Scotiabank Invests $1.6 Million To Advance STEM Apprenticeship Opportunities For Canadian High School Students

Saturday, 15 October 2022 12:00.PM

Scotiabank is investing $1.6 million in the Rotman School of Management's Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) and becoming a founding partner of their CDL Apprentice Program, that will provide young women+ (including two-spirit, transgender and non-binary individuals) in high schools across Canada with exposure to career opportunities in STEM.

The program helps expand students' awareness of potential career paths and helps increase the probability that young women and students, including two-spirit, transgender and non-binary individuals, pursue opportunities in STEM, business and entrepreneurship. Funding will be used to broaden accessibility to the CDL Apprentice Program, driving CDL's mission to ignite greater gender diversity in these fields. Scotiabank's investment also includes a renewed sponsorship to advance programming within CDL's core program for science and technology-based start-ups in Canada.

"CDL's Apprentice Program fills an important gap in helping to support students who want to learn about—and gain exposure to—careers in STEM," said Michael Zerbs, Group Head, Technology & Operations at Scotiabank. "Scotiabank is proud to be contributing to the future employment potential, and resilience, of young women+ from diverse regions across Canada."

With Scotiabank's sponsorship, CDL will offer travel bursaries to students attending high school in rural and underserved areas, providing education and mentoring opportunities for those who may not otherwise have access. It will also allow CDL to employ a dedicated staff member who will ensure every school across Canada is aware of the program.

"The CDL Apprentice program aims to spark curiosity and inspire students to imagine potential career pathways in STEM, business, and entrepreneurship," said Sonia Sennik, the Executive Director of CDL. "Our partnership with Scotiabank will allow us to reach more students across the country with this unique, immersive learning experience."

The CDL Apprentice Program provides an immersive, technology-focused learning experience for female-identified students in entrepreneurship and emerging technologies not explored in the high school curriculum including AI, FinTech, Blockchain, Health and Energy.

A selection of CDL apprentice students will be invited to a global symposium for International Women's Day hosted in Toronto in spring 2023. The summit will be a culmination of the CDL community, including world business leaders, leading scientists, engineers, economists, and start-up founders from around the globe, who will share valuable insights on frontier-edge technologies and their experiences in entrepreneurship. Click here to read more about the benefits of CDL's Apprentice Program.

Applications for the CDL Apprentice Program's 2022/23 cohort are now open to young women+ students (including two-spirit, transgender and non-binary individuals) between 14 and 18 years of age.

SOURCE: Scotiabank

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