The Ontario government will invest $6.5 million over the next two years in entrepreneurial programs at universities and colleges across southwestern Ontario, including Conestoga.
In his summary remarks, the minister advised young people to be bold with their dreams and goals, saying: “You provide the ideas. We’ll provide the tools to help make your dreams a reality.”
Conestoga will receive $228,000 over the next two years through the On-Campus Entrepreneurship Activities (OCEA) initiative, part of Ontario’s Youths Job Strategy.
The funding will support two programs focused on entrepreneurship:
The Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) Catalyst program will support early stage startups engaged in developing advanced manufacturing technology enterprises in the region. Participants will receive business training, professional mentoring, networking opportunities, lab space and technical support for the development of their businesses.
Entrepreneurship at Conestoga includes a series of customized, in-class workshops that will introduce the principles of entrepreneurship to Conestoga students across a wide array of programs, building awareness and facilitating the development of entrepreneurial ventures.
For more information about these and other entrepreneurial programs at Conestoga, visit the Centre for Entrepreneurship.
Following the announcement at Communitech, Minister Moridi visited Conestoga’s Doon campus, where he toured the Cowan Health Sciences Centre to view polytechnic education in action, then participated in a broader discussion of the college’s activities in the areas of entrepreneurship, applied research and innovation.