258 Biotech Graduates Start Careers in Canadian Biotech Companies Thanks to Federal Program

02-Dec-2014 - Canada

Thanks to the Career Focus program funded by the Youth Employment Strategy of the federal department of Employment and Social Development Canada, BioTalent Canada has successfully placed 258 new graduates in their first career employment in dozens of Biotech businesses across Canada .

Career Focus is a wage subsidy program that small and medium-size businesses across Canada can access and obtain up to $20,000 in federal subsidies for a new graduate's first year of employment. The program is administered by BioTalent Canada, a non-profit human resource association that represents the HR needs of the bio-economy. Since this version of the program began in April of 2013, BioTalent Canada has disbursed almost $2.5 Million in wage subsidies for new graduates to biotech businesses across Canada . The program matches dollar per dollar, the employer's contribution to the first year's salary of the new graduate, up to a maximum of $20,000 .

"The Career Focus Program is by far our most popular and successful program," said Rob Henderson , BioTalent Canada's President and CEO. "The program effectively addresses the two greatest challenges facing Bio-economy SMEs – access to capital and access to talent."

While BioTalent Canada has been a participant in the Career Focus program for almost a decade, never have they had such a quick and overwhelming response from bio-economy businesses across Canada. The organization attributes the success to two things: the increased demand in Canada's Bio-economy and BioTalent Canada's corporate partners, who spread news of the program widely, to hundreds of businesses.

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/150733/258-biotech-graduates-start-careers-in-canadian-biotech-companies-thanks-to-federal-program.html