Empowering the Next Generation: Preparing youth for careers in the trades
November 14, 2024 National JA Canada is proud to celebrate the success of the 2023-2024 World of Choices Skilled Trades Summits, an innovative initiative aimed at inspiring youth to explore rewarding careers in skilled trades. As the need for trade professionals continues to grow across Canada, these summits provide students with the tools, knowledge, and hands-on experiences to navigate potential career paths in this vital sector. Read more about Mark Beckles’ insights here. We’re grateful to RBC Future Launch for their support in fueling skilled trades education, helping embed these programs in the fabric of JA’s career readiness offering. And we are immensely appreciative of Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) for their invaluable contributions as Summit Hosts and resource contributors for the JA Career Exploration Centre. Skilled Trades Summits The summits provided a space for students to get exposed to: Industry panels led by electricians, mechanics, carpenters, and other skilled trades professionals, including women and BIPOC leaders, who shared their career journeys and offered advice from a range of personal perspectives. Interactive transferrable skills workshops helping students identify and build essential career skills: communication, problem solving, adaptability, creativity & innovation, collaboration, among others. Live demonstrations and hands-on sessions where students could explore the tools, technologies, and techniques used in various trades, igniting curiosity and sparking new interests. Networking opportunities where students connected directly with industry experts, learning about apprenticeship programs, certifications, academic pathways, and employment opportunities. Supporting Canada’s Workforce of the Future The World of Choices Skilled Trades Summits directly align with Canada’s growing demand for skilled trade professionals. By providing young people with the guidance and resources to explore these paths, JA Canada is helping to ensure a strong, diverse, and skilled workforce for the future. As we look ahead, JA Canada is excited to expand the reach of these summits, with plans to bring the program to even more communities in the coming year, helping youth across the country unlock new career possibilities in skilled trades. And now, students can learn about skilled trades careers on their own or as a class through the JA virtual Career Exploration Center. JA Local Offices Shared Successes of the Trades Summits Contact your local JA office to learn about how you can participate in Skilled Trades Summits and World of Choices this year! Love0 Share Share Share Pin
Preparing Youth for their Careers: World of Choices
October 30, 2024 National JA Canada is excited to celebrate the success of our flagship work readiness program: World of Choices. Through this initiative, we’re empowering youth to explore diverse career opportunities and make informed decisions about their future. Through a series of interactive panels, workshops, career mentor sessions, career fairs, and networking sessions, students connected with industry professionals from a wide range of sectors, gaining valuable insight into the skills and pathways needed to succeed in today’s evolving job market. These events featured: Plenary Sessions and Panels: Students heard firsthand from industry leaders in various fields like healthcare, finance, technology, skilled trades, and the arts. These professionals shared their personal career journeys, discussed challenges and rewards in their fields, and answered students’ questions. Career Mentor Sessions: Students connect directly with seasoned professionals in intimate, small group mentoring sessions. They had the chance to ask questions, seek advice, and gain firsthand knowledge from subject matter experts. Career Fair & Networking Opportunities: Youth explored a diverse range of career options during interactive career fairs while also building valuable connections with mentors and peers. Empowering Youth for the Future The impact of World of Choices events has been profound, with students from across Canada reporting a deeper understanding of the career options available to them and the skills required to pursue those careers. In 2023-2024. Making a Lasting Impact As JA Canada continues to bridge the gap between education and the workforce, World of Choice has proven to be a transformative experience for students, particularly those from underserved and equity-seeking communities. By introducing them to a variety of industries and empowering them with the confidence to pursue their dreams, these events help build a more inclusive and prepared future workforce. As we move forward, JA Canada is excited to continue expanding World of Choices events, ensuring that even more students across the country are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and connections they need to navigate their future careers successfully. Contact your local JA office to learn more about the World of Choices events in 2024-2025 and how they are preparing youth for success in the workforce. Love0 Share Share Share Pin
A World of Choices – Preparing Young People for the Future of Work
September 04, 2024 National Interview With Mark Beckles – Vice President, Social Impact and Innovation At RBC RBC and RBC Foundation have been long-time partners of JA in Canada, supporting the development and scaling of career readiness programs aimed at equipping youth for the future of work. RBC’s partnership has specifically enabled JA Canada to focus on the trades. In the Spring of 2024, The Globe and Mail interviewed Mark Beckles, Vice President, Social Impact and Innovation at RBC to learn more about the partnership. Read on for the interview to learn how together we are empowering youth with the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful in their careers through World of Choices and Skilled Trades Summits. What are the mandate and goals of RBC Future Launch? The goal of RBC Future Launch is to prepare young people for the future of work and specifically the jobs of tomorrow. That stems from the fact that we recognize Canada’s economic prosperity and future is directly linked to the extent to which we can prepare young people to succeed in an ever-changing global economy. We recognize when young people succeed, Canada succeeds; and that by investing in young people and equipping them with skills for a thriving future, we can ensure Canada’s economic prosperity. For the past decade, Canada’s GDP growth has trailed its G7 competitors due in part to the mismatch between the skills young people are graduating with from college and universities and the kinds of skills and experiences needed to super-charge our key productive sectors. By ensuring that young people have access to those skills and opportunities and know where they are, they can transition from school to work and find meaningful employment in the process, and if we do this well, we will have empowered Canadian youth in the way in which we intend. How does the World of Choices Program suite align with RBC Future Launch? RBC Future Launch is focused on three priority pillars. The first pillar is skills development. The notion of skills development and helping young people gain relevant skills, knowledge and credentials to better position themselves for the future really aligns to the World of Choices program and is core to what RBC Future Launch is all about. The second is networking and helping young people to connect with the right relationships, mentors and resources to grow and sustain their network. And the third is practical work experience and helping young people understand different job experiences and build opportunities to showcase their own talent. When you think of networking skills and practical experience that really aligns well to JA Canada’s World of Choices program. Why has RBC put an emphasis on skilled trades? Why now? There is a lack of understanding and awareness of the role that skilled trades play in helping to fuel Canada’s economic prosperity and moreover, there is a lack of education and exposure to what those opportunities look like. There is a real deficit in terms of the number of skilled tradespeople that are able to help advance and drive competitiveness in the Canadian economy. When you break it down by demographic; in addition to there being a lack of skills trades professionals across the country, there’s also under representation in terms of BIPOC youth and women, in particular. Then you add the intersection of green skills and skills trades and as we move toward a greener economy, we acknowledge that skills trades professionals need to develop new skills as you think about creating infrastructure to support electric vehicles or retrofits for homes that are trying to green their environments. Those are some of the reasons why we’re emphasizing skills trades and why we’re doing it now. What impact are you seeing as a result of these programs? We are proud of the outcomes that we hear directly from the program participants. When you hear directly from the program beneficiaries that they found value in the learning opportunity, that’s when you know that the partnership is working well. Particularly among diverse youth and women, hearing them talk about actively considering a career in skills trades to secure Canada’s future prosperity is really powerful. And it’s all the more inspiring when they tell us that through practical work experience, they’ve been able to transition into the trades whether now apprenticing or taking a college program in plumbing, electrical, or carpentry. These examples of people pursuing the skilled trades with a sense of pride and intentionality, and who are making a really good living demonstrate that we are contending with the stigma around skills trades, and changing the perspective of how skilled trades are perceived. What are RBC Foundation’s hopes for youth? RBC’s new Purpose Framework defines the societal challenges that RBC Foundation wants to help address. With a rapidly changing workforce, we will help equip people with skills for a thriving future. We want to ensure that youth feel more empowered for the jobs of tomorrow and support them as they access jobs that secure them financially, secure their families financially and