More students from the Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) will have opportunities to do co-ops in the non-profit sector thanks to a recent donation from Scotiabank.
This week, Scotiabank donated $325,000 to Ryerson’s TRSM to launch the Scotiabank Changemakers program. This money will fund co-op placements in charity organizations for TRSM students.
“Through the Scotiabank Changemakers program, we hope that students will gain important hands-on experience to help better prepare them for their future careers, whether in the non-profit sector or elsewhere,” said Paul Baroni, senior vice-president and business finance head, Scotiabank via e-mail.
Allen Goss, the TRSM interim associate dean, said students never had an opportunity to do co-op placements in the non-profit sector because the organizations couldn’t afford to provide them mandatory paid positions.
The donation from Scotiabank will allow TRSM to financially support the charity organizations and students, making this a “win-win” said Goss.
The Scotiabank Changemakers program started off as a pilot project last year. Two students from TRSM’s accounting and finance program worked with the Canadian Executive Service Organization, a charity that works to reduce poverty and promote economic growth.
Goss hopes students who participate in the program will be able to use what they learned in the classroom to help meet the needs of charitable organizations.
“What we’re doing is shaping future leaders,” he said. “It’s important that we build social awareness and that’s what this program can do.”
TRSM hopes to have six to nine students take part in these co-op placements every year over a 10 year period, but says it’s too early to tell when the program will start.
Danielle Lee is a multimedia journalist based in Toronto. Her interests include film, television and music.