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Chartwell Retirement Residences
1 (844) 727-8679 Chartwell.com
Farm Boy Kitchener
385 Fairway Road S Kitchener, ON (519) 772-0587
Verdure Wellness Clinic
55 Erb Street E, Unit 305 Uptown Waterloo (519) 742-0691 verdurewellnessclinic.com hello@verdurewellnessclinic.com Follow us @verdurewellnessclinic
Health and Wellness
Chartwell Retirement Residences
Life is better, TOGETHER. More than 95% of residents, their family and friends feel their Chartwell residence has taken important measures to keep them safe during COVID-19. Chartwell Bankside Retirement Residence, Chartwell Terrace on The Square Retirement Residence, Chartwell Clair Hills Retirement Residence. Book your personalized virtual or on-site tour today, 1-844-727-8679
Farm Boy Kitchener
Farm Boy has been providing a unique and friendly shopping experience for over 39 years across Ontario. Stop by to see their full selection of the freshest produce, butcher-quality meats, seafood, cheese and deli counters, along with fresh-baked goods and chefinspired meals.
Verdure Wellness Clinic
Verdure Wellness Clinic offers interdisciplinary health services including naturopathy, nutrition, massage therapy, chiropractic and counseling. Our professionals focus on root causes and provide evidenced based protocols to help clients achieve optimal health, wellness and growth. Book your virtual or in person appointment today.
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Access Student Talent
Learn how students can help your business today!
The Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce’s Access Student Talent program helps to connect small businesses with postsecondary students. We make it easier for small businesses to engage with students by providing resources and connections to our education partners.
Work with students in a variety of ways: co-op work terms, field placements, capstone projects, and more!
In partnership and funded in part by:
www.bher.ca
Our Educational Partners:
Contact Allison Mitchell
(519) 576-5000 ext. 6056 amitchell@greaterkwchamber.com greaterkwchamber.com
Stay Connected
@AST _ GKWCC @GKWCC
The Right People at the Right Time: Students, Work and KW’s Business Community
Co-ops. Internships. Apprenticeships. Work-study. Businesses in the Kitchener Waterloo area may have heard about programs that bring students from colleges and universities into the workplace, but not enough companies take advantage of the opportunities.
The good news is that the Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) and the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce (GKWCC) are working together to develop new tools to make work-integrated learning (WIL) easier to access and more effective for smaller businesses.
With the funding support from BHER, the GKWCC is expanding their Access Student Talent program, which helps to connect small and medium sized businesses with post-secondary students from their education partners – Conestoga College, the University of Waterloo, and Wilfrid Laurier University. Through this program, 200 students will engage in WIL opportunities with small and medium sized businesses in the Kitchener Waterloo region. High-quality WIL programs help students develop new skill sets and networks, while employers get access to skilled and diverse talent pipelines, and fresh ideas.
Canada and the KW region have an increasing need for talent with a different mix of skills. Employers require more than just technical know-how in new hires. A 2020 report by the Business Council of Canada, BHER’s founding partner, found that large companies were on the hunt for graduates with socalled “human skills.” These include:
Collaboration Communication Resilience Self-regulation
Surprisingly, 62 per cent of employers reported that new hires lack some of these skills. However, companies that invested in WIL were less likely to report this problem. These skills are especially critical during COVID-19, when businesses of all sizes are grappling with the uncertainty and strain of operating safely during a global pandemic.
And WIL isn’t just for big companies. Small and medium sized businesses are the bedrock of our economy and are fundamental to our recovery. That’s why BHER and GKWCC’s partnership is focused on the needs of small businesses, including providing resources about the different WIL opportunities available and how businesses can effectively work with students. The GKWCC’s Access Student Talent team will also create a how-to guide that can be used by other Chambers and organizations across the country who are interested in strengthening the connection between business and post-secondary students in their region.
Tom Bileski, owner of KW-based Lax Coach Locker and Procurement Coordinator for the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, saw the value of WIL while working with two groups of students during COVID-19.
“One group assisted me with Habitat for Humanity ReStore and the challenge of adding an online e-commerce portal to our existing brick and mortar stores. They were able to quickly identify the key issues we faced and creatively provided a number of solutions that we were able to incorporate as we launched our new online stores,” he says.