secure their communities financially. When surveyed, nearly 80 per cent of young people ages 18 – 29 told us that they felt better prepared for the future of work. Outcomes from the World of Choices program contributed significantly to that state of preparedness. That’s how we know that these programs are working and having the desired outcomes. The World of Choices program supports general career exploration and provides the ability to scale programs that are focused on the skilled trades and allows young people to attend summits or learn through the online skills trades content center. It is phenomenal what this program delivers and that it is having the impact that we believe aligns to the larger goal of preparing young people for the future of work. Congratulations to JA for standing up this impactful program! Love0 Share Share Share Pin
Teacher Spotlight: JA in Saskatchewan
July 31, 2024 National Learn More About Margot Arnold Through This Interview How long have you been incorporating JA Company Program into your classroom? I have been teaching for 23 years at the end of June 2024. I have taught Entrepreneurship since 2002 and incorporated the Junior Achievement Program into my Ent. 30 class since 2014. A former Entrepreneurship teacher then working for the Ministry of Education, arranged a meeting with me to discuss this option. I have never gone back to textbook and assignment/project base. The hands-on, real-life experience provides an invaluable experience for the students. How may JA Company Program teams have you supported/mentored over the years? I have supported/mentored 25 Junior Achievement companies–this semester is my last and 25th company. What types of businesses have your students developed? Do you have any highlights that you can share? Students often ask me, which was your favorite? I reply all of them! The ideas for JA products have varied over the years and many were unique. JA SK has annual Business Hall of Fame Awards. Several of the JA companies listed below have won numerous awards including Product Design. What skills have you seen your students develop or further enhance by participating in JA Company Program? The skills the students have developed, enhanced, and acquired are dependent on what they put into the company. It is so rewarding to see the growth from the beginning of the semester until the end. What do you feel is the biggest takeaway students gain from the program? I believe one of the biggest takeaways for students is learning how to work respectively with everyone. The companies are comprised of such varying personalities, which may clash sometimes, and you have to learn to make it work. Also, students can easily see this program as one which so many life skills occur. Teamwork, Communication, Organization, Leadership are all areas where I have observed students grow from the beginning to the end of the semester. Do you have any students quotes you can share? “Thanks to Junior Achievement, I am currently planning to pursue a career in business after high school.” “The Junior Achievement Program has taught me hands-on what running a business is all about. It is a unique program that lets young adults experience more than just questions out of a textbook.” “The Junior Achievement Program was an incredible experience, and I learned more than I ever imagined about business and how to apply it to real-life.” “Junior Achievement gave me a real sense of business and responsibility.” “Junior Achievement gave me the confidence that I can be a business leader of tomorrow.” Do you have any words of wisdom to share with those who may be thinking of supporting JA Company Program in their classroom? I believe the Junior Achievement program is invaluable. It is a “real life” hands-on class where students repeatedly say it was their best class in high school. I encourage my students to not only make a PROFIT, but to make a DIFFERENCE! Ten percent of their company profits must be donated to a charity/non-profit of the company’s choice. To date, without the 25th company’s donation, the WCS Junior Achievement program has donated $17,625.47 back to charities and non-profits. A huge thank you to Margot for her time and dedication to the JA Company Program! Love0 Share Share Share Pin
2024 Canadian Company Of The Year Championship
July 23, 2024 National Over the past few weeks, JA Company Program teams have been competing in the Canadian Company of the Year Championship. We’re delighted to share that this year’s champion is Deckorous from JA Southern Alberta. This year’s three finalists included the top team from the category sessions which include: Technology Finalist – Tapi from JA Central Ontario Retail & Manufacturing Finalist – Chirper from JA Manitoba Social Venture Finalist – Deckorous from JA Southern Alberta Congratulations to all the teams! The judges were highly impressed with this year’s presentations. Your hard work and dedication were truly evident! 