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Shifting how we think about internships

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Internships have changed the way businesses attract and recruit talent, fundamentally replacing the entry-level jobs of yesteryear. This changing landscape inspired our most recent workshop, InternSHIFT, an informative and interactive discussion held earlier this month at the 2015 CACEE National Conference in Ottawa. Through this Town Hall Meeting style session, Naguib Gouda, President of Career Edge, led conference delegates through the changing internship landscape, while exploring how paid internships contribute to our economy and social infrastructure.

For those who were unable to attend the conference, we have assembled the key highlights from InternSHIFT below, starting with a quick pop quiz.

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The Cutting Edge to Great Talent. Guaranteed.

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As a result of its ongoing commitment to help highly motivated, well-qualified interns connect with leading Canadian employers, Career Edge is pleased to announce the launch of its new business model and service enhancements, planned to simplify the hiring and retention process for employers seeking top talent through paid internships.

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“It is a wise business decision to consider paying your interns, and paying them fairly.”

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In the October 7, 2013 issue of Canadian HR Reporter, News Editor, Liz Bernier, spoke with Career Edge President, Naguib Gouda, about the unpaid internship debate that has once again heated up in the Canadian business community. As a follow-up to this story, HR Reporter produced a video that investigates the issues related to unpaid internships. In the video, Naguib outlines four key reasons why paying your interns is good for business:

1. Reputation and Ethics

Unpaid internships have a bad reputation. They can be seen as exploitative and even unethical, and businesses seldom want to be associated with either, risking their reputation and ethical standing.

2. Socio-economic Responsibility

Many people – including talented newcomers, persons with disabilities and recent university or college graduates – simply cannot afford to accept a job without pay. This is a concerning thought because it means that unpaid internships cut a significant population out of the workforce.

Organizations could be systematically filtering out the dedicated, hardworking candidates who have to financially support themselves. It’s our social responsibility to help these people find work that reflects their education and qualifications to allow them to be prosperous, successful and productive citizens.

3. Motivation

While we are aware that money isn’t the single most important form of motivation, compensation is still a factor in getting the best results from your employees. If workers do not feel that they are getting compensated fairly for the work they do, they may not be giving you 100%.

You get what you pay for. Top talent are willing to work hard to get that much-needed first experience, but you’ll get the most if you pay them fairly.

4. Retention

If you do bring on an unpaid intern, it may prove difficult to keep them. First of all, your unpaid intern may have to work a second job just to stay afloat – after a while they may find the balance too difficult.

Even if the person is being financially supported by family or loved ones during the internship, it may not be long before they start looking at job boards. Promises of potential paid opportunities “down the road” may not go very far either, as so many unpaid interns have been strung along by companies in the past, they may not take the bait.

The Ontario Job Opportunity Information Network (JOIN) Welcomes Naguib Gouda as Board Member

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The Ontario Job Opportunity Information Network (JOIN) has appointed Naguib Gouda, President of Career Edge, as a member of its board. This solidifies the organizations’ mutual goal of promoting bias-free hiring practices for persons with disabilities in Canada.

“The partnership with Career Edge means strengthening our ability to present strong talent to our Business Leadership Networks, subsequently finding sustainable employment for university students with disabilities,” says Dauna Jones-Simmonds, Executive Director of JOIN. “It also allows us to collaborate in ways that would earn us credibility and respect in the business environment, and to be more competitive in the marketplace.”

In 2006, Statistics Canada reported that people with disabilities were underrepresented in the workforce, a stark contrast to the greater percentage of people without disabilities who were employed. The study noted that 75 per cent of people without disabilities were employed compared to 51 per cent of those with disabilities. Career Edge and JOIN believe that this partnership can help increase the employment rate of persons with disabilities in Canada.

“JOIN is raising the profile of the talent that resides with our 26 Service Providers,” continues Jones-Simmonds. “As we embark on initiatives such as Virtual Career fairs that target university and college students, we believe that a partnership with Career Edge would help us to penetrate this environment.”

Career Edge has been a member of JOIN since December 2010 and has worked closely with the organization through its Ability Edge program to connect university and college graduates with self-declared disabilities with leading employers of all sizes through paid internship opportunities.

As President of Career Edge, Gouda brings C-level executive experience to the JOIN board of directors. His far-reaching background encompasses experience in senior executive positions with the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, The Ontario Medical Association, York University and Manulife Financial. He has also been a senior volunteer with such organizations as- The Toronto Distress Centre, The Learning Partnership and The Schulich School of Business. Through his recently acquired board membership, Gouda will help strengthen the collaborative relationship between the two organizations.

“JOIN’s partnership with Career Edge reflects our shared commitment to removing employment barriers for graduates with disabilities. Our Ability Edge program gives employers access to highly motivated, high quality talent and is closely aligned with JOIN’s mandate,” says Gouda.

Gen Y Coaching Corner

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Last week, The Globe & Mail published a guest essay written by Lauren Friese and Cassandra Jowett of TalentEgg titled “The six ways Generation Y will transform the workplace”. In the essay, Friese and Jowett outline – as the title suggests – six ways Gen Y/Millenials (those born between 1981 and 2000) will ultimately influence corporate Canada as they assume leadership positions upon the mass retirement of baby boomers.

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3 HR Management Solutions for SMEs

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Earlier this month, Wallace Immen, staff writer for The Globe & Mail highlighted three HR areas where small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may face challenges in 2013.

In the article, Management challenges you can’t afford to ignore in 2013, Immen identified EngagementTurnover, and Leadership as the most concerning HR issues, as reported by a Forbes Insights survey for Deloitte & Touche LLP. With these three topics in mind, we would like to take this opportunity to offer our tips for SMEs that are looking to tackle these challenges while growing their business in the year ahead.

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Career Edge Organization Year in Review: 2012

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2012 was a truly momentous year for Career Edge Organization. We forged a number of innovative partnerships with organizations that share our commitment to advancing employability. These partnerships have supported and advanced our programs and initiatives, further adding to over 11,000 careers launched through the unique Career Edge Organization internship onboarding model.

In the spirit of the New Year, we would like to take this opportunity to highlight some of our newsmakers, share a few success stories from 2012, and also address a few challenges that we see as opportunities in 2013.

NEWSMAKERS

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Career Edge Organization welcomes Naguib Gouda as new President

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The Board of Directors of Career Edge Organization is pleased to announce the appointment of Naguib Gouda as its next President and Chief Executive Officer. Naguib will be officially joining Career Edge Organization next Monday, December 17th, 2012.

“Naguib is a highly skilled executive with extensive corporate experience and a lifelong commitment to volunteering for community organizations,” says Matt Holland, Chair of Career Edge Organization’s Board of Directors.

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