What is at stake?

Montreal’s English-speaking population has high academic success rates, but there are specific challenges for this population in pursuing their academic or professional careers in the province.

The program

This program is for Grade 10 students from the Lester B. Pearson School Board, and its goal is to prepare the students for an immersive experience in the Quebec employment sector and to increase their confidence in entering a French-speaking socio-professional environment.

As a result of their participation, the students will have a better understanding of their professional interests and the language skills necessary to eventually enter the job market.

This pilot project offers them different activities such as: :

• A preparatory workshop in which language and work-related challenges will be addressed;
• A webinar that will take place at the end of May with English-speaking panelists explaining their journey with an emphasis on the aspect of being English-speaking in a French-speaking professional environment;
• A 1 or 2 day summer internship depending on the availability of the mentors.

Who are we looking for and when?

We are looking for professionals interested in preparing the next generation of Montrealers. Your involvement depends on your availability.

Only conditions:

• being Anglophone,
• work in a (mainly) French-speaking environment.

You have little time to dedicate to us / You are available at the end of May

You can participate in our webinar (exact date to be confirmed but we are talking about the last days of the month).

• Duration of the webinar: 1 hour
• Number of panelists: 3 or 4
• Preparation of the webinar: a dry run will take place about a week before to make sure that everything works, that the questions you will be asked will not come as a surprise to you and that everyone is aware of their speaking time.

You have more time to devote to the new generation / You are available during the summer

You can host a small group of interns (2 or 3) in your company during the summer. The internships last 1 or 2 days depending on your availability.

The internship will show the students :

• what your job entails (tasks, what is at stake, responsibilities, etc.) ;
• that functional French is enough to work in a French-speaking environment (no need to be able to read Jean-Paul Sartre!).

If you feel like a mentor, please contact us!