advantage mississauga and mbot canadian chamber competition submission

TALENT&CONNECTIONS&INITIATIVE&MISSISSAUGA&BOARD&OF&TRADE&&

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Canadian!Chambers!Competition!!! !!!!!!! !!!!!!! !!!!!!! !2013!Submission!

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EXECUTIVE&SUMMARY!!Connecting! skilled! human! capital! with! the!needs!of!employers,!starting!with!our!students!and!the!culture!of!innovation!we!instill!in!them,!will! inspire! future! economic! growth! in!Mississauga.! Translating! this! philosophy! into!reality!has!become!the!task!of!a!new!economic!development! partnership! that! has! been!created,! Advantage! Mississauga,! led! by!Mississauga!Board!of!Trade.!!Numerous! surveys! and! focus! groups! with!employers! in! our! community! conducted! by!Mississauga! Board! of! Trade! and! other!community! organizations! have! indicated! that!the! top! issue! of! concern! is! attraction! and!retention!of! talent.!Mississauga!has! the!benefit!of! being! home! to! two! outstanding! postFsecondary! institutions;! University! of! Toronto!Mississauga!(UTM)!and!Sheridan!College.!!Each!has! a! strong! desire! to! better! connect! with!industry! for! engagement! on! curriculum!development!but! also! for! experiential! learning!opportunities! for! students,! summer! jobs,! and!employment! for! graduates.! ! Experiential!learning! provides! students! with! applied!learning! opportunities! in! industry!environments! and! contributes! to! their! jobFready! skills,! attitudes,! and! behaviors.!Connecting! students! with! employers! leads! to!better! longFterm! employment! outcomes! F! a!pipeline! of! talent! from! local! schools! to! local!business,! addressing! skilled! labour! attraction!and!retention.!!Advantage! Mississauga! has! developed! a!program,! Talent' Connections,! that! will! be!proactive! in! engaging! employers! to! identify!needs! and! challenges,! and! translating! these!into! projects! for! students! through! coFops,!internships,! summer! jobs! and! even! full! time!employment!opportunities.!!!!

PROJECT&ORIGIN!!The! Mississauga! Board! of! Trade! (MBOT)! has!partnered!with!Sheridan!College,!the!University!of! Toronto! Mississauga! (UTM),! the! Research!Innovation! Commercialization! Centre! (RICC),!the!City!of!Mississauga!Economic!Development!Office,! and! private! industry! on! the! creation! of!Advantage!Mississauga.! !As! this!partnership!of!leading! local! economic! development!organizations! has! evolved! over! the! last! 18!months,!MBOT!has!taken!the!leadership!role!in!this! business! driven! initiative.! ! All! of! our!partners! are! in! consensus! that!we!need!better!linkages! between! our! post! secondary!institutions!and!employers!to!address!the!skills!gaps,! skills! mismatches,! and! the! under!utilization!of!student!talent.!!!A!new!Business! Innovation!Connector!role!has!been! developed! as! a! major! component! of! the!project! with! significant! input! from! both!Sheridan!and!UTM.!!It!was!decided!that!the!best!place! to!house! this!businessFfacing!role!was! to!have! it! as! part! of! the! MBOT! team.! ! The!overwhelming!value!proposition! for! this! is! the!direct! connection! MBOT! has! to! Mississauga!businesses,! our! long! standing! leadership! and!strong! profile! in! the! business! community,! our!ability!to!educate!businesses,!understanding!of!the! local! economy,! the! connection! to! local!service! organizations,! and! the! immense! value!this! initiative!brings!to!MBOT’s!members.! !The!Business! Innovation! Connector! role! will! be!highly! integrated! into! the!business!community!through! MBOT! as! well! as! the! postFsecondary!institutions! and! their! respective! personnel!responsible!for!student!project!placements!and!employment.! ! It! will! be! an! important! linkage!between! the! schools! and! employers! that! is!needed!to!enhance!talent!connections.!!!!!!!!


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This! initiative! will! positively! impact! the! local!supplyFdemand!equation!by:!• Providing! students! with! meaningful!

experience! through! experiential! learning!opportunities!with!local!businesses!

• Students! have! the! opportunity! to! develop!important!skills!that!fit!into!the!current!and!future!labour!needs!of!employers!

• Businesses! can! leverage! high! quality,!readilyFavailable! underutilized! existing!talent! to! address! immediate! needs,!particularly! when! there! are! increasing!challenges!and!limited!resources!

