Hiring recent graduates with advanced degrees might be easier than you think
The province’s newest youth hiring program is quickly becoming a win-win. Innovate to Opportunity (ITO) is helping master’s and PhD grads start their careers in Nova Scotia, and giving employers talent to power innovation.
Launched a year ago, ITO offers small and medium-sized businesses wage incentives for three years when they hire grads with advanced degrees for innovative jobs that will help a company strengthen exports.
Local IT firm Rimot was the first employer to take advantage. The small company develops technology to remotely manage devices like marine navigation equipment and radio towers.
“As a small company you are always concerned about how to pay for things,” says Chief Technology Officer James Craig. “But ITO relieves that worry for us and gives us access to talent that we wouldn’t normally have at this stage of our company.”
That talent is Walter Thekkekara Adbe, a recent master’s graduate of the Applied Computer Science program at Dalhousie University. Walter’s new role in software development allows him to develop and manage all Rimot’s hardware.
“Walter’s impact has been huge,” says James. “With Walter’s guidance, we re-architected our whole back-end system to make best use of how we manage, secure and present data. It was a huge shift for the better. Before, we were thinking on a smaller scale, but Walter, who has previously worked with Apple, helps us think about how a larger company would do things.”
For Walter, his first work experience after his master’s degree has meant an exciting chance to build on his education.
“Everything is unknown and I like that,” he says. “I get to continuously learn as I go. I have worked in software before, but in jobs that are very repetitive. But here I learn something new, and then get to apply it.”
“I also think a graduate can make more impact in a smaller company like us,” says James. “You get to wear more hats, try new things, gravitate more towards the place you want to be versus being a small cog in a big organization, doing a very specific task. Whereas here, Walter gets to do 10 different things in the run of a day.”
Companies are approved for the program based on their potential to start or significantly improve exporting efforts.
Employers can apply for the Innovation or Advanced Innovation streams, with salary incentives of up to 50% of a grad’s Year 1 salary, 25% in Year 2 and 12.5% in Year 3. A diversity bonus of another 10 per cent in the first and second years is also available in both streams.
Walter hails from India, but is happy to make Nova Scotia home.
“Nova Scotia is very calm. Where I come from, it is a busy place, and the climate here is much better.”
Innovate to Opportunity is available Nova Scotia businesses with less than 500 full-time employees. More details about eligibility and funding are available here.
