Growing Opportunities for Recent Grads in Atlantic Canada

News release

Government of Canada Invests in expansion of Venture for Canada Fellowship program

August 14, 2018 – St. John’s, NL - Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

By partnering recent university graduates with high-growth start-ups, small businesses get access to sought-after skill sets while young people get experience, networks and valuable mentorship. The Government of Canada is supporting Venture for Canada, as it expands its programming to Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island allowing youth throughout Atlantic Canada to access its fellowship program.

Nick Whalen, Member of Parliament for St. John’s East, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), announced today a $300,404 non-repayable contribution through ACOA’s Business Development Program (BDP). This expansion project will create a minimum of 33 new Venture for Canada Fellowships in Atlantic Canada providing recent graduates with valuable paid work experience.

Venture for Canada is a national, not-for-profit organization that recruits the best and brightest university graduates to work at small and medium-sized start-ups for a two-year period. Mentoring and training are integral components of the start-up experience for successful applicants. This support and hands-on learning makes the Fellows better prepared to become entrepreneurs upon completion of the program. As many start-ups often lack the resources to participate in competitive on-campus recruiting, Venture for Canada gives elite undergraduates the opportunity to work for dynamic, emerging business that are adding value.

Fellows attend a four-week training camp at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario where they become versed in subjects such as management, social entrepreneurship, communications, sales and conflict resolution. Participants create an experienced and educated base of enthusiastic youth who will become the future founders of successful and innovative Atlantic companies. 

Quotes

“Every graduate should be able to get tangible work experience and opportunity to apply their education in a real-life setting. Programs such as Venture for Canada are helping to grow the number of entry-level positions within Atlantic Canada and mould our future entrepreneurs.”

-       The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Science, Innovation and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

“Venture for Canada will be a positive addition for students and start-up communities here in Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island. Future Fellows will build capacity within local start-ups, providing them with fresh perspectives and recently acquired skills. The Government of Canada is pleased to see this successful organization continue to grow.”

-       Nick Whalen, Member of Parliament for St. John’s East

“Through the Government of Canada’s support, Venture for Canada will provide more Atlantic Canadian youth with the skills, experience, and support to develop entrepreneurial leadership skills, while at the same time enable growing startups to gain access to the talent they need to grow."

-       Scott Stirrett, Founder & CEO, Venture for Canada

“The Fellows that we have at BlueLight Analytics have made a great contribution to the culture and vitality of the company. They are eager to add value by bringing new ideas and are flexible in taking on projects outside of the scope of their roles, as is often required in start-ups.”

-       Leeza Hack, Director of Operations, BlueLight Analytics, Venture for Canada Partner Startup East

"Venture for Canada isn't a golden ticket; it's rocket fuel and a map. It won't tell you where to go next, but if you have a pretty good idea of what direction you're facing, it will help you get there much faster."

-       Brendan Coady, VFC Fellow Alumni 2015 - 2017

Quick facts

  • 48 Fellows have participated in the Venture for Canada Program from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

  • In 2017, Venture for Canada aimed to place 12 Fellows within Atlantic start-ups and ended up placing 27 due to high demand and the demonstrated success of the program. 

  • According to a Lazaridis Institute survey of 100 of Canada’s leading startup industry stakeholders, “insufficient talent” was identified as the number one impediment (53% of responses) to Canadian startups scaling up 

  • 100% of partner startups assessed Fellows as ‘exceeding and meeting their expectations’ for an entry level employee.

  • 91% of the Fellows indicated satisfaction with their participation in the program and 91% of the Fellows indicated they would recommend the program to friends and coworkers (2017).

Contacts

Alex Smith
Director of Communications and Outreach 
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency 
902-426-9417 / 902-830-3839 (cell)
E-mail: alex.smith@canada.ca

Scott Stirrett
Founder and CEO
Venture for Canada
902-401-0041
Email: scott@ventureforcanada.ca

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