Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2022)

q This year marks the

20th annual edition of the competition, one of the oldest and widely followed within the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project.

T.WERNER/GETTY

ct100.ca/yp

CO-PUBLISHED BY WORK THAT MATTERS:

MEDIACORP

Capturing the values of Generation Z

4

FULL LIST OF WINNERS:

Canada’s Top Employers for Young People (2022)

6

METHODOLOGY:

How the winners were selected

13

Match your degree or diploma with employers that recruit new grads with your academic background Published annually since 1992, The Career Directory is Canada’s longest-running and best-loved career guide for new graduates.

Each year, our editorial team reviews thousands of employers to determine the academic qualifications they seek in younger job-seekers.

The result is a wonderful, free guide that helps new graduates find student jobs that make the most of their university degree or college diploma.

CareerDirectory.ca Match your degree or diploma with employers that actively recruit new grads with your educational qualifications!

2022

3

A.GEORGIEV/GETTY

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 2022 Magazine Anthony Meehan, PUBLISHER

Editorial Team:

Richard Yerema, MANAGING EDITOR

Kristina Leung, SENIOR EDITOR

Stephanie Leung, ASSISTANT EDITOR

Juliane Fung,

ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR

Chantel Watkins, JUNIOR EDITOR

Jing Wang,

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Advertising Team:

Kristen Chow,

MANAGING DIRECTOR, PUBLISHING

Ye Jin Suhe,

CLIENT EXPERIENCE LEAD

Vishnusha Kirupananthan, JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Sponsored Profile Writers:

Berton Woodward, SENIOR EDITOR

Brian Bergman Abigail Cukier Jane Doucet Chris Fournier Steve Frank Don Hauka Patricia Hluchy D’Arcy Jenish Bruce McDougall Kelsey Rolfe Nora Underwood Barbara Wickens

© 2022 Mediacorp Canada Inc. and The Globe and Mail.

All rights reserved. CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE is a registered trade mark of Mediacorp Canada Inc. Editorial inquiries: ct100@mediacorp.ca

 From baking to banking, there’s never been a better time for students and recent graduates to locate an employer in Canada that invests in their career and supports the values important to young people.

T

his year marks the 20th anniversary of our Canada’s Top Employers for Young People competition, which first appeared as an appendix to the 2002 edition of our Canada’s Top 100 Employers paperback. Over the years, the young people competition has become one of the most widely followed parts of the Top 100 project, attracting more employer applicants than any of our special-interest competitions.

For most of the employers you see listed in these pages, attracting and retaining young people is essential to their success as organizations. Nearly all the winners have a singular focus on recruiting new graduates, developing their skills and keeping them throughout their careers.

With the benefit of hindsight, we can see that the pandemic has accelerated trends that were already taking shape before COVID-19. Chief among these has been the desire by young people to work for organizations that not only reflect their values, but also help them have a social impact. It was there before the pandemic, but now this expectation by younger job-seekers is front-and-centre.

For some employers, this is new territory and a departure from the traditional needs-based hierarchy first conceptualized by Maslow and imprinted on generations

of managers. Much of the HR machinery at organizations is still built around measuring and meeting these traditional needs. They’re important for young people, to be sure, but don’t fully address their values and desire to make a positive impact on society.

For the past two decades, our editors have chronicled these traditional benefits and programs that young people need to thrive: training and career development; assistance in developing their credentials and certifications; formal mentoring programs; and having a voice in the future of the organization.

We now see the best employers going beyond these traditional programs, seeking to match the values that are increasingly important to young people and giving them opportunities to make an impact on society.

In the pages that follow, we hope you find inspiration discovering what the best and most innovative employers in Canada are doing to meet the needs of their youngest employees and match their values. If we’ve done our job, these remarkable initiatives are sketching out the foundation of tomorrow’s best employers – something that deserves more than just an appendix in a dusty paperback.

– Tony Meehan

4

Introduction Capturing Gen Z’s values is key for Canada’s Top Employers for Young People 2022

C

anada’s Top Employers for Young People 2022, selected by Mediacorp Canada Inc., are ready to welcome Gen Z with the programs and support this group needs to succeed — from co-op placements and internships to mentoring and leadership development.

Most often defined as born between 1997 and 2012, the Generation Z cohort is rapidly moving into the workplace — a workplace these workers may be physically entering for the first time this year. As they’ve graduated from universities and colleges during the pandemic, they’ve mostly been onboarded virtually and have worked remotely at their new jobs, getting to know colleagues on-screen rather than in-person.

While that’s not a challenge for these digital natives who have grown up in an internet environment (and who will continue to expect flexibility in where and how they work), opportunities for social interaction are still very important for this group. But that’s not all.

This generation wants to make a difference in the world and looks for employers whose values align with their own. Not hesitant about asking questions, Gen Z expects employers to be accountable when it comes to corporate values and policies, particularly on issues like sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion. They’re also vocal when it comes to ongoing learning opportunities and fast-tracking their own careers.

The winners of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People 2022 by Mediacorp are listening and responding with numerous progressive initiatives, such as Labatt Breweries’ new Leadership Accelerator program for early-career professionals, or rotational programs that allow participants to experience different areas of the business, such as Emera’s three-year rotational engineer-in-training program.

Competition for young talent is more heated than ever, so for employers to attract and retain the best, they need to deliver on what this generation wants. These winning organizations are the ones to study and learn from.

– Diane Jermyn

POIKE/GETTY

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

5

PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP): 1. At ABB Canada, recent graduates receive training in state-of-the-art technical and manufacturing facilities.

2. With over 2,300 employees, York Regional Police offers a wide variety of careers for new graduates, including information technology.

3. Dr. Alyson Wong is a respirologist at St. Paul’s Hospital, part of Providence Health Care in Vancouver.

4. Each year, Montreal-based CSL Group recruits candidates for its cadet program, providing an opportunity to complete sea time and apprentice training onboard domestic and international vessels.

J.TOPHAM/PHC

D.PAGE/CSL

ABB CANADA

YRP

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

6

D.GRAVEL/UBISOFT

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

 Montreal-based Ubisoft Canadian Studios hosts a special competition challenging students to develop playable video game prototypes in just 10 weeks.

A

BB CANADA, Saint-Laurent, Que. Engineering and technology services; 2,938 employees.

Manages a rotational early career program for recent electrical engineering graduates, with three eight-month rotations.

ABORIGINAL PEOPLES TELEVISION NETWORK INC. / APTN, Winnipeg.

Television broadcasting; 155 employees.

Partners with the Canadian Association of Journalists to provide a paid 12-week journalism fellowship.

ACCENTURE INC., Toronto. Professional services; 5,471 employees. Manages an ana-

lyst development program with streams in strategy, consulting, security development, technology development and interactive development for entry-level hires.

AIG INSURANCE COMPANY OF CANADA, Toronto. Insurance; 416 employees. Offers an early career program called AIG Insurance Academy for recent graduates and young employees who are still new to the insurance industry.

AMD / ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC., Markham, Ont. Computer technology manufacturing; 2,514 employees. Hosts an annual career day for interns to connect with recruiters and HR staff.

ARCELORMITTAL DOFASCO G.P., Hamilton, Ont. Iron and steel mills; 4,729 employees. Partners with Mohawk College to operate one of Ontario’s largest trades apprenticeship programs.

Indigenous students in 2021.

ARUP CANADA INC., Toronto, Engineering; 419 employees. Partners with Ryerson University to encourage more young women to pursue use of their engineering degrees in the design and consulting industry.

B

ATCO LTD., Calgary. Energy, transportation and infrastructure development; 4,779 employees. Manages an Indigenous summer student program, hiring 28

AUSENCO ENGINEERING CANADA INC., Vancouver. Engineering; 302 employees. Manages a number of post- secondary scholarships including the Ausenco Scholarship for Women in Engineering.

C HYDRO, Vancouver. Hydroelectric power generation; 5,850 employees. Offers summer employment for students interested in exploring different trades, technical careers and gaining hands-on work experience while transitioning from school to work.

7

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

BC PUBLIC SERVICE, Victoria, B.C. Provincial government; 32,368 employees.

Offers a 12-month, paid Work-Able Internship Program for recent post-secondary graduates who self-identify as having a disability.

BELL CANADA, Verdun, Que. Communications; 36,412 employees. Organizes virtual career fairs that provide an immersive environment for students and new grads to learn about working at Bell.

BENNETT JONES LLP, Calgary. Law firm; 930 employees. Works with various post-secondary institutions to hire legal assistants and other practicum students each year.

BLACKBERRY LTD., Waterloo, Ont. Secure software and services; 1,791 employees.

Invites students at BlackBerry to the organization’s virtual Power Bar sessions to grow their skills in a variety of areas.

BLAKE, CASSELS & GRAYDON LLP, Toronto. Law firm; 1,333 employees.

Launched the Black@Blakes Internship that provides two Black-identifying law students paid internships with the firm.

BOLD COMMERCE, Winnipeg. Custom computer programming; 362 employees.

Manages a robust onboarding program lasting three to four weeks, depending on the role.

BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP OF CANADA LTD., Toronto. Management consulting; 425 employees. Manages a Global Ambassador Program enabling consultants to work in a BCG office in a different part of the world for a year.

BRUCE POWER LP, Tiverton, Ont. Nuclear power generation; 4,040 employees. Launched a formal series of workshops for students that focus on professional development and interpersonal effectiveness.

C

AE INC., Saint-Laurent, Que. Aviation and defence systems; 4,508 employees. Manages the Ken-Patrick Rotational Leadership Program for new engineering graduates, a two-year rotational program.

CANADA REVENUE AGENCY / CRA, Ottawa. Federal government; 47,016 employees.

Maintains a Young Professional Network, a forum for young people to discuss relevant issues amongst peers and make recommendations to senior management.

CANADIAN TIRE CORP. LTD., Toronto.

Retail; 31,191 employees. Offers various

rotational programs for new graduates in marketing, finance and IT, including the Next Generation Talent Program.

ACCENTURE

Continued

CAPITAL ONE CANADA, Toronto. Credit card issuing; 1,225 employees. Hosts the Capital One Hackathon, a day of gamified training where associates learn how web systems get attacked while trying out some new hacker skills.

CGI INC., Toronto. Information technology; 9,074 employees. Helps high-potential employees prepare for leadership roles through a variety of programs, including a one-year blended learning and development program.

CIBC, Toronto. Banking; 36,744 employees.

Hosts “Thought Forums” where students are given one week to develop recommendations to challenge questions.

CITI CANADA, Toronto. Banking; 1,745 employees. Works to increase the gender diversity of its talent pipeline through the annual Day in the Citi event for female students, a career event for female students enrolled in STEM programs.

CLIO, Burnaby, B.C. Computer software; 523 employees. Runs an annual Team Day where employees come together for a day of learning and development.

COLAB SOFTWARE INC., St. John’s.

Software; 35 employees. Offers interns the opportunity to lead a technical scope of work during their internship, oftentimes for critical path items that provide solutions to industry leaders.

 An Accenture employee in Toronto receives a box of fresh farm produce while working from home.

COMMUNICATIONS SECURITY ESTABLISHMENT / CSE, Ottawa. Federal government; 2,992 employees. Created a Young Professionals Network to provide support and a collective voice for young employees.

CORUS ENTERTAINMENT INC., Toronto. Media production and broadcasting; 2,852 employees. Manages an annual Accelerator Program to engage, motivate and improve the retention of young high-performing employees.

CSL GROUP INC., Montreal. Marine shipping and transportation; 637 employees. Offers sponsorship opportunities to second-year students and above who have sailed with CSL in their first sea phase.

D

2L CORP., Kitchener, Ont. Software publishers; 834 employees. Develops future leaders through its LEAD program, which helps employees grow and move to the next level in their careers.

AMD

2022 WINNERS

 Employees at AMD/Advanced Micro Devices competing in a virtual edition of Family Feud before the holidays.

8

B.PIETERS/BRUCE POWER

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP): 1. An employee at Bruce Power in Tiverton, Ont., develops her technical skills at one of the nuclear energy facility’s numerous training stations.

2. New engineering graduates at CAE Inc. in Saint-Laurent, Que., can apply for a two-year rotational program designed for future leaders.

BELL

G.GIGUERE/CAE

3. During the pandemic, Bell Canada maintained its commitment to new graduates by hiring, onboarding and developing future leaders virtually.

9

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

DENTONS CANADA LLP, Edmonton.

Law firm; 1,286 employees. Offers a program for articling students composed of two to four rotations, with participants assigned an articling principal and a mentor for their term.

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE CANADA, Ottawa. Federal government; 780 employees. Manages an economics and social sciences development program targeted towards junior-level employees.

DESJARDINS GROUP / MOUVEMENT DESJARDINS, Lévis, Que. Financial institution; 43,105 employees. Manages a Young Intern Director program for individuals between the ages of 18 and 30, allowing them to become familiar with the role of an officer or administrator.

DIAMOND SCHMITT ARCHITECTS INC., Toronto. Architecture; 283 employees. Recruits post-secondary students for paid co-op work terms ranging between four and eight months.

DLA PIPER (CANADA) LLP, Vancouver.

Law firm; 506 employees. Presents a series of nationally coordinated weekly seminars for the firm’s summer students between May and August.

E

CCLESIASTICAL INSURANCE OFFICE PLC, Toronto. Insurance; 77 employees. Offers workshops called Young Innovators where participants work in teams to develop creative solutions to pressing business needs.

EDMONTON, CITY OF, Edmonton.

Municipal government; 9,841 employees.

Hosts an annual student conference, allowing summer, co-op and graduate students to showcase their work to staff, stakeholders and community members.

EMERA INC., Halifax. Electric power generation and distribution and gas distribution; 2,332 employees. Offers a three-year rotational engineer-in-training program to develop participants’ technical and leadership skills.

EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT CANADA, Gatineau, Que. Federal government; 32,928 employees. Aims to reduce the barriers faced by early-career Indigenous employees through the Indigenous Student Hiring Guide.

EPCOR UTILITIES INC., Edmonton.

Electric power distribution and water treatment; 3,000 employees. Manages an engineer-in-training program for high-potential engineering graduates.

EXPORT DEVELOPMENT CANADA, Ottawa. International trade financing and support; 1,891 employees. Provides a combination of structured and hands-on training to new associates.

CITY OF EDMONTON

Continued

F

IDELITY CANADA, Toronto.

Portfolio management; 1,200 employees. Provides tuition assistance to new hires who have graduated in the previous year.

FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA AND THE CANADIAN COAST GUARD, Ottawa. Federal government; 13,570 employees. Offers the Canadian Coast Guard Officer Training Program, a four-year initiative to develop employees to become ship’s officers serving at sea.

FL FULLER LANDAU LLP, Montreal.

Accounting; 101 employees. Created a Young Professional Leadership Program to support skills development and leadership training.

FORD MOTOR CO. OF CANADA, LTD., Oakville, Ont. Automobile manufacturing; 6,851 employees. Hires up to 74 co-op students for 12-month work placements, rotating between departments every four months.

G

EOTAB INC., Oakville, Ont. Fleet management software; 974 employees. Schedules a series of learning sessions and networking events for the student community.

 A City of Edmonton employee assisting with the City Farm Project, which provides fresh produce to community groups that serve people in need.

HHS

2022 WINNERS

GIANTS & GENTLEMEN ADVERTISING INC., Toronto. Advertising; 22 employees.

Partnered with the Miami Ad School Toronto to create an extended classroom, where four students each quarter can gain hands-on work experience.

H

AMILTON HEALTH SCIENCES, Hamilton, Ont. Healthcare; 7,472 employees. Manages a unique Critical Practice Orientation program that orients new staff to work in critical units within the organization.

HATCH LTD., Mississauga. Engineering; 3,534 employees. Partners with universities across Canada to collaborate on educational, research and development projects as well as for scholarship grants.

HEALTH CANADA / SANTÉ CANADA, Ottawa. Federal government; 9,119 employees. Manages the Science Management Development program that provides opportunities for employees with science backgrounds to broaden their work experience and leadership development.

