Kayla Cormier says her job as technical director at Highland Arts Theatre is filled with the creative work.

Recent university grad is excited to wear many hats at The HAT

Recent graduates are driving growth in small businesses and non-profits all over Cape Breton Island

Kayla Cormier, a Cape Breton University grad and technical director at the Highland Arts Theatre (or The HAT), is making a huge contribution to the organization.

“Before Kayla came on board, we had one full-time staff person besides myself,” says Wesley Colford, executive director of The Hat. “Our facility has programming 140 nights of the year, so we’re constantly in production mode.

“Having a recent grad dive in with her boundless energy, creative mind and broad skill-set has made a huge difference to our operation.”

Kayla grew up in Sydney River and wanted to find challenging work close to home. She’s found it at The Hat.

“Technical director is kind of a catch-all position,” she says. “I oversee lighting and sound and other technical requirements of each show, but I’m also involved in costume design, scenic design, basically anything that needs to be done in the theatre. I’ll be supervising a group of students this year who’ll be cataloguing all of our costumes, our props and our set pieces. It’s exciting to be involved in such creative work.”

Kyla Cormier with The HAT executive director Wesley Colford.

Hiring Kayla out of university was easier for The HAT through the province’s Graduate to Opportunity Program (GTO). It offers a salary incentive to employers in Nova Scotia who hire recent post-secondary graduates for permanent jobs in their field.

“I first heard about GTO during a fantastic meeting I had with the YMCA employment centre,” Wesley says. “We were exploring various options to help expand and grow our operation. We had worked with Kayla as a volunteer before and it’s wonderful to have her on board as a full-time member of our staff.”

Small business (under 100 employees), start-ups, social enterprises, non-profits and registered charities are eligible for GTO and can receive 25% of a grad’s first-year salary, (35% if the grad is member of a designated diversity group) and 12.5% of the second-year salary.

Applying online is simple, and they are typically processed within five business days.

“It’s exciting to be able to create a full-time position in the arts anywhere in Canada,” says Wesley. “But on Cape Breton Island, it’s extra special.”

Learn more about the GTO program here.