Trent University is celebrating the first year of the Community Concierge program, an innovative, cross-municipality program that connects Trent graduates with career opportunities throughout the City and County of Peterborough and the City of Kawartha Lakes.

Led by Trent, and operated in collaboration with the City of Kawartha Lakes, and Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED), the program is supported by $822,392 in funding through the Government of Ontario’s Skills Development Fund. 

The Community Concierge program was created with the dual purpose of helping recent Trent graduates enter the job market and supporting local and rural employers fill skilled worker vacancies.

“Trent University provides students and graduates with the in-demand skills they need to succeed,” says Dr. Leo Groarke, president and vice-chancellor. “We are partnering with Kawartha Lakes, and Peterborough and the Kawarthas Economic Development to create opportunities for our students to gain those skills while ensuring a resilient workforce for local employers.”

Led through Careerspace at Trent University, the Community Concierge program establishes and develops a talent pipeline that supports rural economic growth efforts. The program has created 70 multi-year partnership agreements between Trent and local employers to cultivate employment opportunities for more than 100 recent graduates to date.

Business community comes together to celebrate this success

Nearly 200 guests attended the one-year anniversary celebration on March 24 at Trent, recognizing the contributions from employment partners who have entered into multi-year cooperation agreements with the University to enhance access to local employment opportunities for recent graduates. Partners included the March of Dimes, Canadian Mental Health Association, PRI Engineering, and others from across the City of Kawartha Lakes, and the City & County of Peterborough.

These partnership agreements provide future Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) placements for upper-year students to help transition them to local, full-time employment upon graduation.

Also in attendance at the celebration were Trent placement faculty and staff, program participants and recent Trent graduates, as well as several provincial and local elected representatives.

“This capital investment provided by the Skills Development Fund from the provincial government will facilitate beneficial partnerships between graduates from Trent University and local employers in the Community Concierge Program,” said Laurie Scott, MPP Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock. “This important connection will promote economic growth while addressing challenges to hiring, training, and retaining workers in our region. I look forward to the continued success for everyone involved.”

A portion of the Skills Development funding catalyzed training subsidies and support offered to eligible job seekers by the University during their transition to rural employment.

“Thanks to the governments of Canada and Ontario, Trent University, and all project partners for an excellent program. We are looking forward to Trent students, and graduates, living and working in Kawartha Lakes,” said City of Kawartha Lakes Mayor Doug Elmslie. “The benefits of this program will be evident for years to come, it is a wonderful example of what can be achieved when educators, the private sector and all levels of Government work together."

Community Concierge positions were based out of City of Kawartha Lakes, PKED, and Careerspace at Trent University. The Skills Development Fund is an Employment Ontario program, funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.