HENKEL CANADA CORP., Mississauga, Ont. Adhesive manufacturing; 478

 An employee at Hamilton Health Sciences organizes a virtual student placement during the pandemic.

10

2022 WINNERS

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Continued

employees. Offers new hires an interactive online global onboarding program and a North American onboarding program.

HOSPITAL FOR SICK CHILDREN, THE, Toronto. Hospitals; 5,955 employees.

Organizes and hosts more than 100 conferences each year, many of which support ongoing professional development in areas such as patient safety and child health care.

I J K

MPERIAL OIL LTD., Calgary. Oil and gas production and distribution; 5,580 employees. Accelerates professional development for early-career employees across a number of its business functions.

EURIG CANADA INC., Montreal. Coffee distribution and brewing equipment; 1,352 employees. Offers internships for undergraduate students completing their second or third year in a variety of fields, including marketing, supply chain, finance and IT. KINAXIS INC., Ottawa. Software developer; 579 employees. Offers co-op placements and internship opportunities to approximately 60 students per semester and manages a number of initiatives to encourage networking.

KPMG LLP, Toronto. Accounting; 8,467 employees. Redesigned its summer internship program in 2020 to provide participants with a meaningful experience while working remotely.

L

ABATT BREWING CO. LTD., Toronto. Breweries; 3,595 employees. Launched a new Leadership Accelerator program designed to fast-track leadership development for early-career professionals.

LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD., Brampton, Ont. Supermarkets and grocery stores; 28,962 employees. Offers one-year internships for engineering students who are completing their professional engineering year.

L’ORÉAL CANADA INC., Montreal.

Cosmetics manufacturing; 1,440 employees. Manages a management trainee program to attract young talent and fast-track their careers.

L.ADBY/HATCH

AZZ AVIATION LP, Dartmouth, N.S. Air transportation; 4,298 employees.

Provides aviation students with industry-leading education through collaborative training and curriculum development.

 New graduates joining Mississauga-based Hatch Ltd. are drawn to the engineering firm’s manifesto that prioritizes the pursuit of a better world through positive change.

LOYALTYONE CO., Toronto. Marketing consulting; 817 employees. Organizes case study competitions to provide co-op students with the opportunity to work cross-functionally and network with fellow co-ops, senior managers and designated coaches.

M

ANULIFE, Toronto. Insurance; 12,404 employees.

Offers recent grads at Manulife access to a rotational program that allows them to experience different roles and departments.

MCMILLAN LLP, Toronto. Law firm; 673 employees. Offers an extensive training curriculum for articling students, featuring rotations across various fields, a motions advocacy workshop and interactive workshops.

METROLINX, Toronto. Public transit; 4,374 employees. Manages a leadership training program to provide people leaders with foundational leadership skills.

MORGAN STANLEY SERVICES CANADA CORP., Montreal. Secondary

market financing; 1,940 employees.

Participates in virtual campus events, career fairs and student-run events.

MOTT MACDONALD CANADA LTD., Vancouver. Engineering; 231 employees.

Manages a nomination-based Elements leadership development program focused on team engagement, client relationships and commercial awareness.

N

ORTHWESTEL INC., Whitehorse. Telecommunications; 483 employees. Manages the Northern Future Scholarship program, offering six scholarships per year to northern post-secondary students in commerce, business, engineering, electrical, telecommunications, or IT programs.

NUNAVUT, GOVERNMENT OF, Iqaluit.

Territorial government; 3,633 employees.

Manages the Amaaqtaarniq Education program to help remove barriers to post-secondary education for eligible Inuit employees.

NUTRIEN INC., Saskatoon, Sask.

Phosphate, nitrogen and potash fertilizer

manufacturing; 5,459 employees. Manages apprenticeships and skilled training programs for millwrights, instrumental technicians, electricians and welders.

O P

PENTEXT CORP., Waterloo, Ont. Software publishers; 2,347 employees. Manages a CPA rotational program designed to give new graduates exposure to various areas in finance.

CL CONSTRUCTION, Edmonton.

Industrial, commercial and institutional building construction; 2,554 employees. Manages an accelerated superintendent development program and an accelerated estimating and construction risk management program for early-career leaders.

PEPSICO CANADA, Mississauga. Soft drink and food manufacturing; 9,922 employees. Offers an Emerging Leader development program to help grads transition to the workplace.

PERKINS&WILL CANADA ARCHITECTS CO., Vancouver. Architecture; 215 employ-

11

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Continued

NORTHWESTEL

2022 WINNERS

ees. Manages internship programs with interns working on various projects including building cost, project management, site analysis, design development and materials research.

PFIZER CANADA ULC, Kirkland, Que. Pharmaceutical manufacturing; 894 employees. Manages a four-year marketing rotation development program providing participants with work experience in sales and marketing.

PHARMASCIENCE INC., Montreal.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing; 1,464 employees. Helps students gain work experience through the Next Generation Leaders program including team-building activities and divisional presentations from senior leadership.

PROCTER & GAMBLE INC., Toronto.

Consumer product manufacturing; 1,434 employees. Invests significantly in its campus recruitment program and is actively involved in a number of virtual student initiatives and events.

PROPHIX SOFTWARE INC., Mississauga, Ont. Software developer; 250 employees. Manages a 16-month paid internship program for third-year business students, providing on-the-job training, job shadowing and opportunities to implement software at client sites.

PROVIDENCE HEALTH CARE, Vancouver. Hospitals; 4,466 employees. Manages an annual practice-based research challenge that provides point-of-care staff with research training support, mentorship and funding.

R S

 Each year, Northwestel holds a competition to design the cover of its Nunavut telephone book. Shown above is Kaytlyn Aminak of Baker Lake, whose illustration Dancing Grizzly Bear was chosen for last year’s cover.

OYAL BANK OF CANADA, Toronto. Banking; 59,098 employees. Created a unique Amplify program, a summer internship that allows students to solve business and industry challenges.

SASKPOWER, Regina, Sask. Electric power generation; 3,392 employees.

Partners with various Indigenous institutes across the province to provide Aboriginal specific scholarships in trades, technical, and administrative fields.

SCOTIABANK, Toronto. Banking; 33,397 employees. Manages Expedition, a 24month women in leadership development program for recent master’s graduates looking to pursue a career in Canadian banking and global wealth management.

AMSUNG ELECTRONICS CANADA INC., Mississauga, Ont. Communications equipment manufacturing; 593 employees.

Partners with post-secondary institutions for numerous initiatives, including working with Vancouver Community College to create a Samsung Tech Institute Home Appliance certification course.

SASKTEL, Regina, Sask. Telecommunications; 2,699 employees. Created the YOUTHnetwork program, a strategy to improve human resource issues and encourage young people, specifically underprivileged youth or Aboriginal groups, to pursue a technology-based post-secondary education.

SIEMENS CANADA LIMITED, Oakville, Ont. Engineering; 2,252 employees.

Created an Engineering and Technology Academy to help students acquire the relevant education and experience for successful careers.

SAP CANADA INC., Vancouver. Custom computer programming; 3,316 employees.

Manages an early talent program for new or recent graduates in human resources with less than two years of professional experience.

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC CANADA INC., Mississauga, Ont. Industrial automation and controls; 1,830 employees. Manages a rotational commercial leadership program to provide exposure to its main areas of business over a two- to three-year period.

SINAI HEALTH, Toronto. Hospitals; 3,846 employees. Provided current registered nurses an opportunity to complete a 10-week critical care nursing certificate course and exam including in-person and web-based classroom training.

SLALOM ULC, Toronto. Consulting; 533 employees. Manages a 12-week Build Internship program that focuses on

building the latest in software and technology products.

STANLEY BLACK & DECKER CANADA CORP., Mississauga, Ont. Tool and hardware manufacturing; 1,369 employees.

Runs an annual internship program that aims to recruit technical students from post-secondary institutions to learn under its field service technicians.

STATISTICS CANADA, Ottawa. Federal government; 6,311 employees. Manages a “Living Library” to encourage students and new professionals to collaborate with and learn from experienced managers and build intergenerational partnerships.

SURREY, CITY OF, Surrey, B.C. Municipal government; 2,051 employees.

Helps students gain career-level experience through co-op placements and a technical student program, offering opportunities in a variety of fields.

12

Continued

TELUS

T

2022 WINNERS

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

ECK RESOURCES LTD., Vancouver. Mining; 8,371 employees. Created a student community to keep co-op students engaged and connected throughout their term.

TELUS COMMUNICATIONS INC., Vancouver. Telecommunications; 25,014 employees. Offers new graduates exposure to senior leadership at least twice a year through networking and learning events.

TREND MICRO CANADA TECHNOLOGIES INC., Kanata, Ont. Software development; 328 employees. Recruits marketing graduates as rotation associates, where they are exposed to various marketing and sales opportunities and work directly with senior leaders and mentors.

U

BC / UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, Vancouver. Universities; 14,477 employees. Established a Postdoctoral Fellows Office, a resource centre that provides support, advocacy, and professional development for postdocs.

UBISOFT CANADIAN STUDIOS, Montreal. Software publishers; 5,701 employees. Created a Game Lab Competition, which challenges students to develop playable video game prototypes in 10 weeks.

 Held annually since 2005, the ‘Day of Giving’ at Telus Communications provides employees with paid time-off to give back to the communities where the company operates.

W

EST FRASER TIMBER CO. LTD., Vancouver.

Sawmills; 5,793 employees.

Partners with the College of New Caledonia to offer apprenticeships for millwrights, electricians, heavy duty mechanics and saw filers.

WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY, Waterloo, Ont. Universities; 1,684 employees. Offers a CityStudio Course that provides Laurier students with an opportunity to design and test real-world solutions to local challenges in partnership with the City of Waterloo.

Y

YORK REGIONAL POLICE, Aurora, Ont. Police; 2,377 employees. Offers a Student Cadet program for students attending a police-related college or university program.

– Diane Jermyn

P.JOSEPH/UBC

MCA OF GREATER TORONTO, Toronto. Individual and family services; 2,884 employees. Has a Youth Advisory Committee, composed of 12 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 29, which provides advice to its board of directors.

 The University of British Columbia / UBC has set up a resource centre that provides support, advocacy, and professional development for postdoctoral students at the university.

13

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

q At Montréal-based CSL Group, university

D.PAGE/CSL GROUP

students who complete their first sea phase with the marine transport company can apply for sponsorship of $5,000 per full academic term on the condition they spend two years with the company after graduation.

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 2022 BY MEDIACORP

T

Methodology

his special designation recognizes employers that provide the best workplaces and opportunities for young people just starting their careers. To select the winners, the editors of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People 2022 by Mediacorp evaluate each employer based on the programs and initiatives they offer to attract and retain younger workers.

Key benefits include tuition assistance, the availability of co-op or work-study programs, mentorship and training programs, including benefits such as bonuses paid when employees complete certain courses or professional designations.

The editors also review each employer’s career management program, looking for initiatives that can help younger workers advance

faster in the organization. Lastly, the editors look at the average age of employees at each organization to better understand the composition and profile of their workforce.

The Globe and Mail is not involved in the judging process.

Canada’s Top Employers for Young People 2022 by Mediacorp is an annual national competition and all applicants must pay a fee to enter. Any employer with its head office or principal place of business in Canada may apply regardless of size, whether private or public sector.

Employers complete a single application for the national, regional, and special-interest competitions, including Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.

–Diane Jermyn

Discover the search engine that brings

you thousands of direct-employer jobs every day – plus exclusive employer reviews from the editors of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.

Each year, millions of Canadians use

Eluta.ca to find hundreds of thousands of new job postings in their field – including internships, co-op

†

placements and summer jobs.

Visit us today on your

laptop or smartphone.

Also find new work-from-home jobs on Eluta!

★★★★★ F I V E - S TA R J O B S E A RC H

† For the 12 months ended August 31, 2021, Eluta.ca received 2,359,928 unique visitors (desktop and mobile), who performed 15,146,291 searches. Source: Google Analytics.

® ELUTA is a registered trade mark of Mediacorp Canada Inc.

15

VLAYKO/MANULIFE

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

 Recent graduates at Manulife benefit from a rotational program that allows them to experience different roles and departments across the company.

The Impact Generation

I

Canada’s Top Employers for Young People are working hard to attract a highly idealistic cohort t’s no easy thing to be a young job-seeker at the moment. On the one hand, the world is still wrestling with an enduring pandemic, throwing employers and workplaces into uncertainty. On the other hand, Canada’s unemployment rate has been plummeting, enhancing opportunities across the country – especially at Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.

In that kind of environment – featuring both anxiety and optimism – sometimes it’s best to stay grounded. “Within the context of the pandemic,” says Kristina Leung, senior editor for Mediacorp Canada, which runs the competition, “I think a lot of young people might actually be looking for some stability and a little bit

of structure to their day-to-day. They want to see what opportunities are available long-term at an organization, to try to understand how they can grow with the organization as well.”

And truly, most employers feel the same way. To encourage new recruits to stay with them for the long haul, Top Employers have a wide range of internship, mentoring, training and development programs. During the pandemic, Leung notes, they have doubled down on converting meetings and social events to the virtual environment, making them as enjoyable as possible. For nearly two years now, new hires have been onboarded at many organizations entirely online. Many employees have yet to meet their

co-workers in the flesh, so companies have dreamed up online games, business challenges or virtual volunteering to keep them feeling connected and engaged.

On the other hand, there is that expanding job market, which means young people have a lot of options to choose from. So along with stability, what is driving them to choose one employer in their field over another?

“Definitely social impact,” says Mediacorp assistant editor Stephanie Leung. “In reviewing this year’s applications, I could see that employers were weaving social impact into their programs.

It could be having a project like brainstorming solutions to a social problem, or a co-op experience that would benefit a

nonprofit and have a positive impact on communities.”

Employers, too, are stressing the measures and outreach they are making to expand equity, diversity and inclusion in their workplaces as well as reduce their carbon footprint . “It involves the organization being a good global citizen,” she says. “The younger generation is very intuitive about that, and they will notice if a company’s statements are not backed up by action.”

The current generation of interns and new graduates – usually known as Gen Z and born from 1997 onward – is often considered among the most idealistic since the Boomers of the late 1960s. “Gen Z wants to make the world a better place

16

LOYALTYONE

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP): 1. Employees at the head office of LoyaltyOne in Toronto take a moment to connect with their inner self.

2. Staff at Slalom Canada watch a juggler at the last holiday party before the pandemic.

SLALOM CITY OF SURREY

4. Winnipeg-based Bold Commerce provides an extensive onboarding program for all new hires that extends three to four weeks.

SLALOM

BOLD COMMERCE

3. Park ambassadors at the City of Surrey reminding visitors to enjoy the outdoors safely during COVID-19.

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

– healthier and more equitable,” says Kathryn Kitchen, head of human resources, Canada, for Manulife. “They’re very socially conscious, which is expressed more loudly than what we’ve seen in previous generations.”

Coupled with employees’ ability to job hop in a rising economy, that means employers have to work hard to continually engage young people. “They want to be challenged,” says Lisa Del Signore, a senior manager in human resources at Montréal-based Pfizer Canada. “Teamwork is extremely important to them – they like to be part of a cross-functional team, collaborate, interact. They like to learn – they’re very, very curious. And they’re not shy of expressing themselves, or volunteering for projects and opportunities.”

Moreover, those projects and opportunities must suit their interests, she says. “If they get bored or demotivated in a certain role, they won’t wait around for the next role. So we need to constantly have conversations with them about growth and development, in order to identify what drives them, and be able to fuel that for them.”

As examples, the engineering firm Mott MacDonald holds Early Career Professional week to bring together young employees from across the organization to connect and celebrate their contributions through webinars, virtual discussions and competitions. Stanley Black & Decker Canada manages a Social Impact Fellowship for graduates of its leadership program, which features multi-week placements with a charitable organization that aligns with the company’s purpose and values.

To Kristina Leung, keeping employees feeling connected is essential. “In the pandemic, you feel connected and not connected, “ she notes. “So the rotational programs that many organizations have, in which people move through various parts of the business and get a sense of the whole picture, really build a strong connection with the organization.”

