Entrepreneurship as a career choice for young New Brunswickers? It’s a good possibility to explore.
That’s the message high school students from Fredericton and Oromocto were given Innovation and Youth day Tuesday, as part of New Brunswick Innovation Week.
The free, half-day event gave students from Leo Hayes High School and Fredericton High School the chance to hear from successful entrepreneurs.
Student Megan Andrews says she gained valuable knowledge.
“We’re the change makers and everybody’s leaving, but if we can find a way to get people to stay or get people to come, then it’ll be good for New Brunswick,” said Andrews.
The goal of the event was to inspire students to get involved in the economic future of the province.
Economic Development and Marketing Specialist for Ignite Fredericton Laurie Guthrie says it’s important to do what they can to keep young people in the province.
“It will enable us to be able to have the talent and the skills to grow our business and our skills in the community, and for new businesses to be started through entrepreneurship,” said Guthrie.
Student Olivia Legere says she found the day inspiring and encouraging as she looks ahead to her future.
“It’s really kind of opened up more doors. It’s just given me different ideas on what to do and what to explore in the future,” said Legere.
Guthrie says that while it’s important to talk about innovation and entrepreneurship, it’s just as important to know what types of opportunities might be available for young people.
“We know that through the National Canadian Information Technology Council that there’s going to be a demand for 220 tech positions by the year 2020 — so that’s huge,” said Guthrie.
“There’s lots of opportunity in New Brunswick, but it’s just steering the kids towards where the opportunities are, and that’s what today is designed to do.”
Local entrepreneurs showcase success
‘Wear Your Label’ co-founders Kayley Reed and Kyle MacNiven emceed the event. They founded their clothing line with the idea of ending the stigma around mental health issues.
Their collection of t-shirts has mental health labels directly on the clothes, in hopes of creating conversations around mental health.
Reed and MacNevin launched their company two years ago, and attended a three-month program at the University of New Brunswick in the Technology Management and Entrepreneurship program.
Reed says being fresh out of university, they didn’t know where to start, but having received funding from Ignite Fredericton they were able to get their feet off the ground.
Over the past six months the duo has been working with Joe Fresh on a collaboration that ties in with Mental Health Awareness Month. Reed says it’s great to see young people interested in entrepreneurship.
“I think when a lot of people think of innovation they think high-tech and creating change in that space, but there’s innovation in every industry — from fashion to mental health, to technology. It’s really cool to have a breadth of knowledge and entrepreneurs and community change makers here to share their stories,” said Reed.
Students also got to watch a mini-screening of ‘The Millennial Dream,’ a documentary that explores the values that are replacing The American Dream. The day also featured a panel discussion with successful entrepreneurs, as well as a live video conference with industry leaders.
Ignite Fredericton will be creating a resource page, featuring videos from the event. Guthrie says the content will be available online in the next couple of weeks. It will provide teachers and students across the province the opportunity to access tailored content.
New Brunswick Innovation Week runs May 3 to 5.