2024 Championship Event – July 18, 2024 This year’s championship event took place virtually. The emcee was JA Alumni Liam MacDougall from New Brunswick. The event started with an entrepreneurs panel discussion featuring Rene Fritsch, Senior Consultant at Deloitte and intrapreneur; Keegan Sharp, Vice President of Mortgages Growth at Neo Financial; and Kyra Young, Partner Manager at Shopify and Founder & CEO of Kyra’s Shea Medleys. Each of the finalist teams had a presentation prepared which was followed by a Q&A session by the judges. You can see a recording of the event below. Best Store Builder of the Year During the championship event, the winners of the Best Store Builder Award of the Year were announced. JA Company Program teams who used a Shopify store this year, qualified for the award. Shopify judged each of the stores to determine the winner. This year’s Best Store Builders of the Year Include: Colour Moi – JA Manitoba Revive – JA Northern Alberta Fleur Eternelle – JA Northern Alberta Pura Sano – JA Northern Alberta Love0 Share Share Share Pin
Student Spotlight: JA in Saskatchewan
June 21, 2024 National Jenna Knupp JA Canada Tell us about your JA company and your role within the company? My name is Jenna Knupp, and I was a co-president for Sweets & Treats Co, for the junior achievement program at Weyburn Comprehensive School. Sweets & Treats Co was a retail food company that focused on selling a variety of treats including chocolate covered pretzels in two flavors white and milk chocolate, Christmas crunch which was a chocolate covered popcorn snack mix, fudge pops in two flavors maple and chocolate and fudge in two main flavors maple and chocolate. Fudge was our main focus, so as well in January we did a specialty fudge promotion that included six new flavors of fudge Orange Chocolate Swirl, Mint Chocolate Swirl, Vanilla, Vanilla M&M, Chocolate Chip Swirl and our fan favorite Cookies & Cream. Our company was extremely successful, bringing in $18,135.69 in sales with $12,500.00 in profit. Myself alone I brought in $3,794.20 in sales, which represented 24.5% of the company’s total revenue. Our company was proud to donate $1,389.20 to the Andon Hoff Memorial fund as a way to give back to our community. Our company was very successful, and I am so proud of all we accomplished. Since my JA experience has come to an end, I decided to use all the skills I learned to start my own business. My fudge company is called “Jenna’s Sweet Shop” and hope to expand my fudge flavor pallet and market my product in memory of my grandma who was also a fudge entrepreneur. What did you learn by participating in the JA Company Program? Junior Achievement taught me so many valuable lessons that I will take with into my post-secondary education and my future career. I was constantly being asked questions and being asked to come up with solutions to any problems that came to the surface. I would evaluate situations and resolve conflict between my peers on a daily basis. I also learned how different personalities mix together to create a team. Everyone has value and needs to be treated with respect. Each person brings something different to the table, some personalities might be more outgoing and energetic, while others might be more calm and thoughtful. When you combine all of the different aspects you can create a well-rounded team that can tackle any challenge thrown their way. No matter how stressful the situation was or how overwhelmed I felt I made sure to have constant resilience and to always bring a positive attitude to class each day. I was nominated for salesperson of the year, achiever of the year and president of the year by my peers. This experience has put me in a real workplace environment and showed me that I can handle a lot more than I thought I could. Alongside junior achievement, I also played on the school basketball team. Maintaining my grades was especially important to me, so I had to be mindful of how I used my time. I worked hard to create a balance between academics, sports, and my leadership role. Which is a skill I am thankful to have learned from junior achievement. Would you recommend this program to other students? Junior achievement is a wonderful program that helps young adults start early in the business world. If you are interested in anything business or entrepreneurship related the JA program is the perfect class to take. JA didn’t only give me new knowledge in business but also left me with new lifelong friends. I would recommend the JA program to all other students as it doesn’t only give you business knowledge but also new skillsets like teamwork, multitasking, communication and critical thinking. All these skills can be used in any job, not only business-related jobs, so I recommend everyone take part in the Junior achievement program. Love0 Share Share Share Pin
2024 National JA Student Award Winners
June 06, 2024 National We’re delighted to share the news of the 2024 national JA student award winners. This year, three awards were available to students across Canada who actively participated in the JA Company Program! JA Future Leader AwardAwarded to a student who developed and demonstrated leadership skills through their JA experience. JA Company Program Community AwardAwarded to a student who demonstrated how they used their JA experience to contribute to building a better community. The Seymour Schulich Entrepreneurship ScholarshipAwarded to a graduating student who demonstrated how their JA experience has equipped them with the entrepreneurial skills and a mindset that they’ll apply to their future educational and career pathways. The 2024 National JA Student Award Winners Are: JA Future Leader Award – Rafael Nicholas Bugan | JA Quebec JA Company Program Community Award – Anson Lee | JA Central Ontario Seymour Schulich Entrepreneurship Scholarship – May Sharma | JA Northern Alberta Love0 Share Share Share Pin