But above all, she says, new recruits want to feel that what they are doing is needed. “Young people are contemplating, is this a job I’m passionate about? Is this a culture that I want to be a part of, and is this employment relationship going to compensate me in a way beyond pay and traditional benefits? They want to feel that the work that they do is meaningful, and that there’s an impact.”

– Berton Woodward

S.DE WIT/PFIZER

Cont.

 At Pfizer Canada, recent graduates also develop their skills in a four-year rotational program in sales and marketing.

YMCA

GENERATION IMPACT

17

 Staff from the YMCA of Greater Toronto harvest vegetables for the YMCA community at its Cedar Glen organic farm.

18

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

ABB Canada empowers its young talent to drive change

D

riving into school in Montréal, Fatima Malik would regularly pass the ABB Canada campus – just off the Trans-Canada in the Technoparc Montréal – and wonder what they did. When she saw a job listing, she looked into it and realized how much the pioneering technology company aligned with her own values.

She joined as a corporate communications intern in 2019, while finishing her degree in international business and finance at Concordia University.

My personal growth has gone at the speed of light.

— Fatima Malik Global Communications Program Manager

“You don’t need to be an engineer and understand our technology to know that we’re driving change or that we use our technology to improve the world and make it a better place,” says Malik.

“The heart of what we do is our sustainability.”

Despite her recent graduation, Malik was encouraged by her own manager to try for a global position as a communications program manager in ABB’s electrification business – and got the job.

“My personal growth has gone at the speed of light,” says Malik.

“It was a brand-new role, so that enabled me to build a vision of what I thought this role could be and pitch that. At ABB, we look

 Diversity, inclusion and gender are equally important elements for ABB in hiring.

at the person, what you’re capable of and how much you’re willing to learn and grow.”

What Malik appreciates most is the opportunity to try different ways of doing things to see what works or change things that didn’t. When she needs help, the resources are there with input from experienced people.

“You’re not just given the opportunity to do what you do well, but to thrive in the environment you’re in,” says Malik. “If you think there’s a new product, new

project or idea that can improve how we work as an organization, chances are you’ll be empowered to execute on it. There’s always someone in your corner willing to support you.”

Niki Murphy, Canadian talent acquisition and talent advancement lead, says a lot of young people are attracted to ABB because of its focus on sustainability and sustainable energy.

“Many of the jobs new graduates want to do are in technology, and ABB’s mission fits with their

values and ethics,” says Murphy.

“The younger generation is aware of what’s happening globally and are trying to create a sustainable future, more so than their predecessors. The fact that ABB is trying to contribute to building a better world and that they can make a difference here is really important to young talent.”

Murphy says other things they ask about is whether they can work from home and what technologies are being used to create this flexibility.

19

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Tuition assistance for employees interested in further education

In-house career planning services

 ABB Canada uses technology to achieve a more productive and sustainable future.

“The younger generation is not looking for the nine-to-five, very rigid organization,” says Murphy.

“In general, we have a lot of flexibility on that and on empowering our young talent to take charge and drive their own career forward.”

ABB has implemented an open job market policy, so there are no longer automatic nominations

based on succession, Murphy explains. All jobs are posted, a candidate can apply for any role within the organization, and if they meet the minimum requirements, they must be considered and provided feedback.

“ABB is trying to teach that moving laterally and having a holistic profile with regards to your experience is just as important as

moving vertically,” says Murphy.

“People need to understand not just their own swim lane, but other people’s swim lanes as well. It makes for a really positive profile.

“Whether they’re successful or not, young people expect to be given feedback, which is great,” she says. “The whole feedback culture is very important. You need feedback to be able to progress.” 

— A better world begins with you FIND OUT MORE

Emerging leaders and leadership development programs

ABB University and e-learning platform

20

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

At AIG Canada, ‘you are the CEO of your own career’

W

hen Stephanie Blais’s manager came to see her basketball game, Blais knew for sure AIG Insurance Company of Canada (AIG Canada) was the place for her.

“Since my first day, my manager has been so supportive of me in my learning and development and also in my interests outside of work,” says Blais, a marketing specialist.

“With our flexible work policy, I’ve never had a conflict when needing to go to a team practice or a game and it is nice to know the company supports me.”

The insurance industry is diverse and feeds curious and thoughtful minds.

Your career can go in a variety of directions.

— Lynn Oldfield President and CEO

Blais is also pursuing a diploma in project management. Her manager encouraged her to register for the program and wrote her a letter of recommendation. AIG Canada also reimburses 100 per cent of her tuition fees as a qualifying program.

AIG Canada has also helped Blais develop her skills within the company. In 2018, she was part of the first cohort of AIG Academy participants. AIG Academy is a structured, two-year learning and

 AIG staff volunteer at Toronto Humane Society.

development program for recent graduates and young employees who are new to the insurance industry.

The program focuses on the development of technical, professional and leadership capabilities and includes training at the company's corporate headquarters in New York City, regional summits and a multi-month challenge focused on developing solutions for strategic challenges the organization faces.

“It was a great opportunity to learn more about the company and about the insurance industry,” Blais says. “It was also a chance to

meet people from every business line and from around the world.”

Lynn Oldfield, president and CEO of AIG Canada, says AIG Academy appeals to young professionals looking to master a variety of skills. “Our young professionals are very deliberate in planning for their careers,” Oldfield says. “At AIG, we believe ‘you are the CEO of your own career’ and our young professionals embrace that thinking. AIG Academy is a condensed, fast-forward development program that can be immediately applied on the job.”

AIG Academy exposes participants to almost every element of

the organization, which allows them to see what areas interest them for career planning. Participants also develop a network of peers from across teams who are at the same stage in their careers.

For university students, AIG Canada offers a paid internship program during the summer after their third year. Throughout the summer, their manager, mentor and the HR team provide feedback on their performance, which results in many interns receiving offer letters before they return to school for their final year.

“I think it’s a wonderful way to check each other out,” says

21

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Subsidies for professional accreditations and development

Special bonuses for course completions

On-the-job training and career development

 AIG staff help plant trees.

Oldfield, who acted as a mentor last summer. “We end up attracting a lot of interns who are using their summer employment to test drive different industry sectors. Many who participated last summer told me they had no idea about the variety of roles in the insurance industry and how interesting they are.”

Oldfield says the internship

program is also critical to AIG Canada’s diversity and inclusion pipeline, attracting a diverse group of students. “Not just in terms of gender or background, but also in different disciplines. As a mentor, I had a philosophy major, a music major and a finance major,” she says.

“The insurance industry is diverse and feeds curious and

thoughtful minds. Your career can go in a variety of directions.”

Blais is grateful for how AIG Canada has helped her build a career in the insurance industry.

“They want me to grow as a professional and help prepare me for career opportunities,” she says.

“Knowing they want me to learn and grow in the company motivates me to do a great job.” 

Graduate leadership program

Launching careers and developing future leaders for over 50 years.

Learn more at AIG.ca AIG Insurance Company of Canada is the licensed underwriter of AIG property casualty insurance products in Canada. Coverage may not be available in all provinces and territories and is subject to actual policy language. Non-insurance products and services may be provided by independent third parties. © American International Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

22

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

AMD looks for fresh thinking from new talent

I

n 2017, while Carrie Fallows was earning an honours bachelor of science degree specializing in computer science from the University of Toronto’s Mississauga campus, she had to choose where to apply for a 12- to 16-month paid internship. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) in Markham, Ont., was a popular choice with some classmates, so she decided to see what the company had to offer.

I don’t think you could ever run out of possibilities to try something new at AMD. — Carrie Fallows Senior Software Development Engineer

It turns out AMD had plenty to offer Fallows, who was interested in branching out into the tech world. Founded in 1969 as a Silicon Valley start-up, AMD makes the world’s most powerful processors and devices, from supercomputers to game consoles.

“What I learned during my internship was unlike anything I was learning in the classroom,” she says.

In the software group where she was placed, Fallows’ peers included former interns who had enjoyed their work so much that they had accepted full-time job offers after graduation. Fallows would soon become one of them. In 2019, she was hired as a software development engineer, then promoted to senior software development engineer in July 2021.

 AMD Canada hosts training sessions specifically for interns working at the company.

Mentorship was a big part of Fallows’ learning while she was interning. “All interns are assigned a mentor, while others informally mentor,” she says. “You aren’t expected to know everything at the start – they teach you what you need to know to become an integral part of the team”.

During her internship, Fallows worked on a computer graphics product that’s used by millions of people every day. “My work affected how the machines run, which was daunting, but it was

also rewarding knowing what I was doing was impacting so many users,” she says.

During the pandemic, Fallows worked from home but has since returned to the office half-time.

Coming full circle, she’s now supporting an intern who is working remotely, doing her best to ensure that they’re taking full advantage of the internship experience. “I don’t think you could ever run out of possibilities to try something new at AMD because there are so many products and departments,”

she says.

Syed Athar Hussain loves hearing success stories like Fallows’ – and he can relate to them personally. When he joined ATI Technologies Inc. in 1998 as a software engineer, he was 27 and excited to explore the new area of graphic accelerator technology the company was pioneering. That curiosity has led to a long, exciting career with AMD, which acquired ATI in 2006.

“I was blessed to have managers and team leads who appreciated

23

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

On-the-job training and career development

Online and in-house training programs

 All interns at AMD Canada are assigned a mentor, who keeps an eye on their training and career development.

my passion,” says Hussain, now corporate vice president, display and multimedia domain architecture and solutions. “That helped me expand my horizons to a level where I took on more responsibility and understood more. In return, I got recognized with awards and promotions, and the scope of my influence kept increasing.”

Hussain insists that interns and

new college graduates have been foundational in transforming a company that works in the evolving space of technology.

“Getting new, fresh talent who can inject new thinking, ideas and ways of doing things has been a pillar at AMD,” he says. “A person may start in one area, but if their interests lie somewhere else, they aren’t bound to one role – they can

explore other opportunities.”

Above all, senior leaders recognize that employees need to feel fulfilled and engaged at work.

“A passionate, motivated person is able to make a bigger impact,” says Hussain. “We’re always asking for feedback on what our employees need to help us foster a culture that gives them the space and the tools to keep learning.” 

Mentorship program for co-op students and interns

Paid internships and co-op terms for students

24

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

ArcelorMittal Dofasco fosters the next generation of engineers

W

hen Kristin Bennett was still a McMaster University engineering student, she volunteered for GoEngGirl, an event meant to introduce elementary school-aged girls to engineering. “It was really cool, interacting with those younger girls and hearing why they were there and what they’re interested in,” she recalls. Today, in a twist of fate, she works for the event’s sponsor, ArcelorMittal Dofasco.

I definitely feel lucky I’m here.

I always feel I have something to work on and I have the space to grow.

— Kristin Bennett Asset Engineering Co-ordinator

An asset engineering coordinator in the Hamilton, Ont. steelmaker’s hot mill, Bennett is one of a growing number of women in the plant. The company’s manufacturing environment has been dominated by men, but one by one, female employees like Bennett are changing the landscape.

The company has always taken an active role in young employees’ career development, says Monique Biancucci, vice-president of people and culture. In the past few years, it’s extended that focus to the talent pipeline, by sponsoring or partnering on events aimed at getting young girls and women

 Kristin Bennett, asset engineering co-ordinator at ArcelorMittal Dofasco.

excited about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

The goal is to bring more women into STEM, skilled trades and advanced manufacturing careers.

“In recent years, we have begun to see more female skilled trade apprentices and engineers join the company,” Biancucci says.

Once young employees have their foot in the door, the company supports them with informal mentorship opportunities for interns and full-time employees alike through leadership, peer collaboration, cross-functional teams, communities of learners and more.

“We all need mentors, regardless of the position we hold,” Biancucci says. “We stress growth, learning and development for all employees and have a significant number of long-tenured employees that are strong mentors to our newer team members.”

Bennett has benefitted from those opportunities first-hand. She first interned with ArcelorMittal before her final year of university in a similar role to the one she has now. She says she was drawn to apply by a peer’s description of the company’s supportive and collaborative culture.

Now full-time, Bennett says

she’s grateful for that culture in the hot mill. In her role she’s tasked with making sure equipment is running as it’s supposed to, and for devising fixes and redesigns that will improve it. But when equipment fails, she never deals with that stress alone.

“When we have some kind of issue in the mill, figuring out the solution is always something our team does together,” she says. “It’s not me at my desk trying to figure out how to solve the problem alone.”

Bennett says her direct leader and colleagues in the mill encourage her to bring her ideas forward,

25

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Apprenticeship and skilled trades programs

Online and in-house training programs

 Myles Anderson (front) and Kyle Parris (back) working in a control room at the No. 6 Galvanizing Line at ArcelorMittal Dofasco.

take initiative and direct her own learning. “I don’t feel bad going to people with questions: they understand I’m new and want me to learn,” she says.

ArcelorMittal also gives young employees the opportunity to grow within the company – something Biancucci says she did herself, starting in human resources and moving over to the automotive

sales division to work her way up before returning to HR. “There are so many diverse opportunities, and it really is up to each individual as to what they aspire to do,” she says.

Bennett recalls an event she attended during her internship with some of the company’s female leaders who shared their career progression through the company.

She says it was exciting to hear about the different paths they took – and the opportunities open to her.

“For me, starting my career just out of school, this is a great place where I feel challenged,” she says.

“I definitely feel lucky I’m here.

I always feel I have something to work on and I have the space to grow.” 

Paid internships and co-op terms for students

Education initiatives for young women in STEM

Our product is steel. Our strength is ArcelorMittal Dofasco is the Hamilton-Niagara region’s largest private sector employer and a Canada’s Top 100 Employer for eight years straight.

Learn more at dofasco.arcelormittal.com @ArcelorMittal_D @arcelormittal_dofasco

facebook.com/arcelormittaldofasco linkedin.com/company/arcelormittal-dofasco/

®

26

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

ATCO gives its young employees the tools they need

P

etra Seitz began working at ATCO Ltd. – a Calgary-based company that delivers energy, housing, transportation and infrastructure solutions to communities and industries in Alberta and beyond – for one main reason.

“At this early phase in my career, I wanted a work environment that would support my actual life goals as well as my work goals,” says Seitz, a human resources advisor at ATCO’s Employee Resource Centre. “Caring is one of the company’s core values, and I’ve found them to be true to their word. I’m impressed by ATCO’s ability to balance caring about business priorities with caring about individual employees and the communities we work in.”

My favourite thing about the company is that they care about employees without letting the business fall by the wayside.

— Petra Seitz Human Resources Advisor

ATCO supports its young employees with comprehensive onboarding, orientation and training programs, says Deanna Girard, vice-president of human resources. “We do leadership training and mentorship with senior leaders through lunch and

 The range of operations at ATCO allows its employees to experience new challenges by exploring a variety of career opportunities across business divisions.

learns and development programs like facilitation, resumé writing and networking skills,” she adds.

“We do a lot for the emerging workforce, because we want to continue to attract young people to our organization and give them a great experience.”

Seitz started her job in February 2020 and saw the benefits of those policies right away. “As a new hire a month before the pandemic, I felt incredibly well supported and connected to my team,” she says.

“I also feel supported in my career development here.”

Seitz has taken advantage of several leadership development programs, including a number of courses offered through LinkedIn Learning. “They’re short courses, and you can find pretty much any skill you need to brush up on,” she says. “They’re easily accessible through an app or the desktop website, and I can pick any one that I want to take at whatever frequency I like.”

The company has also launched its own leadership academy. “It’s a great hub that has a lot of resources,” Seitz says, “like a 360-degree assessment so you can get feedback from peers and leaders, videos of ATCO executives sharing how they demonstrate certain leadership skills and other tools that give you guidance for your individual development plan.”

Seitz also has a weekly meeting with her supervisor to discuss issues and opportunities. “We talk

27

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Subsidies for professional accreditations and development

Apprenticeship and skilled trades programs

 ATCO values its employees' unique experiences and the perspectives they bring to their work.

about obstacles I’m facing with my project or my development plan,” she explains. “She might tell me about a project coming up, like a conference, and suggest that if I wanted to practise public speaking, for example, I could sign up to host a session and get the support I needed to do it.”

