An innovative, proven, and scalable partnership model that
promotes economic growth and opportunity

Queen’s Arts and Science has partnered with the Kingston Economic Development Corporation to match soon-to-be graduating undergraduate arts and humanities students, such as yourself, with local employers to jump start your career in the summer. The program consists of a one-year, salary paid, career apprenticeship in beautiful Kingston Ontario, along with mentorship and networking opportunities to ensure your success long-term.

initial pilot program

The pilot program (known as the Career Apprenticeship Pilot Program or CAPP) was launched in February 2018. The pilot matched eight student with local employers, and the following year achieving nineteen placed apprentices with local Kingston businesses. Similarly, we dramatically increased the number of business leaders involved as mentors to support our growing movement. The pilot year proved highly successful, with seven of eight positions turning into permanent employment – three of whom remain with the original employer.

Since then, the re-named Queen’s Career Apprenticeship: Kingston program has experienced significant growth, and continues to place more skilled graduates into meaningful employment. Between the pilot year in 2018 and the 2020 cohort, the number of student applicants has grown from 28 to 173. The number of business partners has increased from 15 to 25, with the number of positions posted doubling from 18 to 32. Average graduate salaries have remained steady around $40,000 – above the average for new graduates in Ontario (~$33,000).

With the full support of the City of Kingston and the local business community, we continue to gather momentum by increasing our coverage and support of both the students and employers.

The program boasts high retention and completion rates – with the majority of participants completing the first full year with their employer, and many remaining following the end of the program. Unsurprisingly, the program has particular appeal to mid-sized municipalities outside of major urban centres – the prototypical ‘university towns’ – which often struggle to retain graduate talent. The impact of the program on talent retention is also much more apparent than in major urban centres, where a graduate’s decision to remain is less easily-linked to external factors. The involvement of both the post-secondary institution and municipal economic development agencies serves to pre-select the companies and graduates most-likely to succeed in the program. In fact, we have seen companies continue to hire apprentices even after they have reached the two-year limit on grant eligibility – a testament to the quality of applicants and the value of the pre-selection process.

Why Queen’s students?

Whether they are pursuing a degree in music while learning multiple languages, or mixing a love of economics and English literature, Queen’s Arts and Science students can design personalized degrees in a challenging, innovative environment. The Creative Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences encourage analytical, critical and creative thought, transforming students into informed, responsible, and educated global citizens.  This is where tomorrow’s professional leaders get their start.

However, the value of a liberal arts education is under scrutiny as economic conditions compel parents and would-be students to consider what they believe are more practical alternatives. However, the reality is that society needs arts graduates: global-minded, multi-talented leaders who understand the complexity and nuance involved in solving the problems of the 21st century. A failure to acknowledge nuance is at the root of many an impasse, and the arts graduate can both recognize subtle differences of opinion and come to solutions. These future young professionals are critical for the growth of Canada’s economy, and add significant value to businesses ready to hire them.

Why Kingston?

There are many reasons why people choose to make Kingston their home – Kingston’s balanced and diverse economy is thriving. Our strong public sector attracts growth and investment, especially in the healthcare and clean technology sectors. Our vibrant private sector continues to flourish and innovate, opening up countless exciting career paths for Kingstonians. In addition to being the home of several established national and multinational corporations, Kingston has a booming start-up sector that benefits from a vibrant post-secondary ecosystem and strong community support for entrepreneurs.

However, like many cities, Kingston faces the challenge of attracting young professionals and retaining recent graduates to sustain growth, and continue to make the city a vibrant place to work and live. This program encourages local business to consider the pool of outstanding talent in their community, and provide opportunities to those that may not follow a traditional career path.

Moving forward…

The ultimate goal of the program is to be top of mind for businesses in Kingston, so when they are looking to recruit recent graduates they think of the Queen’s Career Apprenticeship: Kingston, and that when graduating students think about starting their careers, they consider staying in Kingston.

This coming year, to build upon the previous success of the program, we hope to place 25 soon-to-be graduates into meaningful employment. In order to achieve this goal, we must increase the number of job opportunities, grow the pool of qualified student candidates, and offer more administrative support to ensure a smooth transition into the workplace.