Are you a young job hunter searching for more than just a paycheck? Canada’s Top Employers for Young People 2020, selected by Mediacorp Canada Inc., is an excellent place to start. These winning organizations understand that learning doesn’t end when the job begins. That’s why this competition is such a valuable resource for young professionals and recent graduates seeking to launch a career in a workplace that supports their growth and development.
Investing in younger workers is simply what Mediacorp’s Top Employers for Young People do best, from paid internships and co-ops to tuition subsidies to mentoring and training programs that can accelerate a career. For instance, Ford Motor Company of Canada Ltd. created a special leadership course, entitled Thirty under 30, to provide young employees with an opportunity to work with non-profit organizations and learn civic engagement skills. Or GHD Ltd. in Waterloo= selects high performing early career professionals for its Talent X program, a short-term international assignment. Many companies reach out in ways that could change someone’s life, like Saskatoon-based Nutrien Ltd., which gives female students and students of Aboriginal descent an opportunity to work with mentors, meet peers and participate in community initiatives through its Aboriginal Internship Program/Diversity and Inclusion Internship Program.
The most popular of the special-interest contests, Mediacorp’s Top Employers for Young People provides an insider’s view of what each employer has to offer, showcasing their most progressive and innovative HR initiatives. That helps job seekers not only in finding the right fit with an organization, but in finding an organization that aligns with their own values.
Winning employers also enjoy a competitive advantage in attracting and recruiting top young talent in a tight labour market. It’s an opportunity for them to reach out and say, “Hello, here’s who we are.” That’s a win for both sides.
Methodology
This special designation recognizes employers that provide the best workplaces for young people just starting their careers. The editors of Mediacorp’s Top 100 Employers evaluate each employer based on the programs and initiatives they offer to attract and retain younger workers. Key benefits include tuition assistance, the availability of co-op or work-study programs, mentorship and training programs, including benefits such as bonuses paid when employees complete certain courses or professional designations. The editors also review each employer’s career management program, looking for initiatives that can help younger workers advance faster in the organization. Lastly, the editors look at the average age of employees at each organization to better understand the composition and profile of their workforce.
Any employer that has its head office or principal place of business in Canada may apply for this competition through Mediacorp’s Top 100 Employers application process. Organizations of any size may participate, whether private or public sector. Employers complete a single application for the national, regional, and special-interest competitions, including Mediacorp’s Top Employers for Young People. All applicants must pay a fee to enter the contest.
The Globe and Mail is not involved in the judging process.
More detailed reasons for selection, explaining why each of the winners was chosen, are published on the competition’s website.
Mediacorp’s Top Employers for Young People 2020
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network Inc. / APTN, Winnipeg. Television broadcasting; 142 employees. Partnered with the Canadian Association of Journalists to provide a paid 12-week placement with APTN Investigates.
Accenture Inc., Toronto. Professional services; 5,122 employees. Manages an analyst development program with streams in consulting and technology for entry-level hires.
Accor, Toronto. Hotels; 9,655 employees. Takes part in Opportunity for All Youth, a national employer-led coalition focused on the hiring and retention of youth who are not in education, employment or training.
AIG Insurance Company of Canada, Toronto. Insurance; 422 employees. Offers an early career program for recent graduates and young employees who are still new to the insurance industry.
Alberta Health Services / AHS, Edmonton. Healthcare services; 47,204 employees. Partnered with Western Cree Tribal Council in support of its Health Careers Training program.
AMD / Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Markham, Ont. Computer technology manufacturing; 2,031 employees. Helps ease the transition from school to work through a dedicated Intern Steering Committee.
ArcelorMittal Dofasco G.P., Hamilton, Ont. Iron and steel mills; 5,149 employees. Operates one of Canada’s largest trades apprenticeship programs, in partnership with Mohawk College.
BC Hydro, Vancouver. Hydroelectric power generation; 5,777 employees. Provides structured career development and on-the-job training to employees through its Graduate Technologist-in-Training program.