“I also worked with a talented group that assisted me with pivoting my personal business selling sports equipment at tournaments and festivals into an online store. Their suggestions reflected the products and services I offer, embedded the unique features and benefits I bring to the marketplace and helped me to creatively include both aspects into my new online store.”
Connecting these companies with the next generation of talent will strengthen our students, businesses and the communities we call home.
ABOUT BHER
The Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) is a national non-profit that brings together Canada’s postsecondary institutions and employers. One of BHER’s big goals is to ensure that all students get the opportunity to do some type of WIL before they finish school, and we are proud partners of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce (GKWCC).
To learn more, visit www.bher.ca.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Valerie Walker
Dr. Valerie Walker is the Chief Executive Officer of the Business + Higher Education Roundtable.
The Future of Work and Learning, 2020 and Beyond
It’s no surprise the year 2020 proved to be a pivotal year concerning our jobs, our futures, the economy and our prosperity. There’s never been a more pressing time to adapt quickly, innovate, and use the digital tools available to us to quickly move forward towards our new normal. Rapid technological change has meant Canadian workers need new skills to succeed. Employer and employee expectations have evolved, and it’s time to ready our workforce and create new paths for success.
In the age of a pandemic, our plans put into place for the near-future quickly turned to present-day reality. PWC Canada has found that eighty-seven per cent of the Canadian workforce is made up of mid-career employees aged 37 to 54 who need new skills. The future of the Canadian economy is driven by our ability to access talent. According to the 2020 KPMGs CEO outlook, talent has risen to be the most significant threat to their businesses post-pandemic. COVID-19 has accelerated many aspects of the future of work and learning including remote work, a need for rapid reskilling and upskilling of our workforce, non-traditional work arrangements and a renewed focus on overall wellbeing.
No organization, academic institution or government can solve this on their own as these challenges require systemwide collaboration. We need to develop more forums to identify common priorities across sectors and work collaboratively to learn from each other and co-create the future of work. To help ensure Canadian workers, organizations and communities continue to succeed as technology transforms the workforce, Communitech and other community organizations formed the Waterloo Region Future of Work and Learning Coalition. The coalition exists to identify common priorities like reskilling and upskilling and work collaboratively to learn from each other and try new solutions. Local community partners of all sizes, including the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, collectively developed a future of work playbook to help future-proof Canadian businesses. We collected research and insights, open-sourced learnings and best practices within the community, and syndicated models for use in other regions across Canada. An example of a pilot program we’ve run with Wilfrid Laurier University was to develop a framework to prepare the mid-career workforce for the future of work. “A Framework for Future Proofing Communities” was the first truly agile skills development program in Canada and was funded by the Ontario government through the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development’s Skills Catalyst Program. All learnings from this program will be used to develop a set of tools and templates that can be adopted and delivered by any community in Ontario seeking to future-proof its workforce.
There are also skills needed in the future that we need to build. These include human experience skills like emotional intelligence and empathy, reimagination skills like curiosity and critical thinking, pivoting skills like change leadership and resilience, and future currency skills like data and digital acumen. Two of the skills we focused on as part of the Framework for Future Proofing Communities pilot program were communication and sales. We also see the importance of bridging a partnership between education and industry. Luckily, there are programs like the GKWCC Access Student Talent program, which helps to fill roles that would be a good fit for post-secondary education students at Conestoga College, Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo.
As we continue to research, grow, and envision what the future holds, we know for certain that we need to continue to work together to provide our Canadian workforce and Canadian companies the tools for success in a new digital chapter.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Simon Chan
Simon Chan is the Vice President, Talent, Academy, and Future of Work at Communitech, and is leading the development of a Future of Work & Learning coalition with partners from academia, private and public sectors in Waterloo Region to build a community of practice to help future proof organizations.
