Pivotal Times: Virtual Talent

June 11, 2020

By John Jefkins

Remember the days when virtual was affiliated with online games, and science fiction movies such as The Matrix? Soon after came the arrival and evolving communication tools that are now part of our everyday personal and business DNA — LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and many more that are not even invented.

Pivot is the norm in today’s world. Personal and business are on a swivel. No one is immune to change in today’s environment. The dictionary defines pivot as rotate, spin, turn and twist. Most have experienced this firsthand: working from home, virtual Zoom meetings, increased online shopping, reduced face-to-face contact with physical distancing — the list goes on. 

For our industry, this is also a pivotal time where many businesses are refocusing, re-evaluating, and seeking opportunities and grasping this new economic climate — grasping today’s situation and adapting with innovation, new processes and openness to new ideas and processes.

History is marked by tragedies and challenges that have given birth to innovation, from the printing press to industrial and electronic revolutions.

Talent is the number one identified game changer for electrical members of Electro-Federation Canada. The need for good young talent to populate our industry is driven by innovation and the tsunami of retirements.

Canadian post-secondary universities and colleges are physically closed due to COVID-19, with a shift to virtual learning. Students have lost employment impacting income and much needed experience.

Need births opportunity. This is the case with virtual internships. EFC partners with an organization, Riipen, with an excellent demonstration of pivoting an existing business model to bring a solution for both indstry and students.

Imagine accessing bright young talent on short-term projects. Students are introduced to the electrical industry by working on meaningful project-based learning assignments. By providing valuable remote work experiences, students are also prepared to enter the workforce.

This is a powerful and cost-effective method for combining the power of technology and great young minds in your business. During a virtual internship, a student or group of students will work exclusively as part of your team to tackle a specific problem for a set number of hours. Virtual internships can provide the flexibility required to get businesses help with minimal supervisory time and provide students with a valuable learning opportunity.

Internships can be either paid or unpaid credit bearing, meaning the students internship is part of an academic course they get credit for. 

In today’s challenging business climate, virtual internships provide affordable project execution. It is so simple yet beneficial:

1. Determine a business need or growth area to explore. Focus on specific occupational gaps in your business in areas such as marketing, human resources, operations, or data analysis.

2. Working with EFC partner Riipen https://www.riipen.com/, partner with a local Canadian university or college and get matched with a student or group of students who will work on your project need.

3. Set timelines and deliverables.

4. Although there’s no requirement to hire or engage with the student full time after the project, doing so provides the opportunity to access a talent pool for future needs and projects.

Virtual internships provide real-world tasks for students to experience the electrical industry and your organization firsthand as a viable career destination upon graduation.
Our Canadian students need support during this unprecedented time. Virtual internships provide businesses with access to the future workforce while bringing valuable new insights and addressing project-based needs for your business.

For more information, access the Virtual Internship webinar presented by Riipen at an Electro-Federation Canada Human Resources Network meeting at www.electrofed.com/2020/06/riipen-hosts-virtual-internships-webinar/.

John Jefkins is VP Member Engagement & Corporate Partnerships, Electro-Federation Canada.