Expanding the family, securing the future
A few years ago, the partners at the Antigonish-based engineering firm A. H. Roy & Associates had a revelation: one of the greatest strengths of their business was also becoming a growing risk with each passing year.
Many of the core people at A. H. Roy & Associates were long-tenured, seasoned professionals; they were comfortable and successful. But management realized they couldn’t work forever and the future of the company would need new, younger staff.
“We realized that if we didn’t act, and act relatively soon, we’d lose the knowledge and expertise that fuelled the business as we started to retire,” says Vice-President and Partner, Paul Doiron. “We decided we needed to hire young professionals and mentor them to be future leaders of our company.”
The company first hired Colin Cogger fresh out of Dalhousie’s Electrical Engineering program in 2016. Colin has now earned his Professional Engineering designation and is an integral part of the operation and its future. His impact on the business was so strong they hired another two recent grads in 2020.
The three hires were more feasible with the Graduate to Opportunity (GTO) program. GTO supports businesses in hiring local recent grads, so they have access to jobs in their home communities. GTO offers 25% of a grad’s first year salary — 35% if the grad is an international graduate or member of an equity-seeking group — and 12.5% of their second-year salary. The program is available to small businesses like A. H. Roy & Associates, start-ups, social enterprises, and non-profit organizations.
“GTO makes it more possible for a small company like ours to grow in a sustainable way.” adds HR Administrator Stacy Doiron. “It takes time to gain the experience needed to work independently in this field; all our recent grads are well on their way.”
“We are very proud of the younger generation and the way they are taking over the company,” says Paul Doiron. “It’s great to see them take initiative and learn. They’re already bringing in clients of their own. We have already adjusted to this new phase. We’re going to be fine.”
Apart from bringing energy, enthusiasm, and a willingness to learn, young professionals are proficient in using the latest technology available. “Technology is always improving, becoming more powerful,” says Brian MacGillivray, one of the Junior Mechanical Engineers at A. H. Roy. “I like introducing modern tools to our company, which helps increase our efficiency and productivity.”
To date, more than 1,000 organizations, like A. H. Roy & Associates, have hired recent graduates across Nova Scotia using GTO funding.
Graduate to Opportunity could save you money on the next person you hire. The process is quick and easy — applications are typically turned around within 5 business days.
