Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 30
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CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2026)
CIBC supports graduates with early talent programs
S
ana Khan did three
co-op placements at
CIBC before choosing
which area she wanted
to go into at the Torontobased bank, which ended up
being cloud engineering. During
the co-ops, part of CIBC’s Student
Leadership Academy program, she
was able to work on building her
skills and real-world experience,
and she received dedicated
support to help her launch her
career at CIBC post-graduation.
There’s a lot of
opportunity to explore
other teams and
career paths and keep
updated with industry
standards and evolving
technologies.
— Sana Khan
Technology Graduate
Rotational Program Associate
While working in a co-op
placement in production
application support, Khan heard
about the bank’s Technology
Graduate Rotational Program
(TGRP), a full-time twoyear rotational program for
undergraduate students who have
completed a previous co-op term
at CIBC, designed to help hone
their technical skills and set them
up for long-term success.
“As a student, you’re still
searching and learning about
what you want to do, and TGRP
gives you the opportunity to try
a role you’re interested in and
want to learn about,” says Khan, a
TGRP associate.
The program offers associates
Sana Khan, technology graduate rotational program associate, at CIBC.
the opportunity for continuous
learning through rotations
that align with their career
development. They’re also
matched with a mentor to
support their career progression,
leadership development, industry
knowledge and introductions to a
broader professional network.
“I was paired with a senior
engineer as my mentor,” she says.
“At first, I shadowed him, then I
started being assigned tasks and
he helped walk me through it,
and because I was taught so well,
I was able to pick things up. Now
we have a weekly catchup, and he
assigns me tasks that challenge
me where I am, and that’s how I
continue to learn.”
Chein La has been with CIBC
for 16 years, starting as a junior
software developer and working
in the capital markets and wealth
divisions before attaining her
current role as vice-president,
distribution technology, personal
banking, Simplii and direct
investing technology.
“CIBC is a huge supporter
of young talent, and I’m really
proud of that,” she says. “Not
only when they’re getting their
first job straight out of school but
throughout their career. There are
a lot of coaching and mentoring
programs as well as early talent
career and rotational programs
like TGRP, which gives them real
projects to work on and lets them
see the broad spectrum of the
organization.”
La was supported in her own
chartered financial analyst
certification training. “I love
coding but I wanted to learn more
about financial analysis,” she says.
“If you’re interested in learning
about the broader business, you
can do that too.”
La has also participated in
mentorship programs and student
events, and she was executive
sponsor for the annual summer
student innovation challenge,
which invites top students to
develop new products, solutions
and processes.
“Every year there’s a challenge
for co-op students who show
