Kelowna: arguably one of the most beautiful cities in BC. With rolling hills full of vineyards and bike paths, and an incredible entrepreneurial spirit -  it’s no wonder that so many students and young professionals are choosing to call it home.

There’s just one problem; an associated stigma that in order to get a job in Kelowna, you have to leave Kelowna. Though this may not be entirely true, it is in fact, a handshake community. And for some young professionals this can be detrimental during their post-grad decisions.

So why not break through that stigma then? Do we really want these students leaving to Alberta?

                                         

With Launch Students into Business, the Kelowna Chamber will be playing ‘matchmaker’ to young professionals and their futures.

“Having that interaction with business professionals is crucial. At the end of the day it really comes down to who you know, not just what you know,” says an Alumni student from Okanagan College. “There’s a benefit to the professionals too; It allows them to be seen in the eyes of these young professionals and is a great tool for recruitment and learning who the upcoming talents are.”

Becoming a connector for the Launch Students into Business program is easy. You give 45 minutes of your time to a student for one-on-one meetings that they they steer, and afterwards provide them with two referrals to other industry professionals you feel they should know.

If it’s such a handshake community, why not give these students the opportunity for the handshake? 

Furthering the effort to get students connected, UBCO will be holding an event on November 4th promoting jobs in the Okanagan. Career Days is a way for UBC to offer transformative learning experiences for students while developing meaningful, mutually beneficial partnerships with the community.

The Speed-Networking & Social will be this year’s biggest networking event at UBC’s Okanagan campus. You’ll discover how UBC students and soon-to-be graduates can be an ideal addition to your workplace—either in internship, co-op, or long-term roles: they’re bright, motivated, hard-working, and educated in the latest theories and technologies. More generally, this event is about engaging UBC students with surrounding communities.

To register for Career Days

ubc.ca/okanagan/management/community/connecthire/involvement/ubco-careerdays/participating-organizations/registration.html

To learn more about Launch Students into Business: http://www.kelownachamber.org/chamber/launch.aspx

We are so lucky, being surrounded with so much innovation and inspiration on a daily basis. Whether it be your morning commute over the lake, or looking out onto the rolling hills of vineyards and biking trails, it’s hard to argue that the Okanagan’s beauty isn’t worth fighting for. 

-KCC