Mental health and wellness have become increasingly important

priorities at ATCO during the pandemic. The company launched a program called Well-Being at ATCO that provides a range of initiatives, from fitness contests and social activities to increased psychological services through the employee assistance program.

“I feel like ATCO prioritizes our well-being,” says Seitz. “My favourite thing about the company

is that they care about employees without letting the business fall by the wayside. We’re all here to make sure the business is a success, but you want to be able to bring your whole self to work.”

Girard agrees. “ATCO deeply cares for our people and communities,” she says. “It really is about the strength of our people – they’re our greatest asset.” 

Offering young leaders a career that will shape our world for years to come.

ATCO.com/careers

Paid internships and co-op terms for students

Formal leadership training and orientation program

28

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

New grads can learn from the best at Bell Canada

I

n the short time since she joined Bell Canada in the fall of 2020, Susan Zhao has gained a broad base of experience with the company.

Initially involved in marketing and communications with Bell Mobility, she spent nine months engaged in cross-functional teamwork and working with outside agencies on direct marketing campaigns. More recently, as social media and content marketing consultant, Zhao supported strategic initiatives to promote The Source's technology products.

It’s a dynamic work environment where everyone is welcome to bring their ideas forward.

— Susan Zhao Marketing Consultant

“I’ve been able to enhance my skills and gain valuable experience, while making an impact with my day-to-day work,” says Zhao.

“It’s a dynamic work environment where everyone is welcome to bring their ideas forward.”

Zhao joined Bell as a member of its Graduate Leadership Program after gaining a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto.

The program offers post-secondary graduates the opportunity to work in different disciplines across Bell’s many business units.

Participants also receive regular mentorship from senior leaders

 Susan Zhao, marketing consultant at Bell Canada.

and have extensive networking opportunities with team members across the country.

“We have leaders and teams that are among the best in their fields,” says Claire Gillies, president of Bell Mobility. “Our new grads have the opportunity not only to learn from them but to work directly with them on innovative projects.”

Gillies, who leads Bell’s national wireless operations including Virgin Plus and Lucky Mobile, started her career at the company in much the same way as Zhao.

“Some 20 years ago I was a grad myself, which helped to propel

my career forward at Bell,” says Gillies. She joined as a co-op student in 2000 and advanced through several senior roles before assuming her current position in January 2020.

“Whether you’re joining Bell as an intern or new grad, you can be sure you’re going to learn quickly through first-hand work experience.”

Zhao first learned about the program after joining Bell as an intern in 2019. She was one of about 1,000 students hired annually by Bell. The company works with several organizations,

including the Onyx Initiative, to provide internship and full-time opportunities to students and new graduates. Bell has already met its target for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour representation among intern and graduate hires of 40 per cent by 2025.

Participants in the program spend their 18-month placements gaining experience in areas such as network, business intelligence, media, customer operations and human resources. Bell is a leader in network and service innovation, and new grads work on the latest technologies including Fibe,

29

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Subsidies for professional accreditations and development

Maintained hiring levels for new grads and paid interns during COVID-19

 Bell Graduate Leadership Program participants working and collaborating virtually from across Canada.

Crave, Alt TV, cloud computing and Internet of Things.

Zhao is nearing the end of her second nine-month rotation and has kept in touch with other new grads from the University of Toronto who are interested in potential careers with the telecommunications company.

“A lot of them express interest in Bell because of the diversity of jobs

and the opportunity to work with the latest tech,” she says.

As a global leader in 5G innovation, Bell offers immersive mobile experiences with its exclusive TSN 5G View/Vision 5G RDS app and recent collaboration with TikTok that brings creators together with Paint Portal augmented reality effects.

Young people are playing a key

role in advancing 5G technology as Bell has research partnerships with Western University and Université de Sherbrooke to build and accelerate Canada's 5G innovation ecosystem.

As Gillies explains, “the innovative steps we’re taking in connectivity and critical infrastructure will continue to change the way Canadians live and work.” 

Enhance skills in tech-focused areas through Bell U program

Committed to the highest ESG standards with Bell for Better

Give your career a boost.

Join a winning team.

Apply today at bell.ca/careers

30

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

BlackBerry offers a secure future on the cutting edge

I

t didn’t take long for Maddie Whibbs to conclude BlackBerry Ltd. was a great employer.

When she first reported for work at the iconic Canadian technology company in 2018, Whibbs found that all the resources she needed to settle into her job were ready for her.

“I remember my first week just feeling like, Wow, this is what it’s like to work for a company that takes care of the employees,” says Whibbs. “It really solidified in my mind that this was a good career move for me and I’m ‘good to go,’ and ‘good to grow’.”

I have been able to grow in my role, and to me that is very important.

— Maddie Whibbs Talent Acquisition Manager, University & Colleges

The latter point has been proven to her over and over again since her first week at the intelligent security software and services provider.

Initially a talent acquisition lead on the university & colleges team, Whibbs has since moved into a managerial role.

Her ascent has been aided by strong mentorship and myriad opportunities to learn on the job.

Whibbs has been particularly impressed with the Leadership Edge Program. During the 12-month course, about 20 rising stars within BlackBerry cover a range of management topics with

 BlackBerry has a tuition and education reimbursement program to make it easier for an employee to continue post-secondary studies.

an emphasis on real-world case studies.

Employees also have access to self-directed learning courses. In addition to taking management classes, Whibbs has been inspired by her company’s cutting-edge work to take technical courses, which also help her understand more about the professions they are hiring for. To further expand the breadth of opportunities, the Waterloo, Ont.-based company has a tuition and education reimbursement program to make it easier for an employee to continue

post-secondary studies outside of BlackBerry.

“I’ve been really supported both personally and professionally since I’ve joined,” Whibbs says. “I have been able to grow in my role, and to me that is very important.”

The company’s engagement with young people thrives because managers actively listen to them and treat them like professionals, says Heather Roberts, human resources business partner director for global university recruitment and staffing.

Those same themes permeate the

student program. The four-month stints quickly integrate students into working teams.

“They’re challenged in the projects that they work on,” Roberts says of the students. “They have a real-life experience at BlackBerry, on real projects.”

And all leaders are very approachable, Roberts says. As part of that effort, BlackBerry has instituted a program called Fireside Chats, where students are given an open line of communication to senior leaders. Given the calibre of the students in the program, the

31

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Tuition assistance for employees interested in further education

On-the-job training and career development

 Young people have the opportunity to be a part of new products and technologies BlackBerry delivers in the cybersecurity and IoT space.

executives also benefit from their presence, Roberts says.

“It’s kind of a two-way street,” she says.

The pandemic challenged BlackBerry to find ways to crank up those communications. Virtual meetings were scheduled regularly, all kinds of wellness sessions were made available, and managers kept in close contact with anyone

isolated in apartments or dorms.

“We all got very human, making sure everyone was okay and checking in,” Whibbs says.

The pandemic response showed Whibbs once again why BlackBerry, with its focus on such advanced technology as the internet of things (IoT), is not just an exciting place to work but a supportive environment.

“What I think is great about joining BlackBerry in your early career is that you get the support and security of an established corporation,” Whibbs says. “But at the same time, you get exposure and the opportunity to be a part of these new and up-and-coming products and technologies BlackBerry delivers in the cybersecurity and IoT space.” 

IT’S MORE THAN A JOB - IT’S EXPERIENCE READY TO DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER? THEN WE’RE READY TO TALK. CHECK OUT OUR OPEN POSITIONS AT BLACKBERRY.COM

Paid internships and co-op terms for students

Interprovincial and international relocation grants for eligible students

32

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

At Bold Commerce, innovation and growth go hand in hand

W

hen Chantal Grindle joined Winnipegbased Bold Commerce in 2016, she looked forward to joining a rapidly growing company that needed her skills as a human resources professional to support its success.

To grow as a company, we have to be innovating constantly and that's reflected in every aspect of how we operate, from our products and processes to our benefits and total rewards.

— Chantal Grindle Chief Human Resources Officer

From a standing start in 2012, operating from the basement of one of its four founders, Bold had grown into a software development company providing e-commerce solutions for the world's most innovative brands. It hired Grindle to manage its continued expansion by attracting and retaining the best possible talent.

“It was clear this was an innovative company that was not afraid to try new things,” says Grindle, now the company’s chief human resources officer. “I wanted to be part of pushing the boundaries of e-commerce and building up the

 Builders collaborating at one of Bold’s Winnipeg offices.

company.”

Thanks in part to her efforts, Bold now employs more than 400 people and continues to grow.

One of those employees, Heidi Deras, joined the company in September 2020 for reasons similar to Grindle’s.

“Bold is a fast-growing company in the tech industry and a Winnipeg success story,” she says.

“I was excited about making a true impact on our e-commerce customers.”

A Winnipeg native, Deras graduated in 2015 from the University of Manitoba with a bachelor of commerce degree focused on

management information systems.

Winnipeg only had a few true product and tech companies so when a friend urged her to join Bold, she jumped at the chance.

As a product manager, Deras works with a team of developers and stakeholders to develop e-commerce solutions specific to each brand’s needs, incorporating apps and tools that elevate the checkout experience.

A chance to work in the technology sector was not the only attraction for Deras. She also felt in tune with the company’s values, outlined in the BUILDERS Code, which drive its people-first culture.

Bold integrates innovation, for example, into the fabric of its culture by holding regular Innovate or Die Days, when teams of employees develop a project from a concept to at least a working demo within 48 hours.

“These events encourage us to embrace change and explore new ideas without boundaries,” says Grindle.

Even after COVID-19 descended and employees began working remotely, Bold has held three virtual Innovate or Die Days, involving more than 82 projects ranging from building internal tools to improve its mentorship program

33

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Education fund for professional accreditations and development

Company-wide mentorship program

 Builders gathered at Bold to raise money for CancerCare Manitoba at the 2021 Ride Inside event.

to creating better processes to work more efficiently.

While the company depends on employees to nurture its spirit of innovation, it also encourages them to develop their individual talents and skills through educational support, mentorship programs, leadership training and lunch and learns.

“We recently formed a product

learning group with people from across the company,” says Deras.

“We share our thoughts about product management as a practice while we learn from our peers.”

Meanwhile, the company continues its mission to power checkout experiences for leading brands. With more than 90,000 customers throughout the world, Bold is building a distributed

workforce, with Canadian hubs including Winnipeg, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver.

“Innovation has been a constant theme throughout my time at Bold,” says Grindle. “To grow as a company, we have to be innovating constantly and that's reflected in every aspect of how we operate, from our products and processes to our benefits and total rewards.” 

Build a Bold career

Lunch and learns to share knowledge

Talent Development Team focused on employee growth

34

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Employees’ passion and engagement fuels Bruce Power essica Barnes first got an inkling she wanted to work in nuclear power when she walked down a decommissioned reactor and spoke with control room operators during an internship while in university.

After graduation, she got a job as a field operator at Bruce Power.

Nine years later, she’s the authorized nuclear operator (ANO) she dreamed of being, at the company’s Bruce B power plant on the shore of Lake Huron – and just as passionate about the work as when she started.

People feel they’re invested in what we do, and are very proud of the work they do.

— Cathy Sprague Executive Vice-President, Human Resources

“It’s a privilege for me to go to work as a licensed operator every day,” Barnes says. “I take the responsibility I have to my co-workers, the plant and the community very seriously.”

Cathy Sprague, executive vice-president of human resources at Bruce Power, says that passion and engagement is shared among employees, and is why their turnover rate is “extremely low.”

She says staff believe in the company’s work producing clean, emissions-free energy, and isotopes used for medical procedures. Bruce reactors produce Cobalt-60, the isotope that’s used to sterilize 40 per cent of the world’s medical

 A high school co-op student developing on-the-job skills in one of Bruce Power's chemistry labs.

devices and also to treat cancer.

By 2022, the company expects to produce Lutetium-177, an isotope for treating prostate cancer.

“The environment is very important for people who come to work here,” Sprague says. “People feel they’re invested in what we do, and are very proud of the work they do.”

The company keeps young employees engaged with onthe-job training and mentorship opportunities, Sprague says. She calls them a “differentiator" for the company, because young staff

know Bruce Power is committed to their education and success.

Barnes has experienced that first-hand. She initially got her foot in the door as a nuclear operator in training, and spent 18 months learning in the classroom and on the job to be a qualified field operator. She was then given the opportunity to go through a certification program to become an ANO, a three-year process that involved challenging simulator training. “Getting licensed was hard work, but it is incredibly rewarding,” she says.

Bruce Power partnered Barnes with a mentor, an ANO who offered moral support when she felt stressed about balancing her training with her work and home life and technical expertise on what she was learning. Her simulator instructor took on an informal mentorship role, offering her the ability to talk over simulator events and learn what she could’ve done differently.

Barnes says she feels grateful the company went above and beyond to support her through the process.

“One of the things I’m really

35

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Tuition assistance for employees interested in further education/ professional development

Paid internships and co-op terms for students

 Members of the Bruce Power Chapter of North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NAYGN) volunteering at a Habitat for Humanity build.

proud of about in working for Bruce Power is how much of an investment they make and how well they train us,” she says.

Barnes says her relationships with her mentors have lasted well beyond her certification training, and she still turns to them for advice. She also continues to learn from her peers.

“I work with an incredibly

talented group of people, and I love that everybody gets to contribute their own strengths to the team,” she says. “You have the opportunity to learn every day not only from the experience you gain but also from the highly skilled people around you.”

Sprague says the company’s mentorship programs are part of a recent focus on its younger em-

ployees. It’s something the CEO also made a priority, by meeting in groups or individually with young employees identified as rising stars and helping them network.

“We talk about giving opportunities to young people early in their career very regularly,” she says.

“We’re always looking to make sure young talent has the ability to move through our business.” 

On-the-job training and career development

Apprenticeship and skilled trades programs

LIMITLESS OPPORTUNITIES. MEANINGFUL WORK. LAKESIDE LIVING.

36

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

CAE flies high with its social responsibility campaign

T

he chance to participate in the Ken Patrick Program was the main reason Élodie Caufriez Gingras decided to join CAE four years ago, but the company’s response to COVID-19 and its work in the community assured her she was in the right place.

Ken Patrick founded Montréalbased CAE in 1947. The program that bears his name is an intensive two-year rotation aimed at recruiting high-potential graduates to be future leaders at the company.

Caufriez Gingras joined straight out of the mechanical engineering program at Laval University in Québec City.

I really feel like our mission and the way we act as a company is directly aligned with my values.

— Élodie Caufriez Gingras Software Development Leader

“It was really what appealed to me in the first place,” she says. “It gives you a lot of opportunities to try different things, especially at the beginning of your career when you don’t necessarily know exactly where you want to be.”

Caufriez Gingras completed the program and is now a software development leader in CAE’s defence and security engineering division. Her nine-person team is currently working on a training solution involving multiple simulators for the Department of

 Two pilot students and their instructor in a simulator at CAE.

National Defence.

She still meets regularly with her coach from the Ken Patrick program to get his input on her career and the day-to-day challenges she faces. For Caufriez Gingras, it’s further evidence of the collegial nature of the company.

“I always felt like management had my back, and that my ideas were supported,” she says.

With more than 11,000 employees in 35 countries, CAE delivers high-tech, immersive training to aircraft operators, defence forces and healthcare professionals. It operates the world’s largest civil aviation training network, with

more than 300 full-flight simulators at 60-plus training centres.

“When people come in and see the work we do, the skills of our people, the products we have around the simulators and immersive technologies, it's phenomenal,” says Dan Sharkey, senior vice president of global human resources. “The people you work with are super high quality and bring incredible skills to the business.”

The company announced in July it will invest $1 billion over five years in research and development, in particular to develop digitally immersive solutions as well as

technologies in support of the advanced air mobility industry.

As the company moves into new areas of the business, it will increasingly need to attract people who are comfortable operating digital environments. Those include software developers, data engineers and IT architects, Sharkey says.

