ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION:

SLCWORKS

Charlie MignaultDirector of Business Development and Student Recruitment

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Entrepreneurship is alive and well at St. Lawrence College. “Maclean’s, 2015

SLC WORKSHigh Impact Support for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Provides entrepreneurs access to resources they need to succeed – from mentorship, government grants, workshops, labour market intelligence to regional network access.We have worked with over 150 SMEs and entrepreneurs in 2015 supporting their growth and prosperity. Obsessed with startups and regional market development, our team is a key pillar in regional economic development and workforce optimization.

MENTORSHIPHundreds of experts providing hands on help

SLCWorks is engaged with hundreds of mentors, connecting them with students (and graduates) who are interested in developing an idea into a business. As with all our efforts, we manage these relationships closely in our customized CRM platform (Salesforce.com) and measure the long-term impacts mentors have

in the community. Recently, we moved to a digital platform with 10,000 Coffees. Focused on the power of connections and conversations; recent grads and students who aspire towards entrepreneurship, can seek advice with thought leaders and grow through meaningful interactions with mentors. Our SLC Career & Placement Program is another initiative focused on connecting aspiring entrepreneurs with successful experts. This project will be propelled further when we complete our Placement Board technology allowing a digital interface between 9000 regional business partners and our 7000 students looking for experiential learning opportunities and inspiration.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION SLCWORKS

EDUCATIONProviding flexible practical curriculum with impactful tools

SLCWorks curriculum allows entrepreneurs to pick and choose from an array of events and programs to accommodate the entrepreneurs and startups needs and interests. In 2015, SLC hosted over 150 programs to over 1000 participants. Curriculum events are practical hands on interactive workshops covering various aspects and stages of building and growing business.Sessions are flexible and optional: entrepreneurs attend what they decide will help them most.

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What is new today is the recognition by policymakers and other leaders of the importance of startup communities and, in particular, the availability of tools and programs to make such communities vibrant and regenerative.

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION SLCWORKS

GRANTS AND FUNDINGHigh Impact Support for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

We help entrepreneurs and SMEs build a funding strategy. Our team has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in both Canadian Government funding and Ontario Provincial Funding Programs. We work directly with clients to discover solutions customized to their industry and current business challenges. Supporting hundreds of entrepreneurs and small businesses we help optimize their cash flow planning by leveraging small business grants and incentives available to them. Some are looking for research and development funding, others are interested in grant funding for business expansion or others in student hiring. If you are an entrepreneur or SME, no matter what your strategic goals are, SLCWorks ensures that you are targeting the best Federal and Provincial funding programs for your needs. We are here to help you grow and prosper.

CBC, 2014COMMUNITYA supportive community leveraging a robust network

A massive benefit of the SLCWorks model is the large regional network that comes with it. SLCWorks provides a community of entrepreneurs with experts that ignites conversations and support structures. Building a new company can be lonely exercise, but this engaged, regional community is overflowing with inspiration and support. SLC is a natural hub for meetings, symposiums and gathering. Whether holding Chamber of Commerce events, educational activities or business and industry associations the college is the center of regional economic development and workforce skills development. Organizations know that workforce optimization and entrepreneurship are alive and well at SLC, they know we expect them to contribute value and expertise to our new ambitious graduates and alumni and on any given day, it is common to find a wide range of experts and startup enthusiasts looking to engage.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION SLCWORKS

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LABOUR MARKET INTELLIGENCEUnderstanding the structure and characteristics of the regional economy – data informing curriculum and maximizing employment

SLCWorks manages a network powered by data rich job matching technology that quickly and accurately matches job seekers with employers based on skills, competencies and needs. The SLC database is a powerful tool and acts as a unique and valuable source of real-time labour market information for decision makers and community planners. Our goal is to address unemployment and underemployment, specifically as it relates to youth and entrepreneurship enhancing and strengthening regional eco-nomic development through the optimization of human capital. We have helped 1000s of employers connect and hire thousands of job seekers with advanced tools such as our job description builder and our job alerts. Coupled with EMSI’s Career Coach and Analyst package we are merging data from 3 Employment Ontario Centers across Eastern Ontario to provide the most robust data on youth employment, entrepreneurs, and SMEs available. This enablement through merging technologies developed by local IT firms, iStorm Media and Total Hire, connects 3 separate platforms allowing visibility to "Big Data" – real-time local labour market information in Eastern Ontario. It provides the most robust job listings focused on youth in the region. Finally the data provides insights into the need for and demand for training and re-training programs that are specifically targeted to industry needs while also offering statistically significant insights into job demands and forecasting sales.

Entrepreneurship is a powerful force driving innovation, produc-tivity, job creation and economic growth. Countries with a high level

of entrepreneurial activity tend to be better off economically. Entre-preneurs have made fundamental impacts throughout the history of

Canada, and today more and more Canadians from all walks of life are becoming, or thinking of becoming, entrepreneurs. Canadian entrepre-neurs are celebrated in their communities and in the media, and, in an age where people are cynical about many public figures, they are be-

coming our new role models.

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Government of Canada

Charlie MignaultDirector of Business Development and Student Recruitment

Feb. 05, 2016