J.D. Irving Presents World Youth Skills Day: Empowering the Next Generation

This World Youth Skills Day we are celebrating the resilience and creativity of the youth in our communities. With 2,500+ student roles to fill in the next three years, we are committed to empowering young people with education, skill-training, and employment opportunities.

PALS En Route to Success

PALS (Partners Assisting Local Schools) En Route to Success program is offered at the high school level for students attending St. Malachy’s Memorial High School in Saint John, NB. This four-year program provides opportunities for ninth grade students, who are selected by faculty to participate and gain hands-on experience with mentors in the workplace.

Each year students participate in a work placement at an organization in the community and upon successful completion of this placement they are offered a summer job. This means that students can both learn and have paid summer employment throughout their four years of high school!

Meet Amber Lyons, a graduate of St. Malachy’s Memorial High School who worked with Chandler Sales through the En Route to Success program.

Since 2012, over 65 students have enrolled in this unique program and attained credits that fulfill part of their graduation requirements as outlined by the Department of Education in New Brunswick. In partnership with the Anglophone South School District, the En Route to Success program will be expanding in 2021.

PALS in the Park

The PALS in the Park program allows youth from the Anglophone South School District to have educational and recreational enrichment activities at Rockwood Park. This year, we were very pleased to be able to host several tours at the Irving Nature Park as well. Through this program, students explore nature firsthand and have a unique opportunity to learn about the different flora and fauna there is in Saint John, NB.

Since the inception of PALS in the Park, over 20,000 students have participated in the program from various schools around the Greater Saint John area.

Technovation

Technovation is a global education nonprofit that equips young women to become tech entrepreneurs and leaders. With the support of volunteer mentors, girls work together in teams to code mobile apps that address real-world problems. At J.D. Irving, Limited (“JDI”) we are proud to be a sponsor for the first branch of Technovation in Atlantic Canada, Technovation Girls NB.

“Technovation is another great local effort to engage and encourage young women to pursue careers in technology,” says Linda Speedy, Vice President of Human Resources at J.D. Irving, Limited. “This builds on our partnerships with New Boots for skilled tradeswomen, Techsploration in Nova Scotia, the STEM Expo led by UNB students as well as our Pathways to Shipbuilding Program with the Nova Scotia Community College and Women Unlimited. We’re committed to growing opportunities for women in non-traditional roles and leadership and we’re making steady progress.”

This year, Technovation Girls NB had a class of 30 girls and sent two teams to the International Semi-Finals.

NBCC and Microsoft Partnership

JDI teamed up with the New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) and Microsoft Canada to help students, alumni, and professionals across Canada build their digital literacy skills. Until the end of September, free virtual courses will be offered so Canadians can learn the fundamentals of enterprise resource planning (ERP) using Microsoft Dynamics 365.

At JDI we see tremendous value in the certifications being offered and look forward to having access to a homegrown tech talent pipeline.

“Microsoft and NBCC are a quality combination of talented people and world-class technology,” said Doug MacAskill, Vice President of Information Technology at J.D. Irving, Limited. “As the largest employer of NBCC graduates in the province, we are proud to have on our IT team 65 NBCC grads who are making valuable contributions in advancing our digital journey at JDI.”

To learn more about World Youth Skills Day visit https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-youth-skills-day

Source: J.D. Irving Ltd.