Canada Youth to Business Report 2016

Canada Youth to Business Report 2016

55 Business Representatives | 30 Universities | 4000+ Delegates

May 6th, 2016 - Toronto, ON c

Table of Contents 3. Global Competencies 4. About AIESEC 5.Youth to Business Breakfast & Summit 6. Canadian Youth Voice Survey 9. Youth to Business Forum - Endorsement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 10. Youth to Business Forum - Panels and keynote speakers 11. Partners 12. Acknowledgements and contact

Global Competencies: What competencies do Canadian Youth need to bring to the workforce?

First off, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to open this report. AIESEC Canada went through a historic year by positively impacting the lives of more Canadian youth than ever before. I hope that you get a lot out of this report and that you are able to derive solid, thorough findings for yourself and/or for your organization.

In this report, we will explore the discussions AIESEC Canada has had through the Canada Youth to Business Series between June, 2015 and May, 2016.

The Youth to Business Breakfast, held in June 2015 hosted discussions around how Millennials, Educators, and Employers can work together to bridge the gap between education and industry.

The Canadian Youth Voice Survey, powered by Leger is an in-depth look at what Canadian youth want out of their future careers. The focus of this survey is to identify the gaps between education and industry.

The Youth to Business Summit, held in December 2015 had conversations about skills transference and the importance of storytelling in translating young people’s experiences through volunteerism and education to their careers.

The Youth to Business Forum, held in May 2016 was the 5th annual rendition of AIESEC Canada’s premier event. The theme of the forum this year was Global Competencies: What competencies do Canadian Youth need to bring to the workforce?

So, keep reading! Learn more about our organization, our key findings, and the importance of partnering with youth on turning Canada’s issues into opportunities.

Mitch Donnelly National Vice-President, Business Development AIESEC Canada 2015-16

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About AIESEC Present in 124 countries and territories with over 80,000 members - AIESEC is the worlds' largest student-run organisation. Focused on providing a platform for youth leadership development, AIESEC offers young people the opportunity to be global citizens, change the world and garner the experience and skills that matter today.

For over 60 years, students involved in AIESEC have gained skills and competencies through challenging leaderhsip experiences, international interships, and interaction with and extensive global network.

AIESEC in Canada founded in 1958, has over half a century of experience in developing high-potential youth into globally-minded responsible leaders through partnerships with business, government, and institutions of higher education.

AIESEC in Canada is currently present in 30 universities with over 2,000 members.

About Youth to Business The Canada Youth to Business Series is a group of events run throughout the year. All of these events focus on key themes around key barriers to Canadian competitiveness, innovation, and bridging the gap between education and employment.

The series aims to connect Business, Government, Educators and Youth as equal stakeholders in creating a better Canada.

These touchpoints create a space where all stakeholders involved can collaborate on turning Canada's key issues into opportunities.

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The Youth to Business Summit The Youth to Business Summit, held in December 2015 had conversations about skills transference and the importance of storytelling in translating young people’s experiences through volunteerism and education to their careers.

Through conversations with some of AIESEC Canada’s partners who looked to hire AIESECers after university, we identified a barrier to entry into their workplace was the lack ability to translate their experiences through volunteerism (i.e. AIESEC) and academia. We addressed this through the theme of our Youth to Business Summit by actively engaging students who were finishing their leadership roles in AIESEC and looking to start their careers. We ran several sessions from “What are your options?” to “This means that” where members were able to qualify and quantify their experiences.

The Youth to Business Breakfast How Can Millennials, Educators and Employers work together to further bridge gap between wducation and industry?

AIESEC in Canada hosted facilitated dialogue with Canada's top Employers, Educators and Young leaders to identify actions that each stakeholder can implement to better collaborate together and support more successful transitions for young leaders from education to industry. Below is the output from those discussions: Educators were instructed to develop job shadowing programs with industry leaders to provide students with a better understanding of their field. This will foster a more realistic view of the industry itself, develop lifelong connections with industry leaders, and help students better prepare to enter the workforce.

Employers were instructed to develop a work culture that allows for control over work, clear development opportunities, team cohesion, appreciation, and flexibility to keep new and young employees satisfied in the workplace.

In addition employers should seek out opportunities to have early touch points with university and high school students to engage, and connect with young leaders. This will help build relationships between employees and students, and is an opportunity to set clear expectations on the skills and competencies needed to get into the industry or company.

Millennials were instructed to start aligning themselves to the roles and industry they hope to work in after secondary or post secondary education. Educators and Employers both instructed students to focus on developing their skills in adaptability, growth mindset, communication, and self awareness.

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Canadian Youth Voice Survey What is the Canadian Youth Voice survey?

The Canadian Youth Voice survey aims to bridge the gap between education and industry.

Young people are most affected by this gap, and have a responsibility to shape the future they want to see. By gathering the youth perspective on the state of Canada's education system and workplace culture, we are better able to shape the direction of Canada's economic and educational institutions. Youth will decide how out businesses are run. Youth will deďŹ ne how our education systems must change. Youth will determine what our organizations value.

