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PREPARING
PROFESSIONALS
Alberta Universities connect theory with the real world
BY KEVIN MAIMANN
Business students and budding entrepreneurs in Alberta can turn to an increasing number of mentoring services through the University of Alberta (U of A). Located in the provincial capital of Edmonton, it has approximately 44,000 students representing 156 countries.
The U of A’s ThresholdImpact Venture Mentoring Service (VMS), a program licensed from one of the most famous technology schools in the world, MIT, matches mentees with teams of mentors who are leaders in the local business community, some of whom are U of A alumni. The university offers space for mentors to coach the mentees, typically recent alumni, and help them guide their new business ventures.
“Our program has a direct impact on the ecosystem and the economy,” says Caitlin Whitson, manager of U of A’s VMS program.
“I think what’s exciting about it is when we take ventures that are already existing in the community, and we help them through growth stages as they develop as leaders both personally and professionally, they’re able to give back and be better leaders to their employees, they are able to grow and form new jobs, they are also able to create
and sustain new marketplaces.”
VMS currently has 100 mentors and
52 active business ventures participating. Participants typically stay within a mentorship experience for a minimum of 12 months, and some have stayed in for as long as eight years.
Whitson says opportunities like this help keep graduates employed in the marketplace and keep them working in the province.
“We know that if they get their first job in the community, their chances of staying within Edmonton and Alberta increase substantially,” she says.
Whitson says more industries are increasingly focusing on entrepreneurship, and there has been a proliferation of mentorship opportunities available through the U of A that did not exist five years ago.
The University of Calgary (U of C)
has numerous mentorship programs that connect students with successful alumni. The Mentor Link offers an online resource for students to collect with alumni in a variety of different fields. The Schulich Industry Mentorship Program creates professional connections between practising engineers and students.
The U of C’s Haskayne School of Business runs the BMO Mentorship Program, which facilitates hundreds of mentor relationships every year. Mentors from the Calgary business community with at least five years of working experience meet with their mentees at least six times
Photos by Michel Feist, University of Alberta
“OUR PROGRAM HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON THE ECOSYSTEM AND THE ECONOMY”
— CAITLIN WHITSON,
MANAGER, U OF A’S VMS PROGRAM
throughout an eight-month period, to help students build on their strengths and identify areas of growth.
Max Chan is a U of C senator. He said that when he graduated from the University more than 20 years ago, there was no mentorship programs available, and it wasn’t until he began his business career that he received mentorship from co-workers at BMO Bank of Montreal.
“It really helped me along, it helped shape my career, helped guide me, and I realized the value of it at that point.”
Chan, who is now a vice president for energy giant Enbridge, works in the program as a mentor.
The U of A’s Business Alumni Association (BAA) also runs an Alumni Mentorship Program to connect recent grads with seasoned alumni.
One of its biggest initiatives, launched
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