Thriving in a changing economy
RBC and Wilfrid Laurier University partner in support of innovative student entrepreneurship programming
Zaffia Laplante is a fourth year Global Studies student at Laurier and a member of the Ontario Metis Nation. She’s in the early stages of developing a business that will produce, in partnership with Indigenous communities in Canada, sustainable building materials to support affordable housing and economic development on reserves.
Zaffia wants to make real change, and with Laurier and RBC’s support, she will. That’s because she’s one of the first students at Laurier to be accepted into the RBC Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program, which provides Laurier student entrepreneurs a stipend to work full-time for a four-month work term developing their business venture, or supplements their salary to work in a startup.
“This innovative program will have a direct impact for me as a student and Indigenous entrepreneur,” says Zaffia, “and it will also have a meaningful effect on the Laurier community and beyond.”
The Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program is only one part of wider entrepreneurial programming supported by a generous gift from RBC to Laurier, and administered by the Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation at the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics.
On October 2, 2018, RBC announced a donation of $450,000 to Wilfrid Laurier University to create and support innovative new entrepreneurship programming, as part of their Future Launch program.
Members of the RBC team and Laurier community, including Laurier President Deb MacLatchy and RBC Regional President Francine Dyksterhuis
celebrate the announcement of a $450,000 gift from RBC to support student entrepreneurship at Laurier.
The RBC Ambassador Program, the RBC Entrepreneurial Experience Program and the RBC Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program will be administered through the Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation at Laurier’s Lazaridis School of Business & Economics, and available to students in all faculties and across all campuses.
“Prosperity for all Canadians is directly linked to our ability to prepare young people to succeed in a fast- changing global economy,” said Massimo Iacurti, RBC regional vice president, Kitchener Waterloo Perth. “For Canada to be prosperous, young people must thrive. RBC Future Launch is our commitment of $500 million over the next 10 years to help prepare young people for the future of work, and we are proud to partner with Wilfrid Laurier University to help provide students with the opportunity to gain the necessary skills, build their networks and participate in meaningful work-integrated learning experiences.”
Through the RBC Ambassador Program, RBC staff will offer events and workshops at Laurier and provide individual and group mentorship to student entrepreneurs. The RBC Entrepreneurial Experience Program will provide grants to students so that they can attend entrepreneurial events, conferences and competitions. The RBC Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program will support five high-achieving student entrepreneurs per semester over three years (for a total of 45 students). Students will receive a stipend to work full-time for a four-month work term, dedicating their efforts to accelerating progress on their entrepreneurial venture, or to supplement their salary to work in a startup where they can learn the specific skills required to be an entrepreneur and run a startup.
“At the post-secondary level, we must prepare young people not only with applicable skills, but also the ability to navigate change and be entrepreneurial,” said Laurier President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah MacLatchy. “Using skills they learn in RBC-supported programs, our students will create jobs for themselves and, in turn, create jobs for others. They will seed brilliant and world-changing ideas and enact lasting change. In this way, we’ll be fulfilling the mission we share with RBC to prepare young Canadians to thrive through change and create real value in the future economy.”
RBC and Laurier have enjoyed 34 years of partnership supporting students. To date, RBC has given more than $1.3 million to Laurier, supporting initiatives such as the RBC Career Transition Program for Students with Disabilities, the Brantford Campus Capital Campaign and many event sponsorships. RBC has hired 276 co-op students from Laurier and currently employs almost 300 alumni. With a vision to be among the world’s most trusted and successful financial institutions, RBC is one of Canada's biggest banks, and one of the largest in the world based on market capitalization. RBC is one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. More than 81,000 full- and part-time employees serve 16 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 34 other countries, with the mission to help clients thrive and communities prosper.
A special “Build your Personal Brand” workshop for Laurier students took place at the Paul Martin Centre at Laurier’s Waterloo campus immediately preceding the gift announcement. The workshop was presented by Griffith Dias, recruiter, early talent acquisition and Jovic Howland, senior recruiter, early talent acquisition for RBC in collaboration with the Schlegel Centre. During the workshop, students learned about building an authentic and unique personal brand and gleaned tangible tips and advice on how to tell their story and build a brand that is distinctly theirs. After the workshop, students mingled and networked at the gift announcement, where everyone had the opportunity to explore RBC’s new career development tool, RBC UpSkill.
“RBC’s generous gift gives students a huge boost of support to learn about and be involved in entrepreneurship, get professional advice and, most importantly, have the capacity to focus on their entrepreneurial dreams to really move them forward in a way that would not otherwise be possible,” said Laura Allan, executive director of the Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation. “The university and the students are very grateful for RBC’s support.”
“As one of the students taking part in the first cohort of RBC entrepreneurship programming at Laurier, I am not only thankful, but privileged,” said Zaffia, at the event. “I’d like to personally thank RBC for their investment in Laurier’s student entrepreneurs. It really demonstrates a commitment to further advance and grow the field of entrepreneurship. It also demonstrates how dedicated RBC is to supporting students and their passion for making positive change.”
Cover photo: Zaffia Laplante, student entrepreneur, with Massimo Iacurti, RBC regional vice president, Kitchener Waterloo Perth, at the Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation.