A thirty year partnership built on youth potential
Like all great partnerships, qualities like collaboration, mutual respect and trust are vital to success. It’s been over 30 years since CUPS forged a transformational relationship with the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). This pairing has enabled CUPS own Building Foundations Youth Internship program to take tremendous steps forward, including opportunities for expansion and more collaborations with academic institutions to help young people launch successful careers. In the last academic year, according to RBC’s program survey, 92% of students who gained work experience at CUPS felt more prepared for the workforce and 90% left feeling optimistic about attaining the career they wanted.
Every relationship has great moments, but when you’re celebrating one that has spanned nearly as long as CUPS has served Calgary, there’s a great deal that is worthy of celebration. We’re grateful for RBC members graciously giving their time as volunteers and board members, as well as their contributions to our annual gala and early childhood education.
“For RBC, our north star is to help clients thrive and communities prosper,” Jerilynn Daniels, Regional Director for Marketing and Citizenship for RBC Alberta and Territories, said. “An organization like CUPS that helps some of our communities’ most vulnerable people is absolutely doing that.”
Jerilynn said the mission and mandate of CUPS has fit well with RBC’s giving priorities over the years but more than that, it’s about CUPS’ morals, ethics and the great people — a “trifecta of goodness.”
Carlene Donnelly, the Executive Director of CUPS, spoke to the power of the relationship.
“Not only has our partnership with the Royal Bank of Canada lasted, but it’s grown and thrived over 30 years,” she said. “This would not have taken place without the deep commitment shown from both our organizations, and desire to ensure this connection continues to evolve and expand.”
“A relationship truly clicks when it’s grounded in commonality. Our goals and values align, and in speaking for CUPS, we’re proud to be associated with RBC and what that name stands for. Thank you to everyone who has, and continues to be there, for CUPS, and for the multifaceted support.”
In her long tenure as our Senior Director of Organizational Sustainment, Cheryl Lemieux said RBC built lasting relationships with senior management, and has always been invested in CUPS.
“It’s the people at RBC who made that happen,” she said. “They truly care and want to be a part of the success of CUPS and for the students we support. They bring their whole hearts to the table.”
Advancing the program through the RBC Foundation’s Future Launch
CUPS practicum wouldn’t be where it is today without the integral support of RBC’s current corporate citizenship strategy. A national program which helps prepare youth across Canada for the future of work and enhances workforce readiness, Future Launch is a $500 million commitment over 10 years.
This partnership has afforded us the capacity to offer more through our practicum, including the provision of employee training for students. This includes courses on mental health supports, trauma informed care, brain science and nonviolent crisis intervention among others.
Investment through the RBC Foundation has enabled us to initiate a mock interview process and will support the development of a hiring pipeline for employment across social services agencies.
Job interviews are nerve-wracking, and a scenario in which students learn what questions might be asked and how to best communicate their skills has built confidence and helped secure employment. Ilda Songhurst, CUPS’ Director of People, Culture and Communications, said the mock interviews are new and exciting.
“Students have told us that none of their other practicums had offered that,” she said. “Without RBC’s help, I’m not sure we would have been able to integrate that into our practicum model.”
As part of a human resources industry group, Ilda said the hiring pipeline will further assist practicum alumni in securing employment, if one organization or another wasn’t able to find a position for them.
Career enrichment and securing a job
At CUPS, we’re aware that graduating and entering the workforce has never been easy. In fact, many students have already faced and overcome hurdles just getting to that cap and gown ceremony.
“The fear is that you must now go out and find a job,” Cheryl said. “If you didn’t know what that looked like and you didn’t get a chance to get a feel for it, it’s scary enough as it is.”
CUPS’ practicum is uniquely enhanced by our integrated approach to client care. We place students across our areas of service, and program participants receive practical work experience, opportunities for networking, skills development and the knowledge whether that field is a good fit.
We’ve had students in our health clinic, community development, mental health services, our family & child development centres, administration positions and more. Each of these was designed to meet students’ learning goals and further enrich the education they’ve received in the classroom.
Carlene said CUPS is always strengthening, learning from and lifting up the internship program.
“Across our service areas, the dedication shown toward students, and by them as well, shows the bright future that lies ahead for our sector as well as career readiness in any field,” she said.
“On behalf of the students who join us, to the leaders who develop mentorship skills throughout the work experience term, we’re thankful for ongoing investment from RBC that enables us to cast our line further, and build a program that truly fits and enhances employment and career optimism.”
This program supports the professional fields we hire for at CUPS, in that many on our team were first introduced to us as practicum students. These people, and those we’ll meet as the program continues, are, in many cases, the next generations to care for Calgarians experiencing barriers to wellness.
“To find that we can support a program like CUPS and help move people from internship to full time employment, that’s the end goal,” Jerilynn said. “It’s rewarding on many levels.”
In the last five years, CUPS has placed 99 practicum students and hired nine to the team. Student recruitment occurs through work placement coordinators at post-secondary institutions, these being Mount Royal University, the University of Calgary, Bow Valley College and CDI College.
“The students tell us why they want to be part of a practicum at CUPS, and they’ve done their homework,” Ilda said. “They know the work we do and the clients we serve.”