When it comes to community involvement, Egg Farmers of Canada is an active leader. CEO Tim Lambert says that about 10 years ago, the organization became concerned about really giving back to society and doing the right thing. It was at a time when people were asking more about where their food came from and how far it had travelled. There was also an increasing awareness of the concerns on behalf of future generations about the environment and sustainability.

"We made a conscious decision to take all these notions and make them a core part of our business plan," says Lambert. "First, because the humble egg is such a phenomenal whole food and second, because anyone who works in the farming community has a rich history of being involved in the rural community and helping neighbours. It comes easy to our farmers to embrace environmental sustainability and community involvement as a key part of who we are. So the combination of product and people put us on this path."

In addition to co-op placements, Egg Farmers of Canada runs an informal internship program providing part-time employment for students and new grads to gain hands-on experience. As well, there's a young egg leaders program helping people get started in the egg industry.

"We talk to our young egg leaders on everything from how to meet with members of Parliament for lobbying on behalf of our industry to business planning and communication skills to board governance," says Lambert.

Egg Farmers of Canada has also established a network of research chairs at universities across Canada, in economics, public policy, animal welfare and environmental sustainability.

"We look at this holistically," says Lambert. "To continually improve how we manage resources -- water, air, land and the productivity of our birds -- from an environmental perspective, we need to invest in research. So then we get a pool of young people coming in who are knowledgeable of our industry. We've hired some of those talented people right out of the program."

Ottawa-based Pythian Group's community outreach includes the world at large. The company has been reaching out internationally to recruit and retain more women. . The IT services company also maintains the Pythia Index to benchmark its progress and calculate its gender diversity. Of 138 people the company hired last year, 31 were female (including co-ops).

"We have full-time people using technology to scan the world targeting top female talent in different geographies and time zones," says Anne Graham, VP of HR at Pythian Group. "We use a lot of social media to find individuals. We know that women in technology specifically want to go to an organization where there are other females. Women also want to reach out and speak to other females in the organization about what the potential job entails, so we make sure they have access to talk to anyone of us."

The company has also forged a partnership with Junior Achievement, hosting events for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship as well as providing some mentors. Pythian Group CEO Paul Vallée, a JA graduate himself, was a recent speaker at a JA event.

"We have a lot of people who are passionate about STEM and females," says Julia Duffy, Talent Management Strategist for Pythian Group. "Our CEO always has our people out in the community, whether you're technical or not, being the champions of our organization and showcasing our work. We don't just go to the big events but the small local ones too."

As part of reaching out to the next generation of talent, The Royal offered over 300 student placements in 2017 covering a variety of roles, including registered nurse, recreation therapy, medical administration and personal support worker. Rosanna Lashley, Director, HR & Labour Relations, says they work with the schools to make the student experience rich with lots of extra learning. The feedback they get is that The Royal is one of the top and most popular placements for students.

"The staff has a wonderful attitude towards the students," says Lashley. "They're aware of training the next generation and really want the students to come back and be staff. It absolutely gives us an edge in recruiting because we see how these students are performing."

Stefan Trivunovic, Manager of Professional Practice Nursing Education, says one of the cornerstones of who they are at The Royal is having these young minds come in. It also gives the hospital an opportunity to influence the students' development as nurses.

"The Royal has a specialized environment so by having them here as students first, they get to experience what mental health is," Trivunovic explains. "Deep down, this is what makes a better nurse -- nurses who better understand the environment where they will eventually be working."

—Diane Jermyn