There has been a growing desire on the part of many senior members of the Financial Services and Capital Markets industry to increase numbers of Veterans and Reservists working in their organizations ; they see that the values of military experience and training can have positive benefits for their workplaces. Those values include leadership, teamwork, ability to learn, respect for procedures, working in diverse and inclusive teams, and understanding of technology, to name just a few.
Finding interested Veterans and Reservists is not the issue – organizations like
Canada Company and
Canadian Forces Liaison Council provide unparalleled service in identifying potential candidates. However, aside from employers’ desire to hire Veterans and Reservists, and the programs in place to assist in locating and placing former military personnel in jobs, there are difficulties in making the match.
Perhaps the most common difficulty is in translating skills — that is, employers say that deciphering the acronyms that make up Veterans and Reservists’ experience is too complex. As well, many businesses simply don’t know enough about military hierarchies and cultures, meaning they don’t understand which positions in the Canadian Armed Forces reflect high-performance status.
We have initiated the development and management of an innovative training and mentoring program to bring Veterans and Reservists of the Canadian Armed Forces into well-paid positions within the financial services and capital markets industry.
The management of the project and the provision of the training is carried out through a partnership among
Clarady Alliance Foundation,a privately-registered foundation and charity with extensive contacts in the financial services and capital markets industry and the
Smarten Up Institute, a Canadian provider of extensive finance education and securities training to the industry and financial institutions.
With the assistance of Canada Company and the Canadian Forces Liaison Council in identifying candidates and building upon the existing strengths of the Veterans and Reservists, the program will provide the additional training and mentorship necessary to ensure successful placements within the industry.
The Pilot Program is being developed and tested in Toronto, and then offered in Montreal, Vancouver, and, Yellowknife in subsequent years. The activities conform to a co-op model, with a combination of training and structured mentorships to ensure the Veterans and Reservists are successful in their new positions.
It is expected that the program would take four to six months to complete and would be comprised of cohorts of 15 - 20 Veterans and Reservists at a time, with two to three cohorts a year, eventually in three cities.
The focus will be on building on the existing knowledge of the Veterans and Reservists and bringing that knowledge to bear on projects that will require application to actual issues suggested by the industry partners.
For more information on the "CAF Bridges to Bay Street" project please email info@smartenupinstitute.com with "CAF Bridges to Bay Street" in the subject line.
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