The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce is proud to join the Chamber Partnership Initiative to Support Business Growth and Student Career Development across Canada

The Chamber Partnership Initiative brings together local chambers and boards of trade, small and medium-sized enterprises, job seekers, and post-secondary institutions to support economic recovery and opportunities for student job seekers from coast to coast, across Canada.

The GNCC is among the local chambers and boards of trade across Canada that will partner with Magnet and the Talent Opportunity Program (TOP) to connect chamber members to the Magnet platform, a digital social enterprise at Ryerson University. Through Magnet, businesses can connect with new talent, access business growth opportunities and tools to navigate the impacts of a changing labour market and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed Canada’s social and economic landscape, leaving a significant impact on hiring capacity, operations, and business growth opportunities. The partnership is part of a nation-wide effort to connect local chambers and their members to a network of hiring tools and business growth resources in a single digital space.

Key to the partnership between Magnet and local chambers is connecting businesses of all sizes and industries to opportunities to hire young talent and access wage subsidies through the Student Work Placement Program (SWPP).* Funded by the Government of Canada, SWPP allows employers to access wage subsidies of up to $7,500 when they hire Canadian post-secondary students for work integrated learning experiences.

“Ensuring a strong economic recovery depends on the success of our students and youth. Programs like the Student Work Placement Program exist to provide post-secondary students with the chance to grow professionally and develop new skills while working in sectors that are in line with their interests and field of study,” said Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Carla Qualtrough. “Our Government’s investment in Magnet will go a long way in helping young Canadians gain meaningful placement opportunities in a variety of disciplines including health care and other high demand sectors, all of which play an especially important role in responding to the current pandemic.”

“The combination of a national recruitment platform and the SWPP wage subsidy will be an important lifeline for our members,” said Mishka Balsom, CEO, Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce. “The Chamber Partnership Initiative represents an innovative and necessary approach to helping small businesses grow, connecting early talent to new opportunities, and emerging from this challenge stronger and better.”

Whether businesses need to access specialty skills such as digital marketing, bring on flexible workers or inject fresh, innovative thinking, tapping into the next generation of talent from Canada’s post-secondary schools is a great way to boost business. As businesses work toward recovery, SWPP will be a valuable resource in not only supporting new hires, but helping businesses offset costs.

The Chamber Partnership Initiative will support access to the following key features through Magnet’s platform:

• Nationwide student recruitment: Hiring a student? Use the Outcome Campus Connect functionality to reach student job seekers across 85+ post-secondary institutions with one click.
• Financial support for student hiring: Wage subsidies of up to $7,500 available to employers to hire post-secondary students  through the Student Work Placement Program (SWPP).
• Intelligent job matching: Employers can target job postings directly to job seekers based on skills, experience, education, and industry-specific certifications.
• Diverse hiring: Employers know the value of a diverse workforce. Build more inclusive and equitable hiring practices with the Hire Immigrants and Discover Ability resource hubs. Magnet’s platform also enables diverse and inclusive hiring with tools that target LGBTQ candidates, newcomers, persons with disabilities, Indigenous persons, women, and visible minorities.
• Customized business growth content: Access to export-related opportunities and business growth information from Magnet content partners, including OCC, Export Development Canada, Business Development Bank of Canada, Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade and Global Affairs Canada and the Future Skills Centre.

Working with chambers and boards of trade across Canada, the Chamber Partnership Initiative will support businesses in all sectors in accessing Magnet’s intelligent job matching technology.

GNCC members are invited to create their free Magnet account today at gncc.magnet.today and instantly connect with a national network of job seekers, employers, and post-secondary institutions.

For more information, please contact:

About the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce is the largest business organization in Niagara and the second-largest Chamber of Commerce in Ontario, with 1,500 members representing 50,000 employees. More information on the GNCC is available at gncc.ca.

About the Chamber Partnership Initiative 

The Chamber Partnership Initiative is part of a suite of programs funded by the Federal Government to support economic recovery across Canada, in partnership with chambers of commerce and boards of trade, small and medium-sized businesses, post-secondary institutions, and communities from coast to coast.

Magnet is a digital platform with a mission to accelerate inclusive economic growth across Canada by advancing careers, businesses and communities.

Magnet and the TOP, in partnership with provincial and regional chambers and boards of trade from coast to coast, will deliver a range of supports targeted at employers, students and local communities, through Chamber Portals across the country.
*Funded by the Government of Canada