TORONTO, Oct. 13,
2022 /CNW/ - Scotiabank is investing $1.6 million in the Rotman School of Management's
Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) and becoming a founding partner of
their CDL Apprentice Program, that will provide young women+
(including two-spirit, transgender and non-binary individuals) in
high schools across Canada with
exposure to career opportunities in STEM.
The program helps expand students' awareness of potential career
paths and helps increase the probability that young women and
students, including two-spirit, transgender and non-binary
individuals, pursue opportunities in STEM, business and
entrepreneurship. Funding will be used to broaden accessibility to
the CDL Apprentice Program, driving CDL's mission to ignite greater
gender diversity in these fields. Scotiabank's investment also
includes a renewed sponsorship to advance programming within CDL's
core program for science and technology-based start-ups in
Canada.
"CDL's Apprentice Program fills an important gap in helping to
support students who want to learn about—and gain exposure
to—careers in STEM," said Michael
Zerbs, Group Head, Technology & Operations at
Scotiabank. "Scotiabank is proud to be contributing to the future
employment potential, and resilience, of young women+ from diverse
regions across Canada."
With Scotiabank's sponsorship, CDL will offer travel bursaries
to students attending high school in rural and underserved areas,
providing education and mentoring opportunities for those who may
not otherwise have access. It will also allow CDL to employ a
dedicated staff member who will ensure every school across
Canada is aware of the
program.
"The CDL Apprentice program aims to spark curiosity and inspire
students to imagine potential career pathways in STEM, business,
and entrepreneurship," said Sonia
Sennik, the Executive Director of CDL. "Our partnership with
Scotiabank will allow us to reach more students across the country
with this unique, immersive learning experience."
The CDL Apprentice Program provides an immersive,
technology-focused learning experience for female-identified
students in entrepreneurship and emerging technologies not explored
in the high school curriculum including AI, FinTech, Blockchain,
Health and Energy.
A selection of CDL apprentice students will be invited to a
global symposium for International Women's Day hosted in
Toronto in spring 2023. The summit
will be a culmination of the CDL community, including world
business leaders, leading scientists, engineers, economists, and
start-up founders from around the globe, who will share valuable
insights on frontier-edge technologies and their experiences in
entrepreneurship. Click here to read more about the benefits of
CDL's Apprentice Program.
Applications for the CDL Apprentice Program's 2022/23 cohort are
now open to young women+ students (including two-spirit,
transgender and non-binary individuals) between 14 and 18 years of
age. To apply, contact apprentice@creativedestructionlab.com.
About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our
purpose: "for every future", we help our customers, their families
and their communities achieve success through a broad range of
advice, products and services, including personal and commercial
banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and
investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of over 90,000
employees and assets of approximately $1.3
trillion (as at July 31,
2022), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:
BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information,
please visit http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter
@Scotiabank.
About Creative Destruction Lab
Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is a seed-stage program, founded in
2012 by Professor Ajay Agrawal at
the University of Toronto's Rotman
School of Management, which connects deep science-based ventures
with serial entrepreneurs, angel investors and venture capitalists
to build massively scalable companies. Founders of science and
technology-based start-ups are mentored by experienced
entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders to hone their
company's mission and increase its likelihood of success. CDL now
operates five sites in Canada,
three in the United States and
four in Europe.
SOURCE Scotiabank