When the pandemic struck, CAE responded to the crisis by tapping its engineering and healthcare expertise to design a new ventilator from scratch. It had a prototype within a few days and subsequently delivered thousands of CAE Air1 ventilators to the

37

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Tuition assistance for employees interested in further education

Apprenticeship and skilled trades programs

 Young people working together in CAE Montréal's workspace.

Canadian government. In addition, its vaccine centre in Montréal inoculated almost 33,000 people.

“Those are the kinds of things that make you feel really good about what you do,” says Sharkey.

“As a company, we really showed who we were then.”

The company has also stepped up its social responsibility campaign, notching several recent

wins. In 2020, CAE was the first Canadian aerospace company to become carbon neutral. That year it was also included in the Jantzi Social Index, a group of 50 Canadian companies that pass a set of environmental, social and governance criteria. It consistently scores well on measures of gender equality.

The company also raised $1

million every year for the past three years through employee donations, fundraising and a corporate donation for the charity Centraide.

Caufriez Gingras says the company is doing the right things.

“I really feel like our mission and the way we act as a company is directly aligned with my values,” she says. 

Paid internships and co-op terms for students

Graduate leadership program

38

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Capital One excels at coaching and career planning

W

hen she was nearing the end of her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, Saarah Arshad attended a number of recruiting events, but one stood out above the others. It was Women in Business, sponsored by Capital One Canada.

“I met two remarkable, goaloriented women I wanted to work with,” says Arshad, who joined the company as a process manager in the fall of 2020. “The company has a welcoming and inclusive culture.

That was evident at the Capital One networking event I attended.”

Right from Day 1, I was given the autonomy to do my job and received an endless supply of coaching and encouragement.

— Becca Mintz Senior Business Director

Apart from that, the company provides a multitude of coaching, mentoring and career planning opportunities. “Capital One was an incredible jump start for my career,” says senior business director Becca Mintz, who joined 12 years ago after earning a bachelor of commerce degree from McGill University. “Right from Day 1, I was given the autonomy to do my job and received an endless supply of coaching and encouragement.”

Throughout her career, she has

 Capital One encourages employees to take advantage of training opportunities outside the company and subsidizes the cost of tuition as well as professional accreditations.

taken part in career trajectory and professional development planning with her immediate superiors and other leaders. Mintz has also been able to work in many areas of the business, thanks to the company’s rotational programs.

Capital One also encourages employees to take advantage of external training opportunities relevant to their positions and subsidizes the cost of tuition as well as professional accreditations.

Mintz has participated in two

offerings from the Rotman School of Management, an emerging leaders program and another for mid-career women. “I’ve been able to get an objective view of my strengths and work with a peer group of women from multiple industries across Canada,” she says.

New graduates typically participate in one of several in-house training programs. For her part, Arshad has enrolled in an 18-to-24-month process manager development program. “It involves

personal training from incredibly knowledgeable process coaches,” she says. “It equips us with the skills we need to be successful.”

The program has provided additional benefits apart from skills development. “I’ve built a strong community and become close to my peers,” says Arshad, who has had to work virtually since joining Capital One. “It’s a really great way to find a sense of belonging when you’re new to the organization.”

39

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Tuition assistance for employees interested in further education

Leadership development program

 Ernest Aaron (left) and Daniela Cicciarella, associates at Capital One.

Capital One promotes camaraderie and collegiality through a number of business resource groups, including Women in Technology, Voices (for Black associates and allies), and One in Five, which encourages open conversations and destigmatization around mental health.

“I’m a huge advocate of our

business resource groups,” says Mintz. “They’re an integral part of the culture at Capital One.” The majority of associates have been working remotely since the start of the pandemic. The company plans to bring associates back to the office in spring 2022, adopting a hybrid workplace model, depending, of course, on public health guidelines and the

state of the pandemic.

“A significant majority of associates will spend some of their time working in the office and some of their time working virtually,” says Mintz. “Capital One associates and leaders will have the ability to better balance in-person collaboration and team needs with individual choice and flexibility.” 

On-the-job training and career development

Technology development program for new graduate software engineers

40

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

For young tech people, CIBC has it all

A

s an applicant for a student internship at CIBC, Maral Mohagheghi had an academic background that included robotics engineering, but not banking. Yet when she saw the trading floor at CIBC in Toronto, she knew what she wanted to do.

“I realized that it’s a fast-paced job where you're always busy,” she says. “It seemed like a fun environment where it’s easy to communicate with different people and things were going on all the time.”

We are literally dealing with every type of technology.

— Richard Jardim Executive Vice-President and Chief Information Officer

Mohagheghi had applied for the internship at CIBC Capital Markets while studying at Western University’s Ivey School of Business with a five-year double major in business and mechatronic engineering, since she was fascinated by both – “I like problem-solving.” But she hadn’t started the business part when she got to the CIBC internship interview in her third year in 2019.

“I was nervous because I didn't have much of a finance background,” she says. “But the interviewers were super nice about it. They were like, yes, we know you haven't been to business school yet, but the internship is for you to learn. So when I got the offer, I accepted.”

 Maral Mohagheghi and other engineers are leading large scale innovative projects at CIBC.

Placed in the Wealth Solutions Group, Mohagheghi was given a buddy close to her own age on the trading floor, as well as a senior mentor. She returned the following summer amid the pandemic, joining the Alternate Solutions Group – a very tech-oriented team. In 2021, she was offered a job, and is now a sales and trading analyst. After completing a learning rotation among three different business areas, she will soon join the Alternate Solutions Group, working on an online tool to help overseas students pay their

Canadian tuition.

Although she could have joined a so-called fintech – a firm, often a startup, offering technology for financial tasks – Mohagheghi found she could use her engineering background at CIBC while benefiting from the bank’s ample resources to launch large, leading-edge projects. “I actually do a lot of coding, “ she says.

“One of the big things that I do is automating things to make them quicker and easier. And even on the analytics side, a coding background really helps.”

Executive vice-president and chief information officer Richard Jardim, who oversees technology across the bank, says CIBC can offer tech applicants much more than a fintech or Big Tech, where people work in very specialized areas.

“At CIBC, we are literally dealing with every type of technology,” he says. “We're deep into AI. We’re hiring cloud engineers and we’re certifying internal people who want to become cloud knowledgeable. We are using all the programming languages and

41

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Tuition assistance for full-time employees interested in further education

Broad training through the Student Leadership Academy

 CIBC’s young professionals collaborate with mentors and senior leaders.

building or buying very advanced, leading-edge technologies across a variety of product lines. And we deal with the older mainframe and legacy technologies as well. You name it, we do it.”

He notes that interns and co-op students have access to the bank’s Student Leadership Academy, with a range of professional development programs, as well

as problem-solving challenges.

“You come into a pretty vibrant community of young talent that we really try to foster at the bank,” he says.

CIBC also has tech rotation programs for graduate and undergrad degree holders, in which they are exposed to a variety of businesses and technologies over two years before landing in a place that

best suits them. As well, Jardim notes that the bank is broadening its diversity outreach in the tech sphere.

To Mohagheghi, it’s also the people. “It's great to be part of a talented team that you enjoy working with and can learn from,” she says. “I’ve made great connections at CIBC and that’s something I really value.” 

Paid internships and co-op terms for students

A variety of rotational programs for graduates to launch their careers

Learn from today’s leaders to become tomorrow’s Come work with CIBC, where we’ve once again been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Employers for Young People

Join us today at cibc.com/students-and-grads CANADA’s TOP EMPLOYERS and ELUTA are registered trade marks of Mediacorp Canada Inc. All rights reserved. The CIBC logo is a trademark of CIBC.

42

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Citi Canada taps top leaders for analyst development

W

hen Mariah Lindsay was at McMaster University in Hamilton, working on her bachelor’s degree in engineering and society, she spent a summer interning at a tech company. “But a lot of the technology there was outdated,” she recalls. “So it was a breath of fresh air for me to join Citi Canada.”

Lindsay started in the company’s two-year Technical Analyst Program – the first stage of a full-time job – in the summer of 2020 at its Mississauga, Ont., campus. “There was a lot of newer technology that Citi was using,” she says. “It’s been great to get exposure to that and to newer frameworks.”

Everyone I’ve worked with has had the same sort of energy – they want to succeed, and they also want to see you succeed.

— Mariah Lindsay Technical Analyst

Lindsay says she has found the program, which comprises one-year rotations in two different departments, invaluable. “There are a lot of new grads who enter the program at the same time, and they go through a six-week boot camp, so you learn all the technical skills that you need,” she says. “It also allowed me to meet other new Citi employees the same age as I

 At Citi Canada, new analysts begin their rotations with support from former analysts, colleagues and the company's leadership.

am, which I was a little worried about coming out of university and not knowing anybody.

“And then, you’re put onto your first rotational team for one year, and you’re matched up with a mentor, as you are for the second team,” she adds. “That’s been a great comfort for me.

“In my first rotation, with the capital markets team, a senior member took me under her wing and taught me everything she knew. I imagine that in other organizations, you might just sort of be sinking or swimming, especially

with working remotely. Everyone I’ve worked with has had the same sort of energy – they want to succeed, and they also want to see you succeed.”

A subsidiary of Citi, a financial-services multinational, Toronto-based Citi Canada focuses on safeguarding assets, lending money, making payments and accessing capital markets on behalf of its clients.

The company’s campus program manager, technology, Melissa Guaiani, says that what really sets the company apart are its full-time

program for university graduates and summer-internship program for undergrads.

Participants in both – about half of the interns eventually join the full-time program – have an opportunity to show senior management what they can do, she notes. “They’re able to present and showcase what they’ve learned. We look to them to bring in fresh ideas for cost-saving and time-saving. The business is really looking for that type of innovation.

So our managers and senior leaders of the organization, on-site or

43

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Apprenticeship and skilled trades programs

Health benefits for new employees

 Analysts at Citi Canada are promoted into key roles in the firm, playing an important part in the development of programs for incoming analysts, while driving innovation across the firm.

across North America, have a vested interest in working with the analysts or interns.”

Guaiani also serves as an informal coach for the technical analysts. “If they want to explore their career development and where to be placed after they’ve finished their two years, I can lead them to who they can connect with at Citi,” she says. “They

PROGRESS STARTS HERE

don’t just get siloed in their teams; they have a network they can start with, and then me alongside them.

“So, really, the world is their oyster. And many of our analysts get promoted after the program.”

Diversity is also a big part of Citi culture, and that includes initiatives specific to women. One is the company’s Prometheus development program, which lasts

a year and gives women working in tech at Citi an opportunity to handle a specific project that is developed and implemented within the business.

For Guaiani, Citi is an excellent workplace for people of her gender. “About half the analysts are women,” she says. “There are just a lot of opportunities here for females.” 

Online and international training initiatives

Formal leadership training and orientation program

This is the place for your next great opportunity.

Jobs.Citi.com/Canada

44

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Young staff help keep CSE innovative and relevant

G

ibby Armstrong has heard young people at work say that they didn’t miss a beat between their time at university and working at the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) in Ottawa – because it felt the same. “They were on a different campus but they were still able to learn and grow and develop together,” says the deputy chief of corporate services.

We have a unique opportunity to do cool stuff while having a legit purpose.

— Genevieve MacDonell Supervisor of Client Engagement and Outreach

Every generation brings a different way of thinking to the table, and all are valued at the country’s national cryptologic agency, which provides the federal government with information technology security and foreign signals intelligence. But young employees tend to really bring the curiosity and their technical skill set.

“For CSE to evolve and remain relevant, we have to be incredibly innovative,” Armstrong says.

“The young generation now is bolder than generations of the past.

They’re not afraid to be curious, not afraid to ask questions and say things that make us pause. They can take you down a completely different path toward a solution, which is really cool.”

One of the things that drew

 Alternative modes of transportation are frequently used by CSE employees.

Genevieve MacDonell to CSE was the opportunity to use her degree in mathematics for something other than business. “CSE gives people like me the ability to use our skills, but in a positive way – by protecting our country,” says the supervisor of client engagement and outreach. “That’s what drew me most to our mission. We have a unique opportunity to do cool stuff while having a legitimate purpose.”

Collaborative spaces are located all around CSE, so people can

work through big issues together, and employees are challenged to be innovative. During Geek Week, an annual technical workshop for example, groups are given masses of data and a problem that needs to be solved creatively in a short period of time.

The rest of the facility is a huge draw as well. Countless clubs, which have been starting up again, include everything from sports and chess to knitting and bird-watching. Employees can play basketball, volleyball and

hockey, plus the building itself is full of life. “You can’t walk into the cafeteria without hearing music or seeing people exercising in our courtyard,” says Armstrong.

And there are plenty of opportunities for professional development.

“Our generation is known for not staying in the same place for too long, and I think part of that is because we hate to feel stuck,” MacDonell explains. “That’s something I’ve never felt here because I know that there’s an opportunity to develop further, if

45

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Tuition assistance for employees interested in further education

Subsidies for professional accreditations and development

 Employee health and wellness is a priority for CSE, with offerings such as guided meditation and yoga.

I’m willing to explore it. Any time I’ve mentioned a change of pace, I was given a new project or an opportunity to take a course or a new assignment on another team.”

CSE’s emphasis on mental health and wellness has impressed MacDonell and other members of her team. There are counselling services that employees are welcome to use for one-on-one

help; courses on topics including mindfulness, stress relief and problem-solving; and mental wellness tips in the weekly communication from leadership.

“It’s one of those things that on a daily basis you don’t necessarily think about,” she adds. “But when you step back and realize how supported you are, it makes a huge difference.”

Over and above it all, however, is the feeling of purpose that working at CSE gives. “I think it’s fairly common with my generation, wanting to work where we feel like we’re making a difference and that we’re doing something that’s greater than ourselves,” MacDonell says. “And I think that’s fairly evident with our mission.” 

Apply today at cse-cst.gc.ca

Communications Security Establishment

Centre de la sécurité des télécommunications

Online and in-house training programs

Young Professionals Network provides support and a collective voice for young employees

46

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Chart your own career course at the CSL Group

W

hen Laura Espinosa started her career at the CSL Group right out of university, she was eager to go places and do great things. So when the company offered her a project overseas after just a few months on the job, she didn’t hesitate.

“From the very beginning, the company has given me hands-on experience, starting at a shipyard in China overseeing installations on a ship conversion project,” says Espinosa.

“I knew that going overseas and working with our team there would be really good, accelerated learning for me, so I jumped at the chance.”

At CSL you can start as an intern or cadet and become a future leader.

— Stephanie Aubourg Chief Human Resources Officer

Founded over 100 years ago, the CSL Group is woven into the fabric of Canadian maritime history.

Headquartered in Montréal, CSL is a leading provider of marine dry bulk cargo and delivery services.

The company’s world-wide fleet operates on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as well as in Australia, Europe and the United States.

As a project engineer, Espinosa works with the global technical services team on the company’s Fire Integrated Risk Mitigation project, installing fire detection

 Seafarer working on board the MV Thunder Bay, a lake freighter owned by CSL Group.

and suppression systems across CSL’s fleet. She manages the contractors and works closely with the technical team and crew. It’s a big responsibility for someone at an early stage in their career, but CSL thrives on challenging its employees.

“If you’re fresh out of school, this is exactly the type of environment in which you want to work because we ask you to be creative and innovative to find solutions to complex challenges,” says Stephanie Aubourg, chief human resources officer.

“You’re going to be involved in

projects that have a global impact on our operations and people.”

CSL has dynamic recruitment and development programs for both ship and shore employees. On shore, students can take advantage of paid internships, summer jobs and co-op opportunities that often lead to full-time careers. Onboard ships, CSL’s cadet program provides three years of training and financial support to selected employees to help them obtain their Certificate of Competency.

Aubourg says it’s not uncommon for cadets to eventually become chief engineers or captains in the

fleet.

Education doesn’t stop once an employee is hired. CSL emphasizes life-long learning to accelerate careers within the company. Employees have two “learning hours” blocked off in their schedules monthly to further their professional development.