1% Atlantic

Demographic

We surveyed 3920 individuals in total AIESEC members 47%

1% Territories

22% Quebec

30% Ontario (GTA)

Non-AIESEC members 53% 1st and 2nd year 53%

23% Ontario (other)

3rd year+ 47% Female 60% Male 40% Canadians 83% Internationals 14% Other 3%

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7% Engineering 9% Other

25% Western Canada

41% Business

13% Arts & Humanities

15% Social Sciences

15% Sciences

Canadian Youth Voice Survey Education Millennials develop their leadership skills when they are in a challenging, but safe environment. They excel in environments where it is accepted to make mistakes and learn from them, and where there is a strong support network.

In which of the following environment have you developed your leadership skills the most?

54%

A challenging but safe environment where I learned from my mistakes

52%

An environment with a strong support network

41%

An environment that encouraged friendly competition

36%

An environmentwhere I managed real-life crisis and made impactfull decisions

31%

An environmentwhere I had social impact responsibility

30%

An environment with global interactions

18%

An environment where I worked with diverse stakeholders

89% of respondents believe financial literacy is important to perspective employers.

However, almost 40% do not believe they are financially literate.

How important would you say financial literacy is to perspective employers?

89% 11%

Important Not important

How would you rale your level of financial literacy knowlage?

61% 39%

Knowledgable Not Knowledgable

Have you ever had a co-op, internship or professional entry-level job?

Internship Co-op Professional entry-level job

77% 85% 79%

NO

YES

23% 15% 21%

Based on the 2016 Canadian Youth voive survey we can say that: The education system should include: - Opportunities for students to challenge themselves and learn from their mistakes - Financial literacy courses for all programs

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Canadian Youth Voice Survey Career 88% of respondents want to have a career that has a positive direct impact in society, as well as working for an organization that has a clear purpose, and is committed to improving societal standards.

How important is it to you personally that your career has a positive direct impact on society?

87% 11% 2%

Important Not important I don't know

How important is it to you personally that your company/organization has a positive impact on society?

88% 10% 2%

Important Not important I don't know

In regards to corporate social responsibility, respondents found education institutions to be the most trustworthy, and minimg to be the least.

How important is it to you personally that your company/organization has a positive impact on society?

1. Education 2. Technology 3. Financial Services 4. Government 5. Biotech/Pharmaceutials 6. Oil & Gas 7. Mining

Based on the 2016 Canadian Youth voive survey we can say that:

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The education system should include: - Millennials are a purposeful generation that consuder social impact when choosing a career and a workplace - When recruiting millennials, companies should showcase their corporate social responsibility initiatives

Canada Youth to Business

Forum

Canada Youth to Business Forum 2016 The Canada Youth to Business Forum brought businesses and students together to engage in a unique dialogue on relevant topics for both Canadian businesses and student communities.

On May 6th, 2016, AIESEC Canada convened 350 student leaders from 30 universities across the country to collaborate with Canada’s top executives on two panels to address the question: “What competencies do Canadian Youth need to bring to the workforce?”

We hosted two keynotes, two panels, 12 workshops and 5 roundtables. Our delegates were able to learn from a diverse representation of industry while expressing their opinions. We were fortunate enough to have a video address from Hon. Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, as well as a video address and endorsement from Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada.

“You are the voice of Canadian Youth”

- Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada 9

The morning panel featured leaders from Government, Policy, Research and Youth. The panel was comprised of:

Clark Goodman

Katrina Marsh

Kasi Rao

Director - International Experience Canada

Director, Natural Resources – Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Vice President & Director – Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

What we found: A key discussion point on the panel was on the role of Natural Resources in Canada's economy and youth's role with them. Points were brought up suggesting youth take time to engage themselves further with the major industries in Canada. Companies should also scale their investments in youth leadership, especially in regions where their business impacts the community.

The afternoon featured leaders from the Financial Services industry. The leaders present were:

Judy Goldring

John Doig

Janet Ecker

Executive Vice-President & Chief Operating Officer, AGF Management

Global CMO Scotiabank Group

CEO - Toronto Financial Services Alliance

What we found: Each leader brought a different perspective on personal finances for Canadian millennials.

A key takeaway was that it is never too early to work on financial literacy and planning for your financial future. Structures in the education system need to empower young Canadians to take ownership of their finances to better prepare them for the future. Delegates were instructed to start thinking about where their money is going now and the importance of starting early. Students, regardless of whether or not they were interested in careers in the financial services industry were told to explore their options in the financial services sector.

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Acknowledgements The Canada Youth to Business Series 2016 was organized by:

Mitch Donnelly National Vice-President, Business Development Email: mitchd@aiesec.ca AIESEC Canada 2015-16

Contact us To get involved with the Canada Youth to Business Series, please contact:

Sheila Yue

National Vice-President, Business Development AIESEC Canada 2016-17 Phone: +1 (416) 368-1001 ext. 22 Email: sheilay@aiesec.ca Web: www.aiesec.ca

The Canada Youth to Business 2016 Report was designed by: Irena Šišić Product Designer | AIESEC Canada

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