• Businesses! will! have! a! better!understanding! and! appreciation!of! student!capabilities,! using! them! as! project!resources,! and! by! engaging! them! in!internship!/!coFop!opportunities!

• Businesses!will!have!a!direct!connection!to!graduates,! many! with! local! practical!experience!thereby!having!a!direct!positive!impact! on! youth! unemployment! while!meeting!talent!needs!of!employers!

• Students! will! have! experience! completing!relevant! real! world! work! related! projects!that!are!of!value!to!Mississauga!businesses!

• Working! with! Sheridan! and! UTM! towards!students!having!placement!opportunities!in!their! first! or! second! year,! as! opposed! to!only!their!third!year!

• Improving! the! employment! prospects! and!resiliency! to! labour! market! shifts! for!students! through! specific! occupations!skills,!but!also!employability,!essential,!and!innovation!skills!

• International! students! will! be! matched! to!local! businesses! with! similar! cultural! and!language! backgrounds! in! order! to! remove!barriers! to! getting! Canadian! business!experience.! ! These! students! will! then! be!ambassadors! back! home! about! their!Canadian! experience! and! increase! the!likelihood! of! these! students! staying! in!Mississauga!

• Businesses! will! be! better! prepared! with!their!requests!for!assistance!from!the!postFsecondary!institutions!by!using!our!project!services!

• There! will! be! an! improved! alignment! of!business! expectations,! business!requirements!and!academic!curriculum!

!Mississauga! is! strong! across! a! number! of!business! sectors! with! the! four! key! sectors!identified!by!the!Economic!Development!Office!of!the!City!of!Mississauga!as:!

1. Aerospace! and! Automotive! Advanced!Manufacturing!!

2. Information,! Communications! &!Technology!!

3. Life!Sciences!!4. Financial!Services!!

According! to! the! Ontario! Chamber! of!Commerce,! depending! on! the! sector! being!surveyed,! between! 21! and! 52! per! cent! of!employers! report! “difficulty! hiring! someone!with!the!right!qualifications.”!!Advantage! Mississauga! was! formed! out! of! a!commissioned! report! by! the! City! of!Mississauga,! “An!Action!Plan! for! Innovation! in!Mississauga,”! that! contained! a! number! of!priority! actions! to! define! our! City’s! future!competitive!advantage,! including:! Implement!a!Mississauga!Talent!Project! comprising!a! series!of! pilot! projects! designed! to! connect! and!develop! human! capital! in! support! of!innovation.! ! Attracting,! creating,! integrating,!and! enriching! talent! and! connecting! people! to!the!right! jobs! in! the!right! firms! is!a!key!driver!of! innovation.! ! This! emphasis! on! developing!skills!and!matching! them!to! the!human!capital!needs! of! local! industry! to! drive! innovation!would! clearly! enhance! Mississauga’s!innovation! support! system! and! be! a! key!attraction! for! business! and! jobs.! Some! of! the!suggested!pilots!that!are!related!to!our!project!are!as!follows:!!


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• Pilot! 2:! a! ‘Talent! Development’! program!between! the! University! of! Toronto!Mississauga! and! Sheridan! College! to!explore! the!development! of! local! industryFfocused!experiential!education!programs.!

• Pilot! 5:! a! ‘Talent! Connection’! program!involving!local!industry!and!local!networks!of! immigrant! employment! and! settlement!organizations! to! connect! foreignFtrained!professionals!with!jobs!that!use!their!skills.!

• Pilot! 6:! a! ‘Talent! Enrichment’! program!involving! local! employers! and! postFsecondary! educational! institutions! to!identify! opportunities! and! develop!customized! programs! for! skills! upgrading!for!employed!workers.!

!PROJECT&PARAMETERS&!MBOT! is! the! lead! organization! for! Advantage!Mississauga! with! financial! support! from! the!City! of! Mississauga! and! Sheridan! College,! and!inFkind! contributions! from! other! partners.!!Sheridan!College!has!committed!to!funding!the!initial! oneFyear! contract! of! the! Business!Innovation!Connector!to!be!reviewed!yearly!for!further! extensions.! ! To! date! the! City! has!supported!the!Advantage!Mississauga!initiative!by! providing! the! Executive! CoFordinator!resource! (secondment! from! City)! with! the!current! contract! extended! until! the! end! of! the!year.! ! Both! positions! are! housed! at! MBOT.!!MBOT,! Sheridan,! UTM,! and! the! City! all! expect!that! this! project! will! run! indefinitely,! as! the!services! offered! are! in! dire! need! in! both! the!academic!and!business!communities.!!!The! overall! project! can! be! broken! down! into!the!following!components:!