BC Public Service, Victoria. Provincial government; 30,283 employees. Offers a 12-month Work-Able Internship Program for recent post-secondary graduates who self-identify as having a disability.
Bell Canada, Verdun, Que. Communications; 38,606 employees. Has partnered with Career Edge for nearly 20 years to provide internships to new and recent graduates.
Bennett Jones LLP, Calgary. Law firm; 943 employees. Manages an associate mentoring initiative, where mentors help junior associates.
Boston Consulting Group of Canada Ltd., Toronto. Management consulting; 400 employees. Created a Digital Rotation program for consultants to learn about BCG’s digital and analytics businesses through firsthand experience.
Bruce Power LP, Tiverton, Ont. Nuclear power generation; 4,061 employees. Launched a formal series of workshops for students that focus on professional development and interpersonal effectiveness.
Cactus Restaurants Ltd., Vancouver. Restaurants; 1,341 employees. Hosts one of Canada’s largest in-house apprenticeship programs for employees pursuing the Red Seal Chef certification.
Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd., Toronto. Retail; 65,000 employees. Helps students obtain their CPA designation and gain foundational knowledge through the Finance Associate Analyst rotational program.
Capital Power Corp., Edmonton. Electric power generation; 595 employees. Partners with two local Alberta high schools to offer three students the opportunity to participate in the organization’s Registered Apprenticeship Program.
CIBC, Toronto. Banking; 35,826 employees. Offers a number of rotational career programs in several areas, including retail and business banking, wealth management, and technology and operations.
Cisco Systems Canada Co., Toronto. Computer and equipment manufacturing; 1,784 employees. Offers the Cisco Women’s Entrepreneur Circle, an internship for University of Waterloo students that pairs them with leading female entrepreneurs.
Citi Canada, Mississauga. Banking; 1,365 employees. Offers unique philanthropic opportunities for participants of its Analyst programs, including attending One Young World, a global forum.
Communications Security Establishment / CSE, Ottawa. Federal government; 2,527 employees. Created a Young Professionals Network to provide support and a collective voice for young employees.
Connected Lab Inc., Toronto. Software developer; 145 employees. Encourages recent graduates and junior employees to join its weekly Thursday Roundtable, a one-hour professional development session.
Connect Hearing, Victoria. Audiologists and hearing instrument practitioners; 424 employees. Helps new grads succeed by paying the cost of practice insurance and licensing, continuing education and relocation assistance.
Corus Entertainment Inc., Toronto. Media production and broadcasting; 3,032 employees. Offers an annual Accelerator Program to engage, motivate and improve the retention of the company’s high-performing young employees.
D2L Corp., Kitchener, Ont. Software publishers; 597 employees. Develops future leaders through its LEAD program, which aims to help them grow as professionals and move to the next level in their careers.
DeltaWare Systems Inc., Charlottetown. Custom computer programming; 108 employees. Helps employees succeed with plenty of internal support, including lunch and learn sessions, job shadowing and a buddy program for new hires.
Dentons Canada LLP, Vancouver. Law firm; 1,173 employees. Maintains Student Committees to ensure young professionals benefit from all resources and opportunities available to them.
Department of Finance Canada, Ottawa. Federal government; 740 employees. Manages an Economics and Social Sciences Development Program targeted towards junior-level employees.
Desjardins Group / Mouvement des caisses Desjardins, Lévis, Que. Credit union; 40,137 employees. Manages a Young Intern Officer program for individuals between the ages of 18 and 30.
Dialog, Edmonton. Architecture; 677 employees. Developed “integratededucation”, a training program designed to help assist teams in developing their careers.
Ecclesiastical Insurance Office plc, Toronto. Insurance; 79 employees. Manages a Business Intern Program, a two-year rotational program for recent university and college grads interested in commercial specialty insurance.
Edmonton, City of, Edmonton. Municipal government; 9,885 employees. Hosts an annual student conference, allowing summer, co-op and graduate students to showcase their work to staff, stakeholders and community members.
