Laurier receives $450,000 for entrepreneur programs

WATERLOO — A trio of new entrepreneurship programs will be offered at Wilfrid Laurier University thanks to a $450,000 gift from RBC.

“Prosperity for all Canadians is directly linked to our ability to prepare young people to succeed in a fast-changing global economy,” Massimo Iacurti, RBC regional vice-president for Kitchener Waterloo Perth, said in a release.

“We are proud to partner with Wilfrid Laurier University to help provide students with the opportunity to gain the necessary skills, build their networks and participate in meaningful work-integrated learning experiences.”

The donation is part of RBC’s Future Launch program, a $50million commitment over 10 years to help prepare young people for the future of work. The new programs at WLU include the RBC Ambassador Program, in which RBC staff will offer events and workshops at Laurier and provide individual and group mentorship, and the RBC Entrepreneurial Experience Program, which will provide grants to students to attend events, conferences and competitions.

The third program, the RBC Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program, will support a total of 45 student entrepreneurs over three years; students will receive a stipend to work full-time for four months on their entrepreneurial project, or to supplement their salary while working at a startup and learning entrepreneurial skills. The programs will be available to students in all faculties and campuses.

“At the post-secondary level, we must prepare young people not only with applicable skills, but also the ability to navigate change and be entrepreneurial,” Laurier president Deborah MacLatchy said in a release.

“Using skills they learn in RBC-supported programs, our students will create jobs for themselves and, in turn, create jobs for others. They will seed brilliant and world-changing ideas and enact lasting change.”