Ian McLean, President & CEO, Greater KW Chamber of Commerce
A week doesn’t go by without hearing from a local business owner about the difficulty they have in recruiting top talent to take their business to the next level. It’s a consistent issue that governments and business organizations are trying to find solutions to. One such organization that can help with this is the international, youth run AIESEC Laurier chapter. AIESEC is a youth run organization with over 1200 offices in 120 countries and is focused on developing the next generation of leaders by providing them with international work experience.
Whether it’s recruiting new top talent or expanding your sales internationally, AIESEC is a non-profit that can help. In order to achieve their goal of helping create the next generation of leaders, AIESEC partners with companies in Waterloo Region and provide them the ability to hire top grads from around the world.
Here are some of quick facts about AIESEC from the 2014 President of AIESEC Laurier, Chungsoon Haw.
What is an AIESEC intern?
They are proactive, driven, and qualified students who are looking to challenge themselves by getting real work experiences in a different country.
Isn’t there some sort of Government restriction for this?
AIESEC has an agreement with the Government of Canada that allows all AIESEC interns to bypass the Labour Market Opinion. This means that organizations just need to provide AIESEC with a job description, an exchange fee of $1500, and a small salary to hire an AIESEC intern.
How much is this small salary?
As per the agreement with the Government of Canada, AIESEC interns must be paid at least $2000/month. Hiring a recent grad at a minimum of $13/hour shows just how much these interns are here for the experience!
Does that mean employers have to help with accommodation?
Absolutely not. We have a whole team of student volunteers at the university who are responsible for helping find housing, visa processing, getting a SIN and everything else that the intern would need. The only responsibility that the company has is to provide a job and the pay.
What background do these grads have?
AIESEC interns study a wide variety of disciplines and have various skills. They might be engineers from Germany, programmers from Brazil, or even a business grad from China. This also includes language skills, which make them great for both skilled talent and international business purposes. Our current database shows us that many interns have studied in Business Administration and Information Technology.
How much can they really help if they’re only here for 4 months?
Actually, because AIESEC interns tend to be grads, they are a lot more flexible. They can stay anywhere from 6 weeks to 18 months. To top it off, you choose their start and end dates!
What are some testimonials from organizations who have worked with you?
“Iris (AIESEC intern) has a great willingness to learn and can overcome any obstacle independently or with minimal support. She has outstanding initiative to take on new challenges and proven to be an invaluable addition to our team! We are extremely fortunate to have discovered her.” – Craig Maw, Senior Vice President, Logikor
“They assist in getting all necessary documents in order and once they arrive they manage their housing and activities during their time here in K/W Region. They truly make this international experience a fantastic one for both employer and intern.” – Bobbie Jo Davidson, Manager Human Resources Maplesoft
“While a Senior Executive in the then Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, I was fortunate to have had four international students on AIESEC placements work for me at various times. I was extremely impressed with the quality and work ethic of these students and got to appreciate first-hand the impact that these placements had on both their personal and professional development” – Dean Micheál Kelly of the School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University
If you’re looking for top, young talent I encourage you to inquire with the AIESEC Laurier team and the new 2015 President for AIESEC Laurier, Shinjni Sharma.