1. Business!Innovation!Connector!!2. International!Student!Internships!3. Team!Projects!

!UTM! and! Sheridan! College! are! both! highly!ranked! institutions,! each! with! internationally!recognized! programs! drawing! students! from!

within!Mississauga,! the!GTA,! and! from!around!the! world.! ! Mississauga! has! a! greater!concentration! of! postFsecondary! qualifications!in! Business! Management! &! Public!Administration! &! Architecture,! Engineering! &!Related! Technologies! when! compared! with!Canada,! Ontario! and! the! Toronto! Census!Metropolitan!Area!(CMA).!!

!!Mississauga! is! home! to! University! of! Toronto!Mississauga! (UTM),! part! of! Canada’s! largest!university,!which!is!also!one!of!the!most!highly,!respected! research! institutions! in! North!America.! UTM! has! 15! academic! departments,!an! Institute! of! Communication,! Culture! and!Information!Technology,!148!programs!and!89!areas! of! study.! Its! population! numbers! about!11,600! undergraduate! students! and! 470!graduate! students,! along!with! 700! faculty! and!staff.!!

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Sheridan! College’s! Hazel! McCallion! Campus,!located! in! the! heart! of! the! Mississauga! city!centre,! is! the!newest!Sheridan!College!campus,!which!opened!in!September!2011.!The!campus!was! built! with! the! latest! in! technology! and!provides! a! creative,! collaborative! learning!environment.! FullFtime! postsecondary! and!postFgraduate! Business! programs! are! offered!here,! as! well! as! programs! designed! to! help!newcomers!to!Canada!integrate! fully! into!their!communities! with! the! ability! to! accommodate!up! to! 3000! students.! ! Phase! II! of! the! campus!will!accommodate!an!additional!5000!students,!bringing! the! total! enrolment! capacity! at! the!Hazel!McCallion!Campus!to!8000!when!the!new!building!opens!in!2015.!!PROJECT&RESOURCE&REQUIREMENTS!The!resource!requirements!for!this!project!can!be!summarized!as!follows:!• Project! Coordination! provided! by!

Advantage! Mississauga! with! a! resource!funded!by!the!City!of!Mississauga.!

• The! Business! Innovation! Connector!resource! funded! by! Sheridan! College! for! a!minimum!of!one!year!starting!August!2013.!

• Other! project! resources! will! be! required!from!both!Sheridan!College!and!UTM!on!an!as!needed!basis!to!connect!students/faculty!to! local! businesses! with! the! facilitation!component! done! by! the! Business!Innovation!Connector!

• MBOT! is! the! home! for! Advantage!Mississauga,!providing!physical!office!space!for! Advantage! Mississauga! personnel,!governance!and!management!leadership,!as!well! as! staffing! support! to! help! with!business!liaisons,!events!and!administrative!duties!

!1.&Business&Innovation&Connector:!The!Business! Innovation!Connector!position! is!part! of! the! MBOT! team! working! with!Advantage! Mississauga.! The! Business!Innovation! Connector! creates! and! facilitates!relationships! between! business! and! academia,!

builds! collaborative! project! teams! with!members! from!business,!University!of!Toronto!Mississauga,! and! Sheridan! College,! and! works!with! business! to! translate! business! needs! into!student!projects.!!An!inFdepth!understanding!of!each!institution!is!key!to!being!able!to!navigate!the! matching! of! the! business! requirements! to!the! ability! to! fulfill! the! needs! by! these!institutions.!!The! Business! Innovation! Connector! position!was! posted! in! June! 2013,! we! have! shortlisted!for! interviews! and!will! be! conducting! the! first!round! interviews! on! July! 29th! and! 30th.! ! Our!objective! is! to! have! this! person! onboard! in!September.!!Through! consultation! with! UTM! and! Sheridan!the!needs!that!were!identified!for!the!Business!Innovation!Connector!position!included:!• Educate! business! on! how! to! engage! both!

institutions!• Proactively!work!with! business! to! identify!

their! needs! and! requirements! when!engaging! students! for! projects! and! as! a!resource.! ! Part! of! this! is! to! help! business!“clean! up”! what! they! think! they! need! and!are!asking!for!

