Traveling around the world and getting a chance to use his marketing skills on high-profile industry and government leaders is not a life Maurice Robert even dared dream about as he slugged through the MBA program at the University of Saskatchewan.
But that’s exactly what happened.
The 29-year old Saskatoon man is one of 22 recent post-secondary graduates in Saskatchewan to find jobs through the new International Trade Personnel Program offered by Western Economic Diversification Canada.
The program started in March 1995 to give recent college and university graduates a chance to get work experience and strengthen the competitiveness of western Canadian businesses in international markets.
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“I was interested in international business but this is far beyond my expectations,” said Robert, an international liaison with Ag-West Biotech Inc. in Saskatoon.
The program gives financial support to small and medium-sized businesses to hire graduates to work on export-related activities like market research, translation or international sales.
Secretary of state for Western Economic Diversification John Gerrard told a Jan. 20 news conference in Saskatoon he hopes the program spurs an increase in Saskatchewan’s exports and economy, and gives new graduates experience.
“As a person who grew up in Saskatchewan I’m all too familiar with people leaving the province to find suitable work,” Gerrard said.
Keep young people
“Our young people are the most important resource we’ve got, and we need opportunities that allow them to stay in Saskatchewan to build excellent careers and excellent opportunities.”
Robert, from Domremy, about 40 kilometres south of Prince Albert, said his work has involved researching new markets for Saskatchewan’s biotechnology exports in the United States, Japan and other Asian markets.
“I was in Japan in July to determine if the Japanese government would accept genetically altered canola,” he said in a later interview.
“I didn’t think I would be meeting people of that high stature in a foreign country this soon in my career.”
Ag-West Biotech is a non-profit organization funded by the Saskatchewan Agriculture Development Fund to promote the province’s agricultural biotechnology community. Part of Robert’s job is to help local companies identify international opportunities and help set up trade missions for biotech companies in Western Canada.
The project costs $90,000, with the ITP program contributing $37,500.
Peter McCann, Ag-West’s acting president, said Robert’s work in international market research benefits the company and the Saskatchewan economy.
“There is potential for huge impact here,” McCann said.
Gerrard said 30 percent of jobs created are export-related and there are 1,000 new jobs for each additional billion in exports.
The ITP program in Saskatchewan has created 22 positions at 17 companies.
Across Western Canada, 220 projects are under way, including 100 in British Columbia, 70 in Alberta and 28 in Manitoba.
“B.C. is pushing a bit more in the area of exports than the rest of the provinces but we’re trying to raise the profile of the program and get more companies involved,” said Ken Cheveldayoff, business development officer for the Saskatchewan branch of Western Diversification.
Export related projects funded under the program run from one to three years. The amount covered ranges from $7,500 for one year to a maximum of $37,500 per graduate.
Participants must have graduated from a post-secondary institution within the past three years and be unemployed, under-employed or working in an area unrelated to their field of study.