Egg Farmers of Canada, Ottawa. Business associations; 56 employees. Hires interns and co-op students through local college and university programs as well as providing summer student opportunities.
Employment and Social Development Canada, Gatineau, Que. Federal government; 26,460 employees. Provides new employees and students with an onboarding roadmap to help integrate them into the workplace.
EPCOR Utilities Inc., Edmonton. Electric power distribution and water treatment; 3,101 employees. Established an Engineer-in-Training program for high-potential engineering graduates.
Fednav Ltd., Montreal. Deep sea freight transportation; 185 employees. Created a 14-week summer student program which includes a week-long orientation and a ship tour.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard, Ottawa. Federal government; 11,892 employees. Offers the Canadian Coast Guard Officer Training Program, a four-year program that trains individuals to become Ship’s Officers serving at sea.
FL Fuller Landau LLP, Montreal. Accounting; 101 employees. Created a Young Professional Leadership Program to help develop young talent into future leadership positions.
Ford Motor Co. of Canada, Ltd., Oakville, Ont. Automobile manufacturing; 7,641 employees. Maintains personnel development committees which oversee employee development, internal selection and placement, and succession planning.
GHD Ltd., Waterloo, Ont. Engineering; 1,592 employees. Actively visits universities and colleges across Canada and encourages recently hired graduates to attend career fairs and employer sessions.
Giants & Gentlemen Advertising Inc., Toronto. Advertising; 22 employees. Manages a full-time paid “Genternship” three-month program for recent graduates which includes creating an initiative for the agency.
Groupe Dynamite Inc., Mont-Royal, Que. Retail; 1,512 employees. Hosts a number of social events throughout the year, including cocktail events to introduce graduates to the executive team.
Harvard Developments Inc., Regina. Commercial real estate management and development; 193 employees. Manages an apprenticeship program for Maintenance Assistants which includes training with one of the company’s Building Operators
Hatch Ltd., Mississauga. Engineering; 3,165 employees. Partners with universities across Canada to collaborate on research and development projects.
Health Canada / Santé Canada, Ottawa. Federal government; 8,192 employees. Teamed up with Young Professionals Network of Ottawa to provide current students with the opportunity to network with senior executives.
Hemmera, an Ausenco Co., Burnaby, B.C. Environmental consulting; 230 employees. Offers employees a series of two-hour workshops facilitated by in-house experts that directly relate to Hemmera’s consulting practices and business.
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, East York. Hospital: 552 employees. Manages a summer student research program to provide undergraduate students with opportunities to conduct research alongside leading children’s rehabilitation scientists.
Hospital for Sick Children, The, Toronto. Hospital; 5,877 employees. Organizes and hosts over 100 conferences each year, many of which support the ongoing continuing professional development of staff.
House of Commons Administration, Ottawa. Legislative bodies; 2,021 employees. Manages the Next Gen Network, a community of practice mandated to provide employees with professional and personal development opportunities.
Hydro Ottawa, Gloucester, Ont. Electric power distribution; 686 employees. Offers aspiring trades and technical talent an ideal entry point into the workforce through various apprenticeship programs.
Intact Financial Corp., Toronto. Insurance; 11,686 employees. Offers a two-year leadership development program to provide new graduates with experience within the company’s core operations.
Jazz Aviation LP, Dartmouth, N.S. Air transportation; 4,698 employees. Manages an internal mentoring program, matching leaders within Jazz to a compatible mentee.
Joey Restaurant Group, Vancouver. Restaurants; 412 employees. Manages a series of company-wide competitions to foster ongoing development.
Keurig Dr. Pepper Canada, Montreal. Coffee distribution and brewing equipment; 1,481 employees. Offers internships for undergraduate students completing their second or third year in a variety of fields.
KPMG LLP, Toronto. Accounting; 7,648 employees. Invites teams of students to compete in its Innovation and Collaboration Challenge to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.
Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd., Toronto. Breweries; 3,500 employees. Created an expansive 10-month Global Management Trainee Program for undergraduate students.
Lafarge Canada Inc., Calgary. Concrete manufacturing; 7,124 employees. Provides co-op placements and internship opportunities in a number of different business areas.
L’Oréal Canada Inc., Montreal. Cosmetics manufacturing; 1,479 employees. Launched the Management Trainee Program to attract young talent and fast-track their careers toward roles in leadership.
LoyaltyOne Co., Toronto. Marketing consulting; 1,127 employees. Organizes case study competitions to provide co-op students with the opportunity to work cross-functionally, network and collaborate.
Manitoba, Government of, Winnipeg. Provincial government; 11,842 employees. Created a new program called the Leaders in Training Program to attract more diversity in individuals being developed as future leaders.
Manulife, Toronto. Insurance; 12,512 employees. Created the GenerationNEXT employee resource group to help bridge the gap between generations in the workplace.
McMillan LLP, Toronto. Law firm; 656 employees. Participates in the Law in Action Within Schools summer job program, employing high school students for four-week paid placements.
Mott MacDonald, Vancouver. Engineering; 117 employees. Hosts Teachable Moments, a monthly lunch and learn given by a member of its Early Career Professionals on a topic of their choice.
MTU Maintenance Canada Ltd., Richmond, BC. Aircraft engine maintenance services; 429 employees. Created an internal apprentice program to help employees acquire their license.
NTT Data Canada, Inc., Halifax. Computer systems design; 880 employees. Created an 18-month New Leader certificate program to help recent graduates accelerate their career development.
Nunavut, Government of, Iqaluit. Territorial government; 3,369 employees. Coordinates a Youth Ambassadors Program, with selection based on involvement in community, school, sport, recreation and commitment to a healthy, active lifestyle.
Nutrien, Saskatoon. Agriculture fertilizer manufacturing; 5,734 employees. Manages apprenticeships and skilled trades training programs for millwrights, instrumental technicians, mechanics, electricians, and welders.
Office of the Auditor General of Canada, Ottawa. Federal government; 606 employees. Hosts an Open Doors event to recruit financial audit trainees and summer students in accounting programs.
PCL Construction, Edmonton. Commercial and institutional building construction; 2,854 employees. Recruits masters and PhD students from the University of Alberta to take part in engineering internships.
PepsiCo Canada, Mississauga. Soft drink and food manufacturing; 10,171 employees. Offers an Emerging Leader development program to help grads transition to the workplace.
Pharmascience Inc., Montreal. Pharmaceutical manufacturing; 1,439 employees. Helps university students gain work experience through its Next Generation Leadership program, a four-month internship.
Procter & Gamble Inc., Toronto. Consumer product manufacturing; 1,619 employees. Invests significantly in its campus recruitment program and is actively involved in a number of student initiatives and events.
R.F. Binnie & Associates Ltd., Burnaby, B.C. Engineering; 235 employees. Organizes Fireside Chats to enable young professionals to interact directly with senior management.
Rio Tinto, Montreal. Mining and metals manufacturing; 10,581 employees. Hosted 80 graduates across the Americas and EMEA regions for a graduate summit.
Rocky Mountaineer, Vancouver. Rail tour operators; 345 employees. Welcomes students from UBC and Simon Fraser University’s co-op programs for paid full-time positions in their finance department during the busy season.
Rogers Communications Inc., Toronto. Telecommunications, cable, publishing and subscription programming; 22,482 employees. Created Walk a Mile in My Shoes, a job shadowing program that allows employees to work within different roles across the company.
Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto. Banking; 56,575 employees. Created a unique Amplify program, a four-month summer internship allowing students to work in creative, agile environments to solve business challenges.
Samsung Electronics Canada Inc., Mississauga. Communications equipment manufacturing; 577 employees. Partners with post-secondary institutions on a number of different initiatives.
