Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 17
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KINAXIS
CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2026)
p New co-op students and interns at Kanata-based Kinaxis enjoying a free lunch on their first day of work.
Aligning the future of work with future talent
It starts with listening to what the next gen wants and making those changes
W
ith about 170 co-ops
and interns in 2025
– roughly 10 per cent
of its workforce
– Kinaxis Inc. is
investing heavily in the next generation,
treating its student program as a long-term
investment in future talent.
Megan Paterson, chief operating officer
at Kinaxis, says that strategy is by design.
“This is a program we’re going to keep
investing in for the long haul,” she says.
“We’ve grown it and now we’re in a space
where we’re really maturing it.”
The Kanata-based software company is
just one example of how Canada’s Top
Employers for Young People (2026) are
systematically listening – gathering
feedback through surveys, focus groups,
and exit interviews – and adjusting to what
young employees need to succeed.
“There’s a strong recognition that young
people represent the future, and at this
current juncture, investing in the next
generation is an investment in the
economy, and a strategic investment in
productivity and innovation,” says
Kristina Leung, managing editor at
Mediacorp Canada Inc. which runs the
competition.
Paterson would agree. She sees its co-op
and intern program as a big win-win. By
giving students “real work on real projects”
– something Paterson says the students
appreciate – the company discovers what
they can actually do, creating a pipeline of
proven, high-potential talent.
“We’ve had co-op students who have moved on to be vice presidents of this company,” says Paterson. “That means when
we’re hiring new grads, we’ve already seen
what they’re capable of, what their values
are, and it takes the risk right out of it.”
And what do young people want? One
of the biggest shifts has been around
in-person connection.
“We’ve learned they really care about
feeling connected and having friends at
work, so we’ve instituted a buddy program
and campus orientation on day one so
they meet all the other co-ops and interns
and have a support network on top of their
work group,” says Paterson.
“A lot of learning is almost not on
purpose – conversations while they’re
getting coffee or in our cafeteria. Co-ops
also now have access to LinkedIn Learning
and all training events, and are encouraged to move between departments so
they can figure out what they might want
to do when they graduate.”
Best of all is how the co-ops and interns,
who are digital natives, bring “different
perspectives and different ways of
thinking,” says Paterson. “The program is
such a vibrant, important part of our
culture.”
– Diane Jermyn
