News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – A gala on Nov. 12 will celebrate the success of university students, educators and New Brunswick employers as part of the FutureReadyNB initiative.

“FutureReadyNB has been successful at connecting the private and non-profit sectors with university students and providing them with experiential learning opportunities,” said Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Trevor Holder. “This is resulting in students having full-time work when they graduate and employers addressing their labour market needs. This gala is an opportunity to showcase FutureReadyNB’s success stories.”

The gala will be hosted alongside the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton’s Workforce Summit, which focuses on attracting a workforce from around the world, retaining New Brunswick’s youth, encouraging best employer practices and workforce diversity.

The gala is being organized by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and Malley Industries. Other partners include, the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton, the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce, the New Brunswick Student Alliance, La Fédération des étudiantes et étudiants du Campus universitaire de Moncton, the New Brunswick Business Council, the Conseil économique du Nouveau-Brunswick, the provincial government and Opportunities NB.

“The prosperity of New Brunswick depends on our ability to help young people prepare for the careers of tomorrow,” said Janice McNutt-Lanctin, RBC’s regional vice-president, Eastern New Brunswick and P.E.I. “That’s why RBC Future Launch has come on board as the presenting sponsor of the FutureReadyNB Gala. RBC Future Launch is our commitment to commit our knowledge, skills and resources to help young people access meaningful employment through work experience, skills development, networking and mental well-being, and we are pleased that the FutureReadyNB Gala will be celebrating best practices examples from employers, educators and youth.”

“The FutureReadyNB experience is an excellent opportunity for students, employers and educational institutions to participate in a forward-focused collaborative initiative to embrace growing the New Brunswick economy,” said Terry Malley, president and CEO of Malley Industries Inc. “Malley Industries is proud to be a part of this initiative.”

“FutureReadyNB is a timely and effective program that connects young talent with the workforce needs of our employers,” said John Wishart, chief executive officer of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton. “Matching the first FutureReadyNB Gala and our Workforce Summit in November is a perfect fit as we strive to shine a spotlight on solutions for our workforce attraction and retention needs. As a chamber, we are excited to be involved in the planning and execution of these two signature events.”

“Our government is pleased to see the New Brunswick private sector taking the lead on such an important initiative that is creating partnerships across the province,” said Holder.

The keynote speaker at the gala will be John Stackhouse, senior vice-president, Office of the CEO at RBC.

FutureReadyNB was created in response to a task force report that called for expanded experiential learning capacity and work opportunities for New Brunswick university students. The goal is to support employers in filling labour gaps while providing students with New Brunswick-based job experiences before they graduate. Ultimately, it is intended to support economic growth, and help with employment recruitment and retention of educated New Brunswickers.

Tickets to the gala are available online.