Career Edge Organization (also known as Career Edge or CareerEdge.ca) is a Canadian self-sustaining not-for-profit organization that connects new graduates – including those with disabilities – and internationally qualified professionals with multi-sector employers through paid internships, to launch careers in Canada. In operation since 1996, they were the first online job board in Canada.
Career Edge Organization is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario.
History and activities
In 1996, a group of business leaders from some of Canada's largest organizations committed to make a significant contribution to youth employability by developing the Career Edge Organization and Career Edge, a unique and innovative internship program. This initiative was created in response to a finding in the mid-1990s that more than 600,000 Canadian graduates were unemployed or under-employed.
In 1999, a paid internship program specifically for graduates with disabilities was added to the organization and was called "Ability Edge." Further demographic changes and skills shortages led to the creation of the Career Bridge paid internship program for "internationally qualified professionals" in 2003.
In 2009, Career Edge Organization was the first to conduct a nationwide study of diverse Generation Y Canadians, in partnership with Angus Reid Strategies (formerly Ipsos Reid).
Since their inception, over 1,000 employers have worked closely with Career Edge Organization. In September 2010, Career Edge Organization reached a notable milestone and celebrated the placement of over 10,000 interns.
In December 2011, Career Edge Organization relaunched their online presence with a new website that takes advantage of social media and their recent rebranding exercise to unify and focus their three core programs under one web portal.
Career Edge Organization partnered with the HRPA to deliver a new specialized program for Canadian employers which allows them to achieve their organizational objectives by accessing CHRP candidates for short-term HR projects. In February 2012, Career Edge Organization also celebrated with GE Canada when they placed their 500th intern.