Initiatives like the Rising Leaders training program challenge young employees to find solutions to real business scenarios facing the company. Every employee has the opportunity to complete an individual development plan that helps them chart

47

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Tuition assistance for employees interested in further education

On-the-job training and career development

 Initiatives like the Rising Leaders program challenge young employees at CSL Group to solve real business issues facing the company.

their career path.

A comprehensive approach to health and wellness as well as a culture of safety also sets CSL apart as an employer of choice in the marine transportation industry, says Espinosa.

“When I speak to my friends who work at other companies, there’s a pretty stark contrast with how CSL values their people,”

CSLSHIPS.COM

says Espinosa.

“They’re always amazed by the different programs and opportunities the company has in place.

CSL definitely takes care of its employees, on shore as well as onboard ships.”

With a corporate culture that supports inclusion, innovation and transformation, CSL is a company where the youngest co-op student

can aspire to make it to the top.

“At CSL you can start as an intern or a cadet and become a future leader. Our COO started as a part-time student and our CEO Louis Martel joined us as a young naval architect,” says Aubourg.

“Here you can build your career, have access to really exciting opportunities and maybe even travel all around the world.” 

Paid internships and co-op terms for students

Graduate leadership program

48

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

A people-first focus inspires careers at Desjardins

R

ogée-Paulina Mouanga was at a job fair in Ottawa when she first chanced upon Desjardins Group. Her conversation with the recruiter was brief, but Mouanga says she was intrigued by what she’d learned about Canada’s leading co-operative financial group.

The fact that Desjardins is member-run and is committed to the sustainable, socio-economic development of people and communities spoke to her values, she says. “I was really impressed that the needs of members, clients and customers come first.”

We really want to see young people use all their skills and talents.

— Mathieu Staniulis Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer

The timing was right for Mouanga, who’s originally from Brazzaville in Congo. She’d moved to Canada to further her studies and was investigating her options after she graduated. With a degree in business administration in hand, she started at Desjardins as a customer service agent in 2017.

Two years and two promotions later, Mouanga became a personal finance advisor with Desjardins Ontario Credit Union. She says she’s felt supported and encouraged at every step – and that hasn’t changed since the start of the pandemic when she began

 Rogée-Paulina with her colleagues at the Desjardins Ontario Credit Union, Rideau-Sussex Branch in Ottawa.

working a hybrid model, dividing her time between the office and home.

Mouanga, who’s now studying for a bachelor’s degree in accounting, says she appreciates how her manager accommodates her need for time for course work and to write exams. He has also challenged her to take on responsibilities outside her comfort zone.

Mouanga also enjoyed presenting information sessions to recent immigrants to the Ottawa area in Lingala, a widely spoken African language. She also speaks French, English and two languages spoken primarily in Congo.

Although credit unions were a new concept for many of those listeners, she says, they often return to open an account with Desjardins. “It makes me feel really glad that I’m able to help.”

Like Mouanga, vice president and chief transformation officer Mathieu Staniulis is grateful to all the managers and mentors over the years who ensured he took on challenges designed to help him grow.

Desjardins’s managers, he says, are skilled at supporting career and development, but that’s not the only reason they’ll always play a key role in guiding young careers.

The co-operative is committed to helping employees reach their personal and professional goals.

“We’re not driven by quarterly results,” he adds. “Our people-first focus is built into our DNA.” Staniulis first worked for Desjardins when he was in high school and had a summer job as a teller at his local branch.

Throughout his university days, he worked part-time at a call centre.

His rise through the ranks began soon after he became a full-time employee.

In 2010, Staniulis co-founded the Young Executives Network to support the personal and profes-

49

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Grants for professional accreditations and development

Mentorship program

 Amélie Pelletier volunteering at a Desjardins fundraising event for Les Auberges du Coeur.

sional development of executives 35 and younger. It’s still going strong with some 400 members.

Today, his portfolio of responsibilities includes improving the client experience. It’s a complex endeavour given the rapid pace of change driven by both the pandemic and ground-breaking advances in technology.

Fortunately, Staniulis leads

a program that orchestrates the efforts of over 1,000 employees from many sectors of the organization (online channels, branches, contact centres, marketing, human resources, manufacturers, etc.) working together in an agile mode to improve customer journeys and create a seamless experience.

There are plenty of other career challenges and opportunities at

We don’t just support youth.

We value their talent.

There’s a difference.

Desjardins. Indeed, with more than 800 types of jobs in banking, insurance, wealth management, IT and more, Staniulis insists there’s something for everyone.

“As an example of the wide variety of jobs, we also have a great art collection, so we need curators, too,” he says. “At Desjardins, we really want to see young people use all their skills and talents.” 

Paid internships for students

Youth Advisory Board helps employees share insights with board of directors

Find out for yourself!

Join the Desjardins team. desjardins.com/careers

50

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

There’s always a chance to learn more at Fidelity

W

hether it’s playing hockey in Kamloops, B.C., or working in Toronto for Fidelity Canada, Gontran Nzobonimpa likes a challenge. That’s what he found when he became Fidelity’s diversity & inclusion coordinator in September.

“I’m not afraid to take on new challenges,” says Nzobonimpa, who has held several roles since he joined Fidelity in 2018, most recently as a client experience manager. “And I have a passion for diversity and inclusion.”

We encourage people to take a proactive approach to development. Their career path is in their hands.

— Najma Pilgrim Vice President, Human Resources & Inclusion

Nzobonimpa began asking questions about Fidelity even before he joined the company. With a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, he moved to Toronto in 2017 with the intention of working “on Bay Street, in the financial district,” he says.

He was attracted to Fidelity because of its prominence worldwide as a provider of financial services, with products that he liked. In Canada it had offices in Montreal,

 Fidelity employees come together to celebrate International Women’s Day (2019).

Calgary and Vancouver as well as its head office in Toronto, on Bay Street.

“Young people always bring a sense of curiosity, excitement and enthusiasm to the company,” says Najma Pilgrim, vice president of human resources and inclusion, who joined Fidelity in 2006.

“They bring a greater sense of accountability, as well. It keeps us on top of our game.”

Nzobonimpa joined the company on a four-month contract. “But within the first month I wanted to stay,” he says.

Fluent in French and English after growing up in Burundi, in East Africa, Nzobonimpa felt welcomed and was happy to use

his language skills in his work. “I didn’t know much about mutual funds,” he says, “but I was happy to learn and got every opportunity to do it.”

Almost immediately, he started networking at the company. “I attended as many meetings as I could of our employee resource groups,” he says. “I met permanent staff who told me more about working at the company.”

After another four-month contract, Nzobonimpa became a permanent employee with Fidelity’s advisor centre. “I knew I was here to stay,” he says.

Nzobonimpa’s initiative and determination are qualities that Fidelity nurtures in all its

employees. “We encourage people to take a proactive approach to development,” says Pilgrim. “Their career path is in their hands.”

In making their way through the company, individuals can participate in cross-functional project teams, for example. Like Nzobonimpa, they can take courses on Fidelity’s learning and development platform “to gain more knowledge and gain more skills in communication, writing, anything that helps in my work with clients.”

As a permanent employee, Nzobonimpa continued his involvement with Aspire, the company’s Black and Latino employee resource group. Aspire is one of

51

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Tuition assistance for employees interested in further education

One of Canada's largest apprenticeship and skilled trades programs

 Young employees at Fidelity Canada enjoy umpteen opportunities to learn and advance. (photo taken 2019).

five ERGs at the company, each based on a common interest relating to areas such as race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.

Through networking, education, training, mentoring and career development activities, Fidelity’s ERGs support the professional development of participants like Nzobonimpa.

“They’re embedded in our

culture,” says Pilgrim. “Whether you’re new or here for 20 years, there’s always an opportunity to learn more about each other.”

Organizing events and coordinating outreach activities through his involvement in Aspire, Nzobonimpa often crossed paths with more senior staff, including Pilgrim. “She had seen my work at so many events since 2018, she

inspired me to take on my new role,” he says. “Now, three years later, I report to her.

“Fidelity gives me the opportunity to do something I’ve never done before,” Nzobonimpa adds. And as he told a reporter in Kamloops after playing hockey for the first time in his life, “I’m always looking into trying things that I haven’t done before.” 

Offers online and in-person training programs

Team Orange volunteers work on community projects

Thanks to our people, we’ve turned unprecedented into unbelievable. careers.fidelity.ca

S TAY A HE A D

52

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

At HHS, ‘you can have 10 careers here if you want to’

B

etween the ages of two and 15, Alexa Bistas was often a patient at McMaster Children’s Hospital, a Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) facility.

She credits the phenomenal care she received from the health-care professionals who treated her persistent abdominal pain from having two gall bladders as to why she decided to become a nurse at HHS. HHS is a community of 15,000 staff, physicians, researchers and volunteers serving southwestern Ontario residents. It provides specialized, advanced care and is a world-renowned hospital for health-care research. While earning a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Mohawk College in her hometown of Hamilton, Bistas joined HHS in April 2021 as a paid clinical extern nursing student.

This is a safe space to learn and grow in a welcoming, comforting community.

— Alexa Bistas Clinical Extern Nursing Student

Her first placement was as part of a virtual care centre research project at Juravinski Hospital that was recruiting patients from surgical wards to be part of a follow-up program, with the goal of decreasing post-surgery ER visits. In June, she was transferred to the pediatric oncology unit and clinic at McMaster Children’s

 Nagham Azzam, social worker and Pat Mandy Inclusion Award recipient at Hamilton Health Sciences.

Hospital. “I love it there, and it’s where I want to work when I graduate,” she says.

When Bistas joined HHS, she was given extensive training before she began working with patients, and it hasn’t stopped. “I feel very supported, and I can ask questions and learn skills just by watching others,” she says. “They don’t just throw you in and say good luck – this is a safe space to learn and grow in a welcoming,

comforting community.”

Learning how to nurse during a pandemic has been challenging, and caring for young cancer patients has its own stressors. HHS works hard to take care of all of its employees during tough times.

Bistas has benefited from healthy workplace programming such as stretch breaks set to music at the nursing station, led by members of an internal wellness team.

President and CEO Rob

MacIsaac says Bistas’s nursing program is designed to bring in people to HHS who are still learning about the careers they’re considering so they can acquire the skills they’ll need for them.

“We’re helping set them up for success by giving them good experiences and training them to be the next generation of healthcare workers,” he says. “As a large organization, we really get that employees need to be mentored

53

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Shine Wellness Program to support staff, physicians and learners

In-house Centre for People Development courses and training

 Alexa Bistas, clinical extern nursing student at Hamilton Health Sciences.

and supported.”

MacIsaac believes young employees are also attracted to the same things that drew him to HHS in 2014. “If you’re interested in world-class, leading-edge work and caring for people with the most advanced technology and techniques, you can build a career here,” he says. “You can have 10 careers here if you want

to, because we offer the training and support to help people expand into other roles.”

Senior leaders also recognize that young employees bring a spark to the workplace that’s essential to HHS’s culture. “Their enthusiasm and new ideas will help drive quality care now and in the future,” says MacIsaac, “and that is connected to building

stronger, healthier communities around us.”

As Bistas prepares to graduate from nursing school in April, she is soaking up all of the new knowledge she’s acquiring in a vocation she’s passionate about. “Working with kids and their families is my dream job,” she says. “Hamilton Health Sciences is really shaping me into the nurse I want to be.” 

Paid residencies, internships and cooperative terms

Staff education fund

Teaching. Trust. Teamwork.

YOUR CAREER GROWS HERE. As one of Ontario’s largest hospital systems, with comprehensive programs that provide care across all stages of life, you’ll find exactly the right fit for your career here.

Learn more at hamiltonhealthsciences.ca/careers

54

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Henkel Canada dares employees to make an impact

W

hen Jacob Bristo took a four-month internship position at Henkel Canada Corporation while he was at Wilfrid Laurier University, his friends warned him that, as an intern, he would be saddled with all the mundane tasks. But that wasn’t what happened at all – and Bristo returned for a second internship and, on graduating, a full-time job.

It’s very collaborative, and they trust employees to act as entrepreneurs.

— Jacob Bristo Brand Manager

“Every team member, no matter what experience level or age, is really that – a team member,” says Bristo, a brand manager at Henkel, which operates globally with a portfolio of well-known consumer and industrial brands. “It’s very collaborative, and they trust employees to act as entrepreneurs.

That’s really allowed me to own my projects.”

Young talent is valued at Henkel, not just for the fresh perspectives and ideas they bring but as potential future leaders of the company. So the internship program is serious right out of the gate. “They work on meaningful projects,” says Carolyn Newson, human resources director. “They have access to all levels within the organization. They’re great talent

 Henkel employee tests out a potential new hairstyle on the Beauty Professional ‘inspo wall’.

ambassadors for us.”

The company has recently introduced Smart Work, which allows for much more flexibility and empowers the employee to determine their schedule with their manager. “They’re really letting it become like Choose Your Own Adventure,” Bristo says.

And the opportunities for professional development and change are almost endless at Henkel. Because it’s a global company, employees can move not just between the

consumer and industrial businesses but also internationally.

“Our employer branding statement is Dare to Make an Impact,” Newson says. “We really encourage our employees to craft their careers and continually develop themselves. That can be through our wide range of training and knowledge-building offerings or by learning on the job in challenging assignments and projects.”

Sustainability, social responsibility, diversity, equity and inclusion

are at the core of Henkel Canada’s values. In fact, the company has committed to being climate positive by 2040. “That’s extremely important for Gen Z or younger millennials,” Bristo says.

Among other things, the company offers training on diversity.

Bristo recently completed one workshop on unconscious bias.

“Many people of my generation think we’re the experts on a lot of this,” he says. “But I’m still learning from the materials being

55

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Tuition assistance for employees interested in further education

Paid internships for students

 Henkel Canada employees taking part in the CN Tower Climb before the pandemic.

shared.”

Education works both ways, and Bristo feels appreciated for what he can bring to the table. “My managers recognize that I have a different set of skills that they might not have, and vice versa,” he says. “They really lean on their young employees for guidance with digital activity, so that really encourages collaboration.”

One silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Newson, is that because business was being conducted virtually, there has been a greater opportunity for Canadian employees to participate virtually in projects and initiatives across Henkel North America that in the past were in-person events.

“With Henkel being such a big

company, you might think that everyone stays within their own lanes,” Bristo says. “But between regions and departments, it’s extremely open-ended. We’re always sharing ideas and resources with different marketing teams.

And it’s obviously exciting seeing content we produced being used in Australia. It’s a great experience.” 

On-the-job training and career development

Leadership programs for recent graduates

56

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

KPMG empowers young people to find their passion & purpose

G

rowing up, Jocelyn Li felt a connection to philanthropy and people. Unlike other kids excelling at soccer or piano, she spent her time volunteering, determined to give back to her community.

In university, she completed an internship in Ethiopia leading entrepreneurship workshops and was studying accounting, knowing how financial literacy could help empower others.

As a new graduate, Jocelyn hoped to find people and an organization that shared her values. That’s when she joined the professional services firm KPMG LLP (Canada) in Vancouver.

I felt like I was surrounded by people who could coach and mentor me into becoming the person I wanted to be.

— Jocelyn Li Manager, Sustainability Services

“At KPMG, I met so many leaders who felt the same way about community and who could demonstrate they were doing what they cared about,” says Li, manager, sustainability services.

“It was really evident to me they were invested in the same things and driven by those same values of wanting to make the world a better place for everyone.”

Jocelyn’s journey through KPMG would take her from audit to talent attraction to her current

 Jocelyn Li (first person on the right) at KPMG’s internal Women in Leadership event in 2019 focused on connecting, empowering and equipping women as they develop their career.

position on the Sustainability Services team. Along the way, KPMG supported Jocelyn to do her master’s in professional accounting at the University of Saskatoon.

“I felt like I was surrounded by people who could coach and mentor me into becoming the person I wanted to be,” says Jocelyn. “It was this balance of having my own vision, but also knowing people could guide me and open doors for me that I wouldn’t know were even available.”

