan Centre, so it’s not just what they are saying, it’s where they are saying it."

"When we close the gap between young people and the opportunities that exist and give it to them directly, they take full advantage of it. You see the excitement and the enthusiasm of these young people, but you see how inspired our CEOs are."

Another highlight of the day was the presence of Sen. Murray Sinclair, who spoke to the participants about reconciliation and how we can all come together to build understanding.

The Business Council companies involved included New Flyer Industries, True North Sports and Entertainment, Wawanesa Insurance, Conviron, Payworks, Duha Group, and Bank of Montreal. Students included young people from across Winnipeg, four Northern communities, and adult education students from CAHRD.

"These are people who are deeply committed to making our city and our province the best place to live and invest and raise a family. They help people by creating jobs and hiring people," Chief added.

"They know that they need to reach out to this young population and make sure that they got the tools that they need, to have the skills that they need to make sure that, when they are ready, there are jobs available for them."