SAP Canada Inc., Vancouver. Custom computer programming; 3,342 employees. Manages an Early Talent Program for new or recent graduates with less than two years of professional experience.
Saskatchewan Research Council, Saskatoon. Research and development; 307 employees. Formalized the expansion of a mentorship program for Indigenous post-secondary students.
SaskPower, Regina. Electric power generation; 3,368 employees. Exposes participants to a preview of a career with the organization through its Power Engineering Student Program.
SaskTel, Regina. Telecommunications; 2,839 employees. Created the YOUTHnetwork program, a strategy to encourage young people, specifically underprivileged youth or Aboriginal groups, to pursue technology-based post-secondary education.
Schneider Electric Canada Inc., Mississauga. Industrial automation and controls; 2,067 employees. Manages a rotational Commercial Leadership Program which aims to provide exposure to the main areas of the company’s business.
Siemens Canada Ltd., Oakville, Ont. Engineering; 3,850 employees. Created an Engineering and Technology Academy to help students acquire the relevant education and experience for successful careers.
Sinai Health System, Toronto. Hospitals; 3,650 employees. Partners with University of Toronto to provide mentorship opportunities to 15 to 20 Black and Aboriginal high school students to encourage more healthcare careers.
Stanley Black and Decker Canada Corp., Mississauga. Tool and hardware manufacturing; 1,403 employees. Introduced a Social Impact Fellowship for graduates of its leadership program, featuring a four- to six-week placement at a charitable organization.
Sun Life Financial Inc., Toronto. Insurance; 9,948 employees. Developed a WIISTEM initiative, a co-op program for female university students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields of study.
Surrey, City of, Surrey, B.C. Municipal government; 2,080 employees. Helps students gain career-level experience through co-op placements and a technical student program.
TD Bank Group, Toronto. Banking; 50,060 employees. Provides scholarship recipients summer employment as a customer service representative through its Scholarship Summer Employment program.
Telus Communications Inc., Vancouver. Telecommunications; 22,812 employees. Manages a rotational leadership development program to help kick-start the careers of new graduates.
Thales Canada Inc., North York, Ont. Aerospace systems; 1,929 employees. Offers a buddy program aimed at helping new employees learn how to navigate the company’s environment.
Toronto Transit Commission / TTC, Toronto. Public transit; 14,856 employees. Created a Graduate Development Leadership Program that offers participants a cross-enterprise experience over a two-year period.
UBC / University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Universities; 12,436 employees. Established a Postdoctoral Fellows Office, which acts as a resource to help postdocs expand their professional skills.
Ubisoft Canadian Studios, Toronto. Software publishers; 5,001 employees. Created a Game Lab Competition which challenges students to develop playable 3D video game prototypes in 10 weeks.
Vendasta Technologies Inc., Saskatoon. Software; 257 employees. Hosts a company-wide two-day hackathon bi-monthly, requiring only that projects be engaging to employees and unrelated to their everyday work.
West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd., Vancouver. Sawmills; 5,622 employees. Partners with the College of New Caledonia to offer apprenticeship programs for millwrights, electricians, heavy-duty mechanics and saw filers.
Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ont. Universities; 1,642 employees. Manages a work-study program for students who wish to work on campus on a part-time basis.
YMCA of Greater Toronto, Toronto. Individual and family services; 2,868 employees. Invites employees to apply for the Donald Lawson Leadership Scholarship, a leadership program to help cultivate high-potential employees.
York, Regional Municipality of, Newmarket, Ont. Municipal government; 3,743 employees. Held its first annual student showcase, allowing students to share their co-op experience with their branch and incoming students for the following term.
York Regional Police, Aurora, Ont. Police service; 2,320 employees. Offers a Student Cadet Program for students attending a police-related college or university program.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article included an incorrect name for PCL Construction. This version has been fixed.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to clarify that all participants must pay a fee to enter the Top Employers competition and that winners are selected by Mediacorp Canada Inc. exclusively. The Globe and Mail is not involved in the judging process.
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