“That’s been my story since I started full time in 2014. KPMG

encouraged me to explore opportunities where I had an interest and try again and again. I love my job now where I get to split my time between working internally in community impact and helping clients with their ESG strategies.”

Nicole Tomassetti, director, national talent acquisition, strategy & operations, says “the future of work is about connecting with employees and creating an environment where they can learn, grow and develop with as much workplace flexibility as possible. It is about developing an environment where people are comfort-

able bringing their whole selves to work and creating the flexibility for them to try different things.”

“The most important thing an organization can do is to connect with early talent and existing employees,” says Tomassetti. “We need to ask what they’re looking for within all the great service offerings we provide for clients and how we can tailor their career journey to meet those interests.”

“You have to understand what their perspective is, their passion and purpose. Employees need to feel comfortable bringing all that into the workplace.”

57

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Local secondments to provide work experience in other roles

Upskill through KPMG Digital Academy

 KPMG summer interns competing in its virtual National Innovation Challenge this past summer as part of KPMG’s leadership and digital internship program.

Nicole feels there’s an onus on companies to have training programs and to make sure there are networking opportunities to bring young leaders together to share their ideas. That includes what KPMG should be doing from a training and mentoring perspective as well as social impact.

“Then it’s really about the employees and leaders growing

together to ensure we can deliver a service,” says Tomassetti. “If employees like Jocelyn come to work happy, they do great things.

There’s a lot to be said about creating an environment where people can grow and evolve.”

Nicole finds that what students are looking for right now is an employer’s alignment with their own values and finding work that’s

purposeful. The commitment that KPMG has made by investing in ESG is “super appealing” to students as well.

“We’re saying this is our future and we want you to come along for the ride,” says Tomassetti. “It’s where we believe our clients are going and where we need to go. It's a really exciting time to be at the firm right now.” 

Come as you are and, together, we can make a world of difference. home.kpmg/ca

Make an impact at the leadership level

Milestone programs that support leadership growth

58

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Labatt empowers young people to own their own work

I

f you want to know what it’s like for young people to join Labatt Brewing Company Ltd., ask a young person who joined Labatt – and whose job is to help young people join Labatt. That’s Kari Kabi.

As senior analyst, talent acquisition, Kabi oversees campus recruitment at some 40 universities and colleges across Canada, attracting summer interns and new hires to Labatt locations including Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Montréal. And given that Kabi has been with the company less than two years and yet has quite a bit of responsibility, you may not be surprised to hear what she thinks is great about Labatt.

I appreciate how professional yet informal the culture is.

There’s so much room for innovation.

— Kari Kabi Senior Analyst, Talent Acquisition

“I love the ownership piece,” she says, “how you get to own your own work. You’re empowered.

You set the tone for what you want to do, and execute on that. You have the guidance of your leaders, but we want to be able to build strong people who can execute without being micromanaged.

And at the end of the day, there’s so much pride when a project goes well.“ Kabi also points to the working environment. “Speaking as a young person, I appreciate how

 Kari Kabi shares insights that help young people recognize the many opportunities at Labatt.

professional yet informal the culture is,” she says. “There’s so much room for innovation, for being able to come up with new ideas and new ways of doing things.”

Kabi, who came to Canada from Nigeria in 2016 to do a master’s degree in economics at the University of Waterloo, has duties that include working with campus recruiters and holding virtual events for potential interns and recruits. She notes that students and new grads who apply

to Labatt for internships and talent programs are given a behavioural test that uses artificial intelligence methods to analyze what roles the applicant might be best suited for at the company.

And what kind of people is Labatt looking for? “Students with strong leadership skills, ones who want to make an impact, problem-solvers, students who think outside the box, who are innovative,” Kabi says.

The process doesn’t end there, of course, notes Beatriz Grubesic,

vice-president, people. Most new graduates hired at Labatt are channelled through one of a series of talent training programs aligned with various functions and academic backgrounds, as well as the position a grad has applied for.

There is the global management talent program that provides new grads with in-depth knowledge of the company. There is also a wide variety of other such programs tailored to specific areas of the business, such as the technology, brewery, sales development,

59

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Apprenticeship and skilled trades programs

Paid internships and co-op terms for students

 Most new graduates at Labatt are channelled through one of the company's talent training programs, which range from sales to technology.

people and supply chain talent programs.

“These programs give the employees the foundation they need to be prepared, before they take their first job,” says Grubesic.

“The training can last three to 15 months, depending on the program. It provides more structure in their learning, and then later it can open more doors and lead to

expanded opportunities.”

The programs can often involve travel within Canada to various Labatt locations, and the global management program can include international travel given that Labatt is part of Anheuser-Busch InBev with operations in nearly 50 countries.

Grubesic herself started as an intern at another Anheuser-Busch

InBev location in São Paulo, Brazil, and later was able to transfer to a position in Canada when she wanted to move.

“I started as an intern and I never left,” she says. “This has been the only employer I’ve ever had, and I’ve had multiple opportunities to work in different countries and different departments. It’s very rewarding.” 

Leadership Accelerator program

Mentorship program

60

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Manulife makes integrating Gen Z a priority

I

n the nearly four years since Amanda Ganie joined Manulife as part of internal global communications, she’s been able to work on some “very cool projects” with a variety of professional teams.

Based in Toronto, the global insurance and financial services firm operates offices in Canada, Asia, Europe and the United States.

“It’s been an excellent journey,” says Ganie, who’s currently a manager, external communications, on the global communications team.

“But some of my best opportunities have come from connections I’ve made being part of GenerationNEXT, the employee resource group I joined a month after starting work. I’ve sort of grown with the GenerationNEXT group at the same time that I’ve grown in my career at Manulife.”

As a values-based organization, Manulife is very well aligned with the core values Gen Z expects in the workplace.

— Kathryn Kitchen Head of Human Resources, Manulife Canada

Ganie says the group provides employees with opportunities to develop their leadership capabilities and connect with “like-minded, passionate folks looking to develop themselves within the business” – regardless of age or tenure – although many millennials and Gen Z members

 Manulife offers a variety of student programs that provides the opportunity to get on-the-job training to help propel a student's career.

belong. Ganie transitioned into the chairperson role a year after joining.

“I found the group to be incredibly supportive and interested in getting to know me and my goals,” says Ganie. “It’s the perfect example of how Manulife’s culture has impacted my professional development. I’ve been able to lead even though that’s not part of my everyday role – it’s almost like running a small business within Manulife.

“It comes back to that idea of creating connection and moments that really matter to folks. This is how you create a sense of

community and how the company empowers us to do so. I’m really grateful this group has come across my path.”

Kathryn Kitchen, head of human resources, Manulife Canada, says Gen Z (usually defined as those born from 1997 on) is a priority because they’re the pipeline for Manulife’s future workforce and leaders.

“They’re the ones who will be delivering products and services for our organization,” says Kitchen. “So it’s absolutely important for us to listen to them, and to fully integrate and help them grow into the professionals

they desire to be.”

What Kitchen loves about Gen Z is they’re very vocal and clear about what they want from employers. They expect strong core values and solid ethical practices with an awareness of the social and environmental impact, not only in the products and services that companies offer, but also in how they go about their work and with whom they partner.

“Gen Z wants to make the world a better place – healthier and more equitable,” says Kitchen. “They’re very socially conscious, which stands out from what we’ve observed in previous generations. So

61

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Tuition assistance for employees interested in further education

Subsidies for professional accreditations and development

 Manulife invests in the development of young talent globally, across multiple areas of the business through student programs (internship, co-op) and new graduate programs.

they bring that into an organization and hold leaders accountable.”

“As a values-based organization, Manulife is very well aligned with the core values Gen Z expects in the workplace,” she says. “Our mission of helping to make decisions easier and lives better appeals to many within the new workforce.

That guides everything we do.”

As Gen Z begin careers, they

expect meaningful work with a multitude of opportunities in a diverse, fast-paced environment, says Kitchen. Plus, they’re constantly looking to consume information to learn and get better.

“We ask our co-op students to fully integrate in the learning and cultural building opportunities within the workplace,” says Kitchen. “We also have them work

Make your impact.

When you grow, we grow.

on real world projects, so they’re part of the team delivering directly to our customers.

“Gen Z has grown up in a digital mobile environment so we also see them bringing that baseline expectation into the workplace,” she says. “I’m already starting to see it change how our industry delivers products and provides services.” 

Mentorship program

Online and in-house training programs

62

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Morgan Stanley gives new talent extra skills

F

resh from an undergraduate electrical engineering degree at McGill University, Ghalia Elkerdi joined Morgan Stanley Montréal six years ago – and quickly found herself immersed in a very different kind of educational experience.

Elkerdi, who is a data infrastructure engineer, participated in the Technology Analyst Program (TAP), which places new university hires on an intensive, fourmonth rotation in one of Morgan Stanley’s international offices (Elkerdi went to New York City).

The program offers comprehensive technology training, mentoring and networking, and provides participants with the foundation for long-term career success.

Being part of this community of women at Morgan Stanley has been truly empowering.

— Ghalia Elkerdi Data Infrastructure Engineer

“The prospect of someone investing in me at the start of my career was very attractive,” she says. “I learned things during TAP that, frankly, I didn’t learn during my engineering degree, including soft skills around communication, interaction and collaboration. It’s the first time I wasn’t learning just for a grade.”

Since joining Morgan Stanley Technology in Montréal, Elkerdi

 Ghalia Elkerdi, Technology Analyst Program graduate, at Morgan Stanley.

has participated in volunteer and philanthropy initiatives that have allowed her to use her technical skills to give back to the larger community and build out her tech experience in the process.

In particular, she has worked with Morgan Stanley’s diversity and inclusion committee to help attract more women into the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

She has also worked closely with the Montréal YWCA and other community organizations to help upgrade the skills of women who are attempting to re-enter the workforce after several years away.

“Being part of this community of women at Morgan Stanley has been truly empowering,” says Elkerdi. “Here, I meet community-minded people who volunteer their time to work on concrete solutions to pressing social issues. I like that we break down the stereotype of an engineer as a technical person buried in equations and diagrams all day.”

Elkerdi says Morgan Stanley has a strong track record of recruiting bright young talent and giving them the opportunity to prove what they can do.

“There isn’t this culture of ‘I know more than you just because

I’m a day older than you’,” she notes. “The company really believes in the notion of training young people and placing them in teams where they can meaningfully contribute to solve complex challenges and have a real impact on the businesses and clients they serve.”

Elspeth Minty, who was also a TAP recruit when first joining Morgan Stanley 20 years ago, explains that the firm’s culture of mentorship is very deliberate.

“There’s a really strong tradition of developing people here,” says Minty, who is now an executive director and global lead for the

63

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Tuition assistance for employees up to $10,000/year

Paid internships and co-op terms for students

 Morgan Stanley employees regularly volunteer their time and skills to local charities and causes.

Java platform engineering team.

“We make sure people know there’s no such thing as a stupid question. We want them to always feel comfortable and question the way of doing things and create an environment for people to grow their abilities.”

Minty credits TAP with preparing her for a successful career spanning two decades and three

cities. Having started at Morgan Stanley’s London office, Elspeth took advantage of the firm’s mobility program and worked in Shanghai, joining the Montréal team in 2018.

“TAP graduates are bright and enthusiastic and come out of the program with a network that’s really valuable,” she adds. “I still have contacts, both at the firm and

outside, that I made during that time.”

Now a hiring manager herself, Minty values the qualities young people bring to the company.

“They provide diversity of perspectives and new ways of looking at things,” she says. “They are enthusiastic and contribute to making us a great workplace for innovators.” 

Graduate leadership program

Mentorship at all stages of a person’s career

64

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Nutrien wants the world to see what it stands for

B

efore he graduated from Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s computer systems technology program, Samuel Yaholnitsky toured several companies around Saskatoon that looked like prospective employers.

On one of those visits, he toured Nutrien’s data centre.

“I was blown away,” he says.

“They were very welcoming and very professional. It was the only place where they lifted the curtain to show us what was behind it.”

They were very welcoming and very professional. It was the only place where they lifted the curtain to show us what was behind it.

— Samuel Yaholnitsky Service Assurance Specialist

Nutrien’s emphasis on transparency, sustainability and innovation helps the Saskatoon-based company remain on the cutting edge of its industry. As the world’s largest provider of fertilizers and other crop inputs, services and solutions, it relies on employees like Yaholnitsky to keep its focus on the future.

“The values and principles that underpin our company’s purpose are what many young employees are looking for in an employer – innovative, inclusive, community focused and growth oriented,” says Kelly Freeman, region manager

 Nutrien's Young Professionals Network empowers members by providing career development, networking and leadership opportunities.

of Nutrien Ag Solutions Canada and executive sponsor of Nutrien’s Young Professionals Network.

“Young professionals are strong ambassadors of the culture and brand we’re building here at Nutrien.”

Nutrien had no openings when Yaholnitsky completed his academic program. Instead, he went to work for a technology consulting company that provides services on contract to larger organizations.

Yaholnitsky’s first assignment was Nutrien. “I was the guy who fixes your laptop,” he says.

Within a year, he joined the company full time. “I was interviewed by the same people I’d

met during my tour when I was in school,” he says.

Now a service assurance specialist in Nutrien’s IT department, Yaholnitsky is a senior member of a nine-person team that specializes in the management of major incidents that interrupt or reduce the quality of IT services.

“When we’re not busy putting out fires, we’re monitoring our IT environment,” he says.

While he operates from Saskatoon, other members of his team work from Nutrien offices in Calgary, Chicago, Loveland, Colo., and Melbourne, Australia.

In addition to his role as an IT specialist, Yaholnitsky also leads

the Saskatoon Young Professionals Network, one of six employee resource groups at the company.

With an emphasis on community engagement and career development, the group held its first in-person meeting when COVID19 restrictions were lifted after 18 months. “We did leadership assessment and Indigenous cultural awareness exercises at the Wanuskewin Heritage Park,” says Yaholnitsky.

With 23,000 employees in 13 countries, Nutrien has nurtured employee resource groups throughout the organization. The company recently hired its first vice-president of equity, diversity

65

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Tuition assistance for employees interested in further education

Apprenticeship and skilled trades programs

 Nutrien invests in their people through education, mentoring and career development planning.

& inclusion (EDI) to oversee several initiatives, including an EDI centre of excellence and a global inclusion council of senior operational and functional leaders from each business unit and geography.

“Our group also has chapters in Calgary, Loveland, Chicago and northern Alberta,” says Yaholnitsky. “We’re working to align ourselves with a global

perspective.”

To that end, the chapters worked together in late fall 2021 to organize a global meeting, with leadership educator Drew Dudley as keynote speaker. The event, conducted via Microsoft Teams, attracted more than 60 participants from five chapters.

Despite Nutrien’s global reach, Yaholnitsky intends to stay in

Saskatoon, his hometown, where the company is building an 18-storey office tower that will be the tallest office building in the province. When it’s completed, Yaholnitsky will move into the office in the building’s top floors.

“I’m pretty excited about it,” he says. “Now I’m looking at buying some property where I can make my home.” 

More than 100 summer student, co-op and intern opportunities

Engineer-in-training program

66

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

OpenText is open-door for employees seeking new skills

A

lthough he’s been with OpenText Corporation for just two and a half years, marketing program manager Ryan Campbell has had substantial communication with executives at the Waterloo, Ont.based company, including its CEO and CTO, Mark Barrenechea.

“The coolest thing about OpenText is that it’s a really flat organization,” says Campbell, who started his career there after completing his studies, which included a master’s degree in management in Grenoble, France. “I have no difficulty reaching out to my VP for sales or my VP for marketing.

They actually read my questions and get back to me with insights that are helpful.”

You know, just being able to get face time with the CEO of a 14,000-person company, that’s pretty unique.

— Ryan Campbell Marketing Program Manager

Campbell points out that at the beginning of 2021, he and four other young employees from across the business were part of a virtual panel with the CEO during a live company town hall to discuss their experiences throughout the pandemic – what they’d learned about themselves and the company and what it was like working with their teams remotely. “You know, just being able to get face time

 The global headquarters of OpenText in Waterloo, Ont.

with the CEO of a 14,000-person company, that's pretty unique.”

