Donation to TRSM will fund new career centre

By Ryan Smith

This fall, the Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) collaborated with Ryerson alumni Edward Scheck, the Certified General Accountants Association of Ontario and another strategic partner whose name has not yet been released.

Thanks to their combined donations, the Centre for Careers and Employer Partnerships has been launched. Part of the funding for the centre comes as part of CGA’s

$2-million donation to nine universities and colleges in Ontario. The centre will benefit TRSM students and alumni by providing career development support as well as employer outreach programs.

The CGA will contribute $300,000 over the next five years towards the centre.

“We are very pleased about the opportunity with Ted Rogers School and are excited to be moving forward with this initiative,” said James King, CGA’s VP of Business Development. “Any time you connect students with professionals it leads to exciting and positive experiences.”

So far, $50,000 of the donation has been commited to developing technology initiatives as well as creating a practice job interview room. The remaining $250,000 will be divided in equal instalments of $50,000 over the next five years to fund other services, including oneon one career consultation, career events, and job listings.

“The ultimate goal is to ensure that the investment is realized on campus and that the students as well as the institution gain value,” said King.

But he says they are not taking a “cookie-cutter approach” to educational collaboration. He points out that CGA has “worked long and hard with key individuals within the schools to determine specific initiatives that make the most sense.”

Sandra Solomon, TRSM’s associate director of development, and Mark Patterson, director of career devlopment and employment partnerships for TRSM, are among the  individuals who have worked to make the centre a reality. The centre is located on the second floor of the TRSM building and adorned with red, grey, and white vertical stripes.

The centre is already open to students Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The official launch of the Centre for Careers and Employer Partnerships will take place at an event on Oct. 4th.