Press Release: Prominent Canadian companies join as lead sponsors of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame
April 29, 2024 National Cogeco, Colliers International, Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd, FirstService Corporation, Fortis Inc., National Bank, TD Bank, and Air Canada sponsor 2024 CBHF celebration honouring Stanley Marshall, Prem Watsa, Louis Audet and Jay Hennick Toronto, April 29, 2024 – The Canadian Business Hall of Fame (CBHF) is pleased to announce the lead sponsors of the May 23rd Induction Ceremony and Celebration event. Cogeco, Colliers International, Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., FirstService Corporation, Fortis Inc., National Bank, TD Bank, and Air Canada join as lead sponsors among an impressive lineup of companies supporting this event honouring exceptional business leaders – Louis Audet, Jay S. Hennick, H. Stanley Marshall, and V. Prem Watsa. These extraordinary Canadian leaders will be formally inducted as Companions to the Order of the Business Hall of Fame during a special award ceremony at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on May 23rd. The event celebrates the Inductees for their indelible contributions to Canada’s business landscape, their vision and leadership, national and global economic impact, and philanthropy. The Canadian Business Hall of Fame event is the signature national fundraising initiative for Junior Achievement of Canada (JA Canada). Proceeds of the event fuel JA Canada’s mission to equip youth with financial health, entrepreneurship, and work readiness skills they need to be better prepared for their future. Acknowledging the significant accomplishments of the 2024 awardees: “This year’s Inductees have earned the respect of their peers, paved the way for others, and are role models for future generations of enterprising youth,” said Scott Hillier, CEO of JA Canada. “The sponsorships of these generous companies demonstrate not only their shared commitment to recognizing leadership, but also their commitment to inspiring the entrepreneurs and leaders of tomorrow,” said Hillier. Sponsors and supporters who have donated in honour of the Inductees share tributes and express their support for the event and the mission: – David Hutchens, President and CEO, Fortis Inc. – Howard Sokolowski, O.On., CEO, Metropia. – Madeleine Paquin, C.M., C.B.H.F., Former President and CEO, Logistec Corporation. Sponsorship and tickets for the May 23rd event, and the opportunity to donate in honour of the Inductees are still available. For more information regarding sponsorship and participation opportunities, please visit www.cbhf.ca or contact [email protected] . -30- Full List of Sponsors at time of publication: Cogeco • Colliers International • Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited • Fortis Inc. • The Jay and Barbara Hennick Family Foundation • Air Canada • FirstService Corporation • TD Bank • National Bank • —————————————————————————————————————————- Brookfield • Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. • Globe & Mail Korn Ferry • Power Corporation of Canada • RBC —————————————————————————————————————————- Amazon Canada • Avanade Canada Inc. • BMO Capital Markets • CIBC • Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP • Deloitte • EY • Hugessen Consulting • Irving Oil • Kingsdale Advisors • Longview Communications Inc. • Maple Leaf Foods • Morningstar DBRS • OMERS • PwC • RCK Securities Inc. • Rotman School of Business • Teck Resources Limited • TorQuest Partners • Toronto Metropolitan University • Torys LLP • Triovest ———————————————————————————————————————————– Linda Hohol • Annette Verschuren • Madeleine Paquin • Howard Sokolowski Love0 Share Share Share Pin
The Globe and Mail, a hot cup of coffee and exciting CBHF news to share!
January 16, 2024 National Take a look at The Globe and Mail to see our full-page ad highlighting the 2024 Inductees to the Canadian Business Hall of Fame: ‣ V. Prem Watsa, C.M., MBA, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Fairfax Holdings Limited‣ Louis Audet, C.M., O.Q., P. Eng., MBA, Chairman of the Board, Cogeco Inc., and Cogeco Communications Inc.‣ H. Stanley Marshall, BASc (Chem. Eng.), LLB, Corporate Director & Retired Chief Executive Officer, Fortis Inc.‣ Jay S. Hennick, C.M., J.D., Global Chief Executive Officer & Chairman, Colliers International, Founder & Chairman, FirstService Corporation We look forward to the Induction Ceremony & Celebration on May 23, 2024 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. To learn about sponsorship opportunities, purchase tickets or learn more about the event, please visit www.cbhf.ca or contact us at [email protected]. Love0 Share Share Share Pin