RBC Dominion Securities Waterloo is hiring new Investment Advisors
RBC Dominion Securities in Waterloo is seeking motivated individuals for a fulfilling career in the wealth management industry. If you’re looking for the support you need to build a successful career, RBC Dominion Securities offers several advantages: Strength and stability
Independence with support
Powerful tools and technology
Top-calibre training With an independent focus that encourages and rewards initiative, industry-leading investment and
For more details, please contact Vice-President and Branch Manager Mark Hodson at 519-747-7790 or mark.hodson@rbc.com. wealth management support, and the backing of Canada’s largest financial institution, RBC Dominion Securities is the premier choice for investment professionals who want to build a successful wealth management practice.
We value diversity in the workplace, are committed to Employment Equity and will provide reasonable workplace accommodation to applicants with disabilities. RBC Dominion Securities Inc.* and Royal Bank of Canada are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. *Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund. RBC Dominion Securities Inc. is a member company of RBC Wealth Management, a business segment of Royal Bank of Canada. ®Registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. ©2017 RBC Dominion Securities Inc. All rights reserved. 17_90561_001
Is your organization leaking money?
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Local Not-For-Profit Off to a “Strong Start” in a Great New Space Thanks to SG Cunningham’s Community Project Initiative
When Machelle Denison, Executive Director of Strong Start – a charity based in Waterloo Region that develops programs that help children learn to read – was faced with the obstacle of renovating a new larger space from which to run the rapidly growing organization, her colleagues and friends advised her to reach out to SG Cunningham. Machelle had seen SGC’s name associated with other local charities like The Food Bank of Waterloo Region and the Child Witness Centre and was familiar with the philanthropic and communitymindedness that is increasingly associated with the SG Cunningham name. Feeling intimidated by the prospect of undergoing a major move and renovation, she was relieved that Georgia Cunningham – President and CEO of SG Cunningham – helped make the process easy and affordable by inviting Strong Start to be their 2020 “Community Project.” “When we thought about this renovation, I didn’t even know where to start. When I imagined the project, I was thinking that I would have to do the contracting.” Denison wondered, how am I ever going to do that? “Then Georgia and I discussed SG Cunningham’s Community Project initiative and she explained to me what that meant in terms of the flow through of the invoices from the trades – ‘open book’ they call it, where we get to see all the costs and get to pick the subcontractors we want to work with. That was just a huge relief. And that was in addition to their own financial contribution in the form of a donation, which was incredibly generous and helped make this possible.” As a company that builds great spaces, SG Cunningham also strongly believes in building community. In recent years, they have worked with local not-for-profits and charities on urgent capital projects and afterwards donate any cost savings and profits back to the charity.
These local businesses, also involved in the project, were inspired by SGC’s Community Project initiative and donated to Strong Start: • The Bold Group • Brody Enterprises • Conestogo Mechanical • G.L. Industries Ltd. • Hi-Tech Door Automation • ICI Marble and Tile • K-W Glass • Overhead Door Company • Elemental Interior Design
loCal general ContraCtor, Sg CunninghaM, gave a well-deServed FinanCial booSt to Strong Start when they exPanded into a new SPaCe. SgC adoPted the ProJeCt aS their 2020 CoMMunity ProJeCt and rallied their network to aSSiSt aS well. Machelle was also surprised to learn what SG Cunningham would do behind the scenes to further help Strong Start: “Georgia, as an ambassador for Strong Start and a champion of the project, talked to the trades that worked on the project to see if they would also be willing to donate a percentage of their profits back to our cause. That’s what she’s been doing in the background as part of the Community Project and it’s just incredible. Plus, it’s introducing a lot of people to Strong Start who didn’t know about us before.” Thrilled with the outcome of the renovation at their new Waterloo location, Strong Start is now in a better position to oversee their programs across Waterloo Region; Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk; Elgin, Middlesex and Oxford Counties; Bruce Grey; Hamilton; Guelph and Wellington County – with sights to expand to more communities across Ontario. For the first time, Strong Start is “all under one roof”: they can store hundreds of programming kits in an on-site warehouse, they have dedicated space for volunteer training sessions and have offices for their entire team with opportunity to grow. To learn more about their important work and to donate, please visit: strongstart.ca.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Caroline Dutka
Caroline is the Communications Specialist and Director of Diversity at SG Cunningham, a full-service general contractor and construction management firm. For 44 years, SGC has helped clients bring innovative designs to life, building inspirational spaces across Waterloo Region and Southwestern Ontario.
