Access Student Talent Program

Do you have work that needs to get done but you don’t have the staff to do it? Or have a project that you need help with on a short term basis? If so, then perhaps a post-secondary student could help with your current talent challenges, enable more productivity and provide you with a source for innovative ideas!

The Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce (GKWCC) has partnered with the Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) to continue helping small businesses connect with post-secondary students through the Access Student Talent program. Students from our educational partner schools – Conestoga College, University of Waterloo, and Wilfrid Laurier University – are available for a variety of work-integrated learning opportunities including co-op work terms, capstone projects, field placements, in-class projects, apprenticeships, and others! We provide FREE one-on-one advisory support, education, and connections to our local post-secondary school partners to help you get started.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should my business participate?

Students can bring immense value to your organization by providing you with the opportunity to:

add temporary resources to your organization that will enable you to be more productive
access innovative ideas that students bring
raise awareness of your organization and industry
build a strong talent pipeline

How will the Chamber help my small business connect with post-secondary students?

One of our team members will talk with you about your business needs and answer any questions you have about working with post-secondary students. Based on your needs, we will research the work-integrated learning (WIL) options that you may have available to work with students from one of our educational partners – Conestoga College, the University of Waterloo, and Wilfrid Laurier University. If there are WIL options that you are interested in exploring further, then we will connect you with the appropriate post-secondary school(s) representatives and continue to be available to answer your questions throughout the process.

What are the ways that my business can engage with a post-secondary student?

There are a number of different work-integrated learning opportunities available that connect businesses with students. Some of those opportunities include field placements, capstone projects, co-op work terms, in-class projects, practicums, apprenticeships, and more.

Learn More

Resources for Businesses

About the Program

Opportunities for Businesses

Get Connected Today!

Get connected with student talent

Learn more about the Access Student Talent Program, including our partnerships with Conestoga College, the University of Waterloo, and Wilfrid Laurier University.

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What local organizations are saying

“From start to finish, working with Wilfrid Laurier University students was an exciting and valuable experience for our small business! The students took on the project with a high level of professionalism and created marketing projects that were not only interesting but included realistic recommendations that our business could implement immediately. Not only did the outcome exceed my expectations, but the process also was not labour intensive for us as a business. I would highly recommend it to any small business who wants to add some creativity and fresh ideas to any facet of their business.”

— Corrin Bleskie, Human Resources Consultant, H2R Business Solutions Inc.

“Our experience was nothing short of amazing! From the initial communication with Scott Keller at Wilfrid Laurier University to the communication with professor Ammara Mahmood to the interactions with the BU-459-A – Marketing & Social Networks class to the final presentations. We can’t wait to implement their ideas and take our social media marketing plan to the next level. What an awesome experience.”

— Amy Balatoni, HR Consultant, H2R Business Solutions Inc.

“The students we’ve been connected to through the Access Student Talent Program helped us get new perspectives and ideas to move our initiatives forward. It is also an opportunity for us to begin building relationships with people who represent our future community leaders and prospective volunteers.”

— Scott Verhoeve, Executive Director, Business & Education Partnership of Waterloo Region

“I wanted to share how pleased I was to work with Wilfrid Laurier University students in the Tech and Innovation Management Ideation class this year. I had the pleasure of working with two groups of students who brought their own knowledge and ideas to two unique challenges.

The group that assisted me with Habitat For Humanity ReStore had the challenge of adding an online e-commerce portal to our existing brick-and-mortar stores were. They were able to quickly identify the key issues we faced and creatively provided a number of solutions that we were able to incorporate as we launched our new online stores.

I also worked with a talented group that assisted me with pivoting my personal business selling sports equipment at tournaments and festivals into an online store. Their suggestions reflected the products and services I offer, embedded the unique features and benefits I bring to the marketplace, and helped me to creatively include both aspects into my new online store.

I would gladly participate in this project again and look forward to re-connecting with this class in the future.”

— Tom Bileski, ReStore Procurement, Habitat For Humanity Waterloo Region and Founder, Lax Coach Locker