Ask any business owner what their biggest hurdle is to scaling up and they will likely give you the same answer: Talent.
Attracting and retaining top-tier employees has long been a challenge for local leaders and it’s an issue that was only increased by the ability to work-from-anywhere.
To help employers connect with the talent they need, Algonquin College, Carleton University, Collège La Cité and the University of Ottawa are launching Hire Local Ottawa, a new initiative designed to encourage businesses and other organizations to hire students from local schools to help address their talent shortages.
The program will initially focus on facilitating CO-OP student hires, yet will eventually support full-time hires, providing centralized funding information, ease of access to alumni groups and shared talent recruitment events.
“With over 10,000 CO-OP students available from those four post-secondary institutions, hiring local CO-OP students is a great place to build those talent pipelines,” says Natalie MacArthur, director of Talent Strategy at Invest Ottawa.
Working closely with other local partners including The Kanata North Business Association (KNBA), The Ottawa Board of Trade, Invest Ottawa, and the City of Ottawa, the Hire Local consortium will work with businesses to address their talent needs, encouraging local employers to hire from area schools, which will benefit the local economy and hopefully keep homegrown talent in Ottawa after graduation.
“The City of Ottawa recognizes the value that hiring local adds to the economic growth and wellbeing of our city,” says Ottawa mayor Jim Watson. “This is why we have committed to increasing our hiring of CO-OP students from our renowned local post-secondary institutions.”
Business will have the opportunity to connect with a diverse pool of students studying in a range of disciplines including technology, hospitality and tourism, building and design, engineering and more.
It’s a solution OBOT president and CEO Sueling Ching says couldn’t have come at a better time, as many businesses are looking for innovative, sustainable, and radical collaborations to address the talent shortages.
“We want the Shop Local approach to be extended further to Shop Local, Hire Local,” she adds.
With over 10,000 students currently eligible to work in 2022, your talent solution could be a click away.
If your company is interested in #HiringLocal, connect with one of the various Hire Local Ambassadors to find out more.
