Making a place for Canadians starting their careers: 'Canada's Top Employers for Young People' for 2021 are announced

TORONTO, Jan. 19, 2021 /CNW/ - It's no secret that young people entering Canada's workforce during the pandemic have had a difficult time.  But some Canadian employers are doubling down on their efforts to help students and recent graduates launch their careers.  The best of these initiatives were recognized today, as Canada's Top Employers for Young People for 2021 were announced by Mediacorp Canada Inc., organizers of the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers project.

"Connecting and having opportunities to engage socially has always been an important part of the onboarding process, and never more so than right now," says Kristina Leung, Senior Editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which publishes the competition. "Some of the employers selected this year had already incorporated interactive and digital elements to their onboarding and orientation programs, which have helped young people integrate and connect, even while working apart."

This year's winners moved quickly to offer remote working, transition onboarding programs to virtual formats, double down on skills development and help new recruits foster meaningful connections with peers and managers.  All of this year's finalists provide support for ongoing education and development, such as tuition subsidies for training programs or courses.  Many also offer opportunities for younger employees to develop their skills in agile and dynamic environments, such as case competitions and presentations to company executives that address new challenges and opportunities.

"During the pandemic, many winners focused on expanding learning and development opportunities for students and young people," notes Stephanie Leung, Assistant Editor at Mediacorp. "Whether it's job-specific training, soft skills development, or general interest courses, building capacity enables organizations to be more adaptive and innovative ? something that will pay dividends long after the pandemic has ended."

The finalists chosen for Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2021) stand apart from other organizations in their commitment to creating meaningful employment for the nation's youngest employees.  This year's winning employers:

• created over 63,000 job opportunities in Canada for students and new graduates last year in summer employment, co-op placements and paid internships;
  
  
• hired over 20,000 new graduates for full-time positions in Canada last year;
  
  
• invest in ongoing training and development, offering up to $20,000 in tuition subsidies;
  
  
• support long-term career advance through a variety of in-house and online training options, unique development opportunities, and formal mentoring.

Now in its 19^th year, Canada's Top Employers for Young People is an editorial competition that recognizes employers offering the nation's best workplaces and programs for young people starting their careers. Winners of the competition are chosen by the editorial team at the Canada's Top Employers project on the basis of the programs and initiatives they offer to attract and retain younger workers. These include benefits such as tuition assistance and co-op or work-study programs. The editors also examine each employer's mentorship and training programs, including benefits such as bonuses paid on completing trades or professional designations. The editors also review each employer's career management program, looking for initiatives that help younger workers advance faster in the organization.

Founded in 1992, Mediacorp Canada Inc. is the nation's largest publisher of employment periodicals. Since 1999, the Toronto-based publisher has managed the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which includes 18 regional and special-interest editorial competitions that reach over 15 million Canadians annually through a variety of magazine and newspaper partners. Mediacorp also operates Eluta.ca, one of Canada's largest job search engines, which reaches millions of unique visitors annually and features editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. The company also publishes The Career Directory, now in its 28^th year ? a free online guide for recent college and university graduates looking for employers hiring candidates from their educational background.

The full list of Canada's Top Employers Young People (2021) was released this morning in a special magazine. The full list of winners can be found on the competition homepage, with links to more stories and photos, as well as detailed reasons for selection explaining why each employer was selected.

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.