About

TalentED YYC is a resource platform that supports Calgary and the area’s employers that are interested in working with student talent. A unique component of TalentED YYC is our central portal. Through it, employers can post opportunities for students from all seven post-secondary institutions in Calgary. To request access or learn more, connect with our team.

About the project

TalentED YYC is a resource platform that is part of a pilot project being championed by Calgary Economic Development and supported by 9 additional community partners.

TalentED YYC will run as a pilot from 2022 to 2025, consisting of a Secretariate team to support the project, digital resources for employers, a centralized portal to post student opportunities, and on-going third-party evaluation. It is the largest collaboration of its kind in Canada.

The project is made up of three groups contributing to the success of this project:

Secretariate:

The Secretariate team is managing the pilot project and provides resources to employers and post-secondary institutions. The team manages the TalentED YYC platform, oversees the placement portal with support from technology partners, supports employers, and collaborates with post-secondary institutions. The team works out of the Calgary Economic Development offices.

Executive:

Executive Director: D’Andre Wilson-Ihejirika
Project Coordinator: Dubam Afonya

Process Enhancement Team

Process Enhancement Manager: Hilary Krygsman
Team Members: Lucas Maliniak, Olaleye Ojo, Maryam Revington, Jose Tolosa

Employer Engagement Team

Employer Engagement Manager: Megan Kinal
Team Members: Koli Agbing, Nihal Amin, Beth Legese, Marie St. Antoine

Marketing & Communications Team

Marketing & Communications Manager: Megan Matthies
Team Members: Kyle Carbert, Alena Schock, Judy Uwiera, Holly Vicary

Research & Evaluation Team

Research & Evaluation Manager: Tang Choy

Calgary WIL Community of Practice (CoP):

The Calgary Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Community of Practice (CoP) is comprised of the Secretariate and staff from the 10 partner organizations. This includes post-secondary staff who work in career services, academic departments, student life and wellness, partner engagement, work integrated learning, the registrar’s office, and many more areas that support students. Also, CoP includes employer representatives from the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and the Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations. Collectively, the group meets once a month to share lessons learned in the WIL space and discuss operational components of the pilot project.

Executive Decision-Making Group (EDMG):

The Executive Decision-Making Group (EDMG) is comprised of senior level executives at each of the partner organizations. This includes the Provosts or Vice-President Academics at the post-secondary institutions, and the President, Managing Director, Executive Director, or Vice-President at the other partner organizations. This group meets regularly to provide governance and general oversight for the project.

History

In Calgary, post-secondary institutions (PSIs) offer diverse experiential learning opportunities to students, but these opportunities vary in scope, application, and consistency. Consequently, employers interested in providing work opportunities for students face the challenge of navigating individual PSIs separately. Simultaneously, PSIs often need to search out employers directly to find more opportunities for their students.

TalentED YYC has been created to address these challenges through a simplified and centralized approach to foster better connections between employers, PSIs, and students.

The project was initiated by senior executives at the post-secondary institutions in Calgary. It was officially announced in July 2022 that the project is expected to run until the Spring of 2025. Calgary Economic Development is the champion and operational partner of the project, which is the largest collaboration of its kind in Canada.

The TalentED YYC platform was launched in Spring 2023 to provide resources, advice, and ideas for companies to easily access student talent. Employers can also request access to the central portal to post live opportunities for students through the platform.

Project Champion:

Partners:

Funders:

Future Skills Centre - Future Skills Centre announces $32 million for projects to help Canadian workers gain skills as part of shock-proofing the workforce of the future