How leaders can build and retain a creative tech talent pool
By: Jed Bick (he/him)
Hiring digitally skilled workers is key for growth in creative tech.
The demand for top emerging talent in Ontario’s creative technology sector continues to rise. Sixty-seven per cent of organizations within the sector are facing challenges in hiring digitally skilled workers, according to a 2023 study by Deloitte. Business leaders need to innovate and develop at a unprecedented pace to stay competitive and relevant. Emerging talent can help.
Embrace a skills-based talent pool
It's no secret experience is important when hiring. However, the demand for top skills is growing. Technological agility is vital given the constant shift in the technological and digital space.
“We’re seeing a shift towards currency of skills. It's no longer about a candidate’s previous employment or how many jobs they’ve had,” says Felicia Obiora, business development & industry strategist at the University of Waterloo. “We're looking at skills and the demand for those top skills.”
Key skills for the digital era:
So, what kind of skills are essential to thrive in the digital age?
- Modern companies seek new hires that are cross-disciplined and have both hard and soft skills.
- Skills in areas like UX, graphic design, web development, product design and artificial intelligence are crucial.
These fundamental skills enable companies to foster broad expertise, innovate and quickly adapt to new changes.
Understand how student talent is evolving the creative technology market
Where can companies find people equipped and ready with these skills? The answer: co-op students.
Tanvi Athavale, team lead of campus and early career programs at Ubisoft, discusses the evolving landscape of the creative tech industry and that it is trending positively for co-op students.
We have seen an increase in the number of students pursuing these programs, which has greatly helped in meeting the industry needs for talent.
Tanvi Athavale
Future-ready creative tech talent
Co-op students are key to meeting the skill demands of the creative tech market.
- Co-op programs align student learning with industry needs, providing a pathway to start tech careers.
- Students can apply the latest knowledge from their studies to bring new ideas to the workplace.
- The synergy between student talent and employers drives innovation, benefiting both parties in a fast-paced industry.
Danny Ho, director of new business and innovation at LCBO values the fresh perspective and eagerness that co-op students bring to an organization. “With co-op students, you can onboard essentially fresh, motivated talent to your organizational culture and process, which is very valuable,” said Ho, “They are very keen and eager and that is something that hugely benefits any organization.”
Recruit and retain emerging talent for long-term success
Recruiting top talent is half the battle. Retaining that talent is the key to an organization’s success in the long run. Many factors go into promoting the longevity and loyalty of new hires. For Generation Z, who are now joining the workforce, believing in the company and what it stands for is important. They value work-life balance, job stability and purposeful work, which helps to establish this trust.
Danny Ho
That is where your brand can shine in their eyes, but then equally, their talent and their strengths will shine in your organization’s eyes as well.
This is the type of synergy that can keep businesses in the creative tech sector ahead of the curve.
Get funding opportunities to support creative tech talent
Co-op students are a valuable asset for companies looking to remain cost efficient while recruiting exceptional talent. There are funding opportunities to support the cost of hiring a co-op student.
Funding support to hire co-op students:
Each school across Canada's co-operative education departments help assist in the job seeking strategies for these students, they are also reaching out to employers to let them know the benefits of hiring co-operative students for work placement opportunities.
Jacob Lolarga
- The Technation Career Ready Program, part of a family of programs called the Student Work Placement Program (SWPP), connects co-op students with organizations and helps finance their work term in tech-immersive roles.
- Research grants and funding for organizations looking to hire emerging talent to assist and work on projects related to research and development.
- Tax credits and incentives available to employers who hire students enrolled in a co-operative education program.
- Mitacs Business Strategy Internship (BSI) provides a key link between Canadian private sector and post-secondary institutions by offering grants and funding for research and projects-based employment opportunities for post-secondary students.
These funding opportunities give students the chance to shine in the early stages of their careers, while organizations benefit by gaining top talent at a reduced cost – it's a win-win.
How Waterloo co-op students can help fuel creative tech growth
The rise in demand for top skills makes hiring University of Waterloo co-op students an obvious choice for employers. Renowned for its co-op program, which is the largest at a research-intensive university worldwide, more than 70% of Waterloo students graduate with up to two years of employment experience.
This program not only prepares students for the workforce but also provides a substantial talent pool for industries, especially in tech, where the University of Waterloo co-op students have been reported to deliver a positive return on investment for employers.
Ready for tomorrow? Hire today’s skills. Learn how you can join the 8,000 employers currently hiring skilled University of Waterloo co-op students worldwide to transform their organizations today.