.CA Community Investment Program funds development of "Menteer", an app from Career Skills Incubator to support Canadians in the midst of career transitions
TORONTO, Jan. 27, 2014 /CNW/ - As job seekers in Canada turn to digital tools to manage the challenges of a career transition, a new application, Menteer from Career Skills Incubator, will ease the process of matching job seekers with an appropriate mentor. The project was funded through the .CA Community Investment Program, which helps drive solutions to social and economic issues in Canada.
"Menteer started simply enough - we wanted to save volunteer time and allow our program to grow by automating the mentor matching process," said 26-year old founder Victoria Alleyne. "It grew to be much bigger; by making it open source, we are creating a tool that can be used at low to no cost for other organizations across the country hoping to start or scale mentorship programs."
Inspired by the user-experiences of popular dating apps, Menteer connects mentors and mentees using an algorithm that includes communications style, industry expertise, goals and other factors. Releasing the application open source means it can grow beyond the client base of Career Skills Incubator, increasing its impact and value.
"Canadians have embraced the Internet for job seeking, making mentoring an area ripe for digital disruption," said David Fowler, Director of Marketing and Communications for .CA. "The .CA Community Investment Program allows projects like Menteer to create digital solutions for their sectors, helping non-profit leaders experiment, create cutting-edge services and innovate with digital tools."
This is one of 29 projects funded through the first round of the .CA Community Investment Program, all of which address areas of pressing concern to Canada's Internet community.
Menteer officially launches tonight at an event at the Centre for Social Innovation (Annex) in Toronto.
About the Career Skills Incubator
Career Skills Incubator (CSCI) started 2012 by University of Waterloo alumni Victoria Alleyne who became frustrated seeing talented friends unable to find fulfilling work after graduation. Founded on the principles of social innovation its mission is to create relevant opportunities for people during periods of un(der)employment. Housed in the Centre for Social Innovation: Regent Park, CSCI is run by a volunteer team of students and recent graduates and has over 200 members who take advantage of its mentorship program and many workshops.
About .CA and the Community Investment Program
Through the Community Investment Program, .CA funds projects that demonstrate the capacity to improve the Internet for all Canadians. The .CA team manages Canada's country code top-level domain on behalf of all Canadians. A Member-driven organization, .CA represents the interests of Canada's Internet community internationally.
SOURCE Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA)
and interview requests : Ryan Saxby Hill, Communications Manager for .CA, [email protected], 613-316-2397
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