Jul
27
2018

Provincial government investing in Island’s future leaders

Premier Wade MacLauchlan, Minister Sonny Gallant, and SHAD graduates Zara Toupin Ramlal and John Zhou

More Prince Edward Island students than ever before participated in a nationwide young leaders program supported by the provincial government.

SHAD – named for the Aurora, Ontario creek where the program began – is a summer enrichment program hosted by 16 different universities each July that attracts top Canadian high school students. The Department of Workforce and Advanced Learning is providing $150,000 over three years to the program to ensure more Island students are able to participate. 

“We have seen firsthand the impact of SHAD on the students who have participated – they have returned to the Island transformed,” Premier Wade MacLauchlan said. “This year we hosted SHAD at the University of Prince Edward Island for the first time, which showcased the leading bioscience and aerospace research happening right here.”

“It was an opportunity to surprise top students from other provinces with how mighty this small Island can be as a place to make a real difference in their careers and in their lives,” he said. 

A record number of Prince Edward Island students applied for SHAD in 2018 and another record of 20 Islanders participated in SHAD programs from coast to coast this summer. 
 
“We are committed to the future of our young Islanders by ensuring they are prepared for the ever-evolving workforce,” said Workforce and Advanced Learning Minister Sonny Gallant. “SHAD is an excellent program that provides students with experiential opportunities that help build their entrepreneurial skills, networks and workplace readiness.”

“We thank the Prince Edward Island government for its support of SHAD,” said Tim Jackson, SHAD president and CEO. “Today’s announcement is all about the future. It ensures SHAD will be accessible to qualified PEI high school students so they can participate and benefit from our life-changing program.”


Media contact:
Hillary MacDonald
hpsmacdonald@gov.pe.ca 


Backgrounder

SHAD produces leaders for Canada through its award-winning, life-changing, pan-Canadian enrichment platform for high school students. 

Every year, SHAD helps almost 1,000 young Canadians tap into their full potential through an innovative month-long program at one of 16 partner university campuses. There, students apply STEAM (science-tech-engineering-arts-math) disciplines to real-life public policy and entrepreneurial challenges, forging insights and valuable relationships for life. 

Among its thriving global network of close to 17,000 SHAD Fellows and innovators are 32 Rhodes Scholars, 88 Loran Scholars, and 55 Schulich Leaders. 

For more information, visit www.shad.ca.
 

General Inquiries

Department of Workforce, Advanced Learning and Population
5th Floor North, Shaw Building
105 Rochford Street
PO Box 2000
Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8

Phone: 902-368-4250
Fax: 902-368-4242

DeptWALP@gov.pe.ca