Founded in 1991, OpenText provides information management solutions, helping firms securely capture, govern and exchange information. It is Canada’s largest software company, with clients worldwide across financial services, insurance, the public sector, defence and intelligence, as well as in industries that rely on global supply chains.

And for Campbell, OpenText’s longevity and scope make it a great environment for people starting their careers. “My VP has more than 30 years of business-to-

business marketing experience, and working with him, with his wealth of knowledge – well, you can’t learn much quicker than that,” he says. “To have that one-on-one training has been awesome.”

Sandra McLellan, the firm’s vice-president, organizational effectiveness & total rewards, says OpenText offers younger employees a great diversity of work, and the potential to move around – and up. “We have a lot of growth, we do a lot of acquisitions, so there are always opportunities to work on new projects, and to learn as you go.”

“Plus, we focus on career development with benefits such as our mentorships and our $3,000 annual education assistance program. We did a lot of hiring in the past year, and one in five of our positions was filled internally.”

The company’s global reach is also a perk. “In many jobs here, including ones that may be the first in your career, you can find yourself partnering with somebody in India or the Philippines or the U.S.,” notes McLellan. “Our people find that exciting.”

OpenText is also committed to the community. In May, for example, it is launching a part-

67

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

$3,000 annually for tuition assistance and subsidies

Online and in-house training programs

Graduate leadership programs

 OpenText offers employees flexibility in where and how they work.

nership with Ontario’s Lakehead University that will see up to 25 Indigenous students at Lakehead’s Thunder Bay and Orillia campuses participate remotely in a fourmonth internship program.

The company also provides employees with three paid days a year for volunteerism. “One of my team members used one of her days to sew beautiful masks

for her community centre,” says McLellan.

And OpenText has taken care of its employees and communities during COVID-19. “Our CEO did a really great job of communicating regularly throughout the pandemic, and in town halls we explored together what we were going through,” observes McLellan. “We had a professor

from Stanford University who has studied Zoom fatigue do a session on how to manage that. We hired a virtual fitness trainer and a virtual nutritionist to talk to us about keeping healthy.”

OpenText also donated 4 million meals to global food banks this year and conducted a vaccine drive for staff and their families in India, the Philippines and Japan. 

At OpenText, we inspire, support, challenge and learn from each other every day. Join us and build the future of Information Management together. careers.opentext.com

Paid internships and co-op terms for students

68

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

PCL helps young colleagues build out their careers

A

fter four co-op placements led to a successful full-time job at PCL Construction, Rupert Sison was convinced he landed in the right place to advance his professional career.

What surprised him was how well the company promoted other aspects of his life too.

When Sison asked for extended time off to get married during the pandemic, PCL “totally accommodated” his request.

They hire you with a long-term vision of honing your skills and talents for a permanent role.

— Rupert Sison Project Coordinator

“I’m really thankful that my company cares about both my professional and personal life,” says Sison, a project coordinator.

“There’s a life balance. And given the pandemic, it’s very important that they care not only about your personal life but about your mental health as well.”

The Edmonton-based global construction company has been investing in Sison since he first applied for a placement as a University of Alberta mechanical engineering student in 2014. Over 20 months of co-op work, he received a breadth of experience, extensive training and one of the annual monetary scholarships awarded to outstanding prospects in PCL’s student program.

 Rupert Sison, project coordinator at PCL Construction.

“That’s how PCL takes care of their students,” Sison says. “They hire you with a long-term vision of honing your skills and talents for a permanent role.”

Once he was hired full-time – which was made official even before his graduation ceremony – his training only accelerated. Sison has since worked on projects that allowed him “to see the full construction cycle.” With a particular focus on the energy sector, Sison has worked on oil & gas and wind projects, and now power generation projects.

Sison has been continuously impressed by how vigorously PCL handles safety and health protocols – especially amid the pandemic. Work teams have daily check-ins, mask protocols and social distancing, he says, and he calls the contact tracing superb.

“Knowing that your company abides by the government regulations and health authority guidelines and restrictions gives you peace of mind,” Sison says.

The company places a huge emphasis on hiring young people, says Mike Olsson, vice president of

human resources and professional development. He notes 70 per cent of PCL’s entry-level jobs typically are filled by former students.

PCL works with about 50 post-secondary institutions across Canada to look for would-be hires.

Last year, PCL had almost 500 student placements.

Once they’ve joined full-time, younger workers are offered instruction geared to advance their careers, including technical and behavioural training as well as leadership development. Younger employees are further incentivized

69

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Close to 500 paid student internships and co-op terms in 2021

100+ PCL students hired full-time in 2021

 At PCL, experienced professionals mentor and share their unique experiences and knowledge with the next generation of employees.

because they are given “big responsibility right off the bat,” and meaningful work, says Olsson.

“We’re building infrastructure, projects and communities,” he says. “Our purpose is building a better future.”

Another important element that helps young people rise at PCL is mentorship, says Olsson. Because the company is employee-owned

pcl.com/careers

– 100 per cent of the shares are held by staff – everyone in the company wants new hires to be successful. He points to an old PCL motto from the Eighties, “Each one, teach one,” which has since been expanded to “Each one, teach five.”

“It’s all fuelled by the conviction that you’re part of the PCL family,” Olsson says. “As owners, we

want our fellow owners to do well.”

Sison concurs that mentorships are a key building block at PCL, adding they have definitely helped him.

“Industry experts are eager to share their years of experience and knowledge with younger people like me,” he says. “It’s just really inspiring and shows how they truly care for you to succeed.” 

$1,000+ in subsidized professional development and certification fees

30+ locations across North America and Australia

70

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

For Pfizer Canada, young people add to diversity

A

ntoine Turcotte studied for three years in his business program at HEC Montréal before he joined Pfizer Canada in a commercial role in 2017. Then he spent even longer – four years – learning more about the pharmaceutical marketing field while on the job.

“I joined Pfizer in a new fouryear marketing rotation program,” he says. “The goal was to create bench strength – a new wave of marketers – and allow people to develop their skills and go on to a marketing role, just like I did.”

Pfizer is very good at understanding and acknowledging that people are at the centre of everything we do.

— Antoine Turcotte Associate Portfolio Brand Manager

Having graduated with a triple major in math, economics and finance, Turcotte spent two years as a sales representative in women’s health, working primarily with doctors and pharmacists. Then he moved into business analytics and insights for the second two years, analyzing data and doing market research and forecasts.

Now, having completed the two rotations, he is an associate portfolio brand manager in the Hospital business unit, and he knows a lot more about marketing.

“My major was not in marketing

 Antoine Turcotte, associate portfolio brand manager at Pfizer Canada in his home office.

– I just had some basic courses.

And that’s something I really appreciated about my interviews for the program. I was interested in it, so the hiring managers didn’t close the door on me. They saw that I would bring another perspective and another skill set that they thought would fit in nicely with the program.”

Turcotte notes that he was doing real tasks as a sales rep and an analyst. “Right from the start, it felt like I was going into the actual work market,” he says.

Lisa Del Signore, a senior manager in Human Resources, says Pfizer has shifted in recent years from hiring more experienced outsiders to bringing in new graduates through the rotational program. “We decided to build our own pipeline of talent,” she says.

“Young graduates learn what a rep is facing when in front of the client, and then they learn about analytics that inform business strategy. We feel that for a role in marketing, once they have this experience as a base, it’s easier to learn and

advance their careers at Pfizer.”

Pfizer regards young employees and their input as an important aspect of its diversity outreach, says Del Signore. The company has also revamped its summer student program to focus on students from under-represented backgrounds, bringing in 12 such students in 2021 with plans to expand in 2022.

This, she expects, will benefit Pfizer’s diversity in future as some of the students are hired permanently after graduation. “We are implementing strategies to ensure

71

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Paid internships for students

Marketing Rotation Program for new graduates

 Lisa Del Signore, senior manager, human resources at Pfizer Canada in her home office.

that we are an inclusive employer, reflective of the customers we serve,” she says.

Del Signore says Pfizer offers many advantages to young people, including its culture and strong work-life balance. The company has announced plans globally to follow a hybrid model when employees return to their sites post-pandemic, with no more than

two or three days a week in offices.

“It will be as flexible as possible,” she says.

Turcotte notes that Pfizer is very focused on developing its people.

He appreciates the mentorship he has received along the way, and has thrived in “a great, great culture,” he says.

“Pfizer is very good at understanding and acknowledging

that people are at the centre of everything we do,” says Turcotte.

“Our purpose in our work is to put the patient at the centre, and in our corporate culture, it is the same thing – our colleagues are at the centre of what we do to deliver results to the patient. It is a culture of continuous growth, of learning, of having a good work-life balance.” 

It takes collaboration…

Pfizer Canada strives to profoundly impact the health of Canadians through the discovery, development, and delivery of medicines and vaccines. Through collaboration, we offer the possibility of a healthier world.

Pfizer Inc., used under license by Pfizer Canada.

®

Financial support for professional development and education

On-the-job training and career development

72

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

RBC aims to break the ‘no experience, no job’ cycle

F

or Lamia Bin Zayyad, a one-year paid internship with RBC in 2020 was not only an opportunity to develop new work skills. The connections she made with other associates in the RBC Career Launch Program led to full-time work – and an important lesson about networking.

Bin Zayyad had completed the rotational program and was working on contract with RBC in her hometown of Calgary when another associate from the 2020 cohort pointed out a job posting she hadn’t seen. She jumped at the opportunity.

As we shift to a skills economy, it’s absolutely imperative we help prepare as many young people as possible for the jobs of the future.

— Alan Richardson Vice President, Learning & Performance

“Without that connection, I might not have gotten this job,” says Bin Zayyad, an associate account manager with RBC in Vancouver. “Before that, I was always concerned that there was something fake or forced about networking. I found out it’s really about helping one another.”

All told, RBC helps thousands of young people each year gain practical work experience through summer jobs and co-op placements, as well as internships.

 Alan Richardson, vice president, learning & performance at RBC.

Managers and mentors also help guide career decisions via coaching and feedback.

Alan Richardson, vice president of learning & performance, says that even though young people are spending more on schooling and have more credentials, they’re frequently caught in the “no experience, no job” cycle.

“RBC is committed to helping them overcome that barrier and to providing meaningful job opportunities that can help them succeed in a fast-changing global economy,” he says.

Since it was introduced in 2013, the Career Launch Program has helped more than 800 recent graduates with the transition from

school to work. It’s clearly a career accelerator, Richardson says, pointing to research that shows over 80 per cent of those surveyed were employed six months afterward.

When the COVID-19 pandemic first shut down many workplaces in Canada in March 2020, RBC moved quickly to reassure the program’s incoming associates the bank would honor its commitment to them.

It was welcome news for Bin Zayyad, who had graduated with a degree in business administration several months earlier. Not all her friends had found jobs and many of those who had were suddenly unemployed again.

“RBC basically guaranteed our jobs and told us not to worry,” she says. “It was, surprisingly, not a stressful process.”

It was a different situation for Richardson and his team. The lockdown occurred just 10 days before the program’s scheduled start date – not a lot of time to develop a safe and purposeful virtual workplace experience.

The program offers three rotations tailored to provide different learning experiences. The first sixmonth rotation was shifted from the branches to virtual placements with RBC’s Wealth Management and Personal & Commercial Banking operations. For the next two, RBC’s head office teams and

73

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Subsidies for professional association memberships and development

Online and in-house training programs

Management development programs

 Lamia Bin Zayyad, an RBC employee.

its charitable community partners eagerly made the switch from in-person to virtual placements.

RBC has continued to innovate and fine-tune the logistics of training young people in a virtual environment and, in March 2021, onboarded a second cohort during the pandemic. With associates in 18 communities across Canada, RBC made sure they could gain

remote access and rolled out initiatives to help them build a virtual network and feel integrated in the virtual workplace.

RBC also launched a series of virtual professional development sessions and, to help with their personal growth, provided information on resilience and emotional intelligence and growth.

In fact, RBC will assist any

organization that wants to copy the Career Launch Program, Richardson says.

“As we shift to a skills economy, it’s absolutely imperative we help prepare as many young people as possible for the jobs of the future,” he explains. “That’s especially important as those jobs transition from in-person to hybrid and virtual.” 

Paid internships and co-op terms for students

We’re proud to be one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People At RBC, we enable our employees with the tools, support and flexibility to develop the skills they need to thrive today and tomorrow.

Imagine what comes next at jobs.rbc.com

74

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Teck is committed to developing early talent

A

s a student getting her degree in biochemical engineering at Queen’s University, Jessie Roy was picky about where she wanted to do her co-op.

Originally from Yellowknife, she’d never heard of Teck Resources Limited before, but the chance to get some real-world work experience in the mountains of the Elk Valley in B.C.’s Kootenay region appealed to her, so she thought she’d give it a chance.

Now there’s no other place the 22-year-old Roy would rather be and no company she’d rather work for.

I have never been as happy as I am now working for Teck.

— Jessie Roy Water Resources Engineer in Training

“It gave me the opportunity to enter the working world in a comfortable atmosphere where there’s always so much to learn and a real sense of community,” says Roy, water resources engineer in training.

“Everyone’s on the same page and that comes from being able to work at Teck and live in the Elk Valley.”

Teck is one of Canada’s leading mining companies focused on the production of copper, zinc and steelmaking coal, and investments in energy assets. Headquartered in Vancouver, it has operations in

 Teck co-op student at their Steelmaking Coal Operations in Sparwood, B.C.

Canada, the U.S., Chile and Peru.

Roy did her co-op at Teck’s Sparwood office in 2019. After completing her degree, she was hired for her current position at Greenhills operations near Elkford in 2021. She appreciates the investment the company has made in her, starting with a paid internship while a student and now supporting her professionally while working towards her professional designation as a new graduate.

Roy’s job often takes her into the field around the Greenhills mine site where she’s part of a team that monitors the quality

and operational use of water. With most of her fellow employees close to her age, she feels comfortable in a collegial atmosphere where curiosity is encouraged and everyone shares a sense of mission.

Teck values the creativity and innovation that young employees like Roy bring to the company, taking their ideas and feedback seriously.

“To ensure we have a pipeline of talent, we give young employees great opportunities because we know they’re the leaders of tomorrow – the leadership we get from our younger team members

is just phenomenal,” says Carleigh Whitman, Teck’s corporate director of environment.

“That blends really well with our culture of listening to people regardless of what their level or position in the company is.”

Teck’s investment in young employees also includes comprehensive wellness and other benefits.

The company’s on-demand health app gives Roy quick access to health-care services and she uses her healthy lifestyle spending account to pay for her ski pass to get outdoor exercise and mentally recharge after work.

75

CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2022)

Tuition assistance for employees interested in further education

On-the-job training and career development

Mentorship program

 Teck co-op students at their head office in Vancouver, B.C.

Roy values the culture of equity, diversity and inclusion encouraged

by Teck. She also identifies with the company’s commitment to sustainability – something that’s key to attracting top young talent.

“Our values, particularly around sustainability, really resonate with young people. It’s part of the way that we do business, part of our culture. It’s written into the DNA

of who we are as a company,” says Whitman.

“So much of your career rides on what your values are. If you find a company that matches your values then you have all sorts of opportunities.”

Roy has found that match.

After she completes her training program, she can look forward to a future involving a variety of roles,

the opportunity to advance her career in different directions, and maybe even an international placement. For now, she’s living her dream.

“I have never been as happy as I am now working for Teck,” says Roy. “Moving here to work for the company has put me in the best spot I’ve ever been in, which is fantastic.” 

Leadership development program

Tell us your story If you are an exceptional employer with progressive human resources programs and initiatives, consider applying for next year’s edition of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People. Now entering its 23rd year, our national project is Canada’s longest-running and best-known editorial competition for employers.

For information on next year’s application process, visit:

CanadasTop100.com/2023 Applications for our 2023 competition will be released in February and must be returned by April.