• Ability! to! bring! clarity! and! present! the!reality! of! how! to! engage! academia! to!business!

• To! be! the! one! door! between! business! and!academia!in!Mississauga,!which!is!currently!difficult!to!navigate!

• To! be! unbiased! in! building! the! best! teams!from!both!institutions!for!team!projects!

• A! dedicated! resource! /! connector! to!business!

• The!desire! to! extend! the! reach!beyond! the!institutions’’! traditional! channels! and!connections!to!create!new!opportunities!for!students!

• Increase! the! experiential! learning!opportunities! for! students! through! this!proactive!engagement!with!local!businesses!


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!"Sheridan* College* sees* a* tremendous* value*proposition* for* the* Business* Innovation*Connector* to* be* part* of* the*MBOT* team,* we*are* backing* our* belief* by* funding* this*position.* *MBOT* has* the* relationships* and*respect* within* the* Mississauga* business*community,* they* have* the* organizational*support* needed* to* educate* business* on* the*opportunities* to* engage* Sheridan* College*and*UTM,*and* they*have* the*reach* to*extend*beyond* our* traditional* channels.* *This*project* will* connect* student* resources* to*local* businesses* giving* the*students*valuable*work* experience* early* on*and*give*the*employers*the*ability*to*connect*with*their*future*employees."*Jeff'Zabudsky,'PhD,'President'and'CEO,'Sheridan'College'!MBOT! is! engaged! with! the! local! business!community! including! a! partner! in! the!Mayor’s!local! business! roundtable! discussions! where!time! and! time! again! access! to! the! right! skills!and! talent! is! an! overwhelming! issue! for! our!local! businesses.! !With! this! project!we!will! be!connecting! student! resources! to! local!businesses! to! give! the! students! experience!early!on!and!to!give!the!employers!the!ability!to!connect!with! their! potential! future! employees.!!Over! time! one! of! the! objectives! is! to! have!business! provide! greater! feedback! into! the!curriculum!delivered!by! these! two! institutions!given! the!more! integrated! relationship.! ! From!our! discussions! with! business! over! the! last!several! months! many! are! not! aware! of! the!opportunities! to! engage! students! or! have! no!idea! how! to! go! about! connecting! with! them.!!With! Sheridan’s! and! UTM’s! participation! with!Advantage! Mississauga! initiative! they! have!both! expressed! their! desire! for! this! position!and!this!direct!connection!to!the!local!business!community.! ! Our! team! is! able! to! provide!unbiased!connections!working!with!business!to!create! the! best! possible! matches! extending!both! Sheridan! and! UTM! beyond! their!

traditional! channels! of! student! resource!matching!with!employers.!!2.&International&Student&Internships!The! International! Student! Internships!embraces!Mississauga’s!ethnic!diversity!as!one!of! Canada’s!most! diverse! cities;! approximately!51%! if! our! local! population! are! immigrants!representing!over!350,000!people.!The!project!team!will!be!working!with!the!local!Mississauga!ethnic! business! associations,! MBOT! members,!and!local!businesses!to!bridge!connections!with!Sheridan! and! UTM! for! internship! placements!for! their! international! students.! ! The!objective!is!to!remove!the!language!and!cultural!barriers!normally! experienced! by! international!students.! ! This! will! provide! them! with! the!opportunity! to! gain! valuable! Canadian!experience! while! learning! about! our! local!business!culture.!!Currently!at!UTM!18%!of!new!undergraduate! intakes! are! international!students! and! there! were! 3000! international!students! registered! at! Sheridan! College! in!2011.! !We!have!met!with!representatives!from!UTM!that!work!with!International!Students!and!they!see!this!as!an!opportunity! to!extend!their!reach!into!the!Mississauga!business!community!in! addition! to! being! able! to! use! this! project! in!their! overseas! marketing! campaigns! as! a!student!attraction!tool.!!3.&Team&Projects!MBOT! and! Advantage! Mississauga! are! in! a!unique! position! that! they! are! independent! of!the! academic! institutions! in!Mississauga.! ! This!creates! the!opportunity! to!work!with! the! local!businesses! to! create! multi! participant! team!projects!that!had!not!been!available!before,!and!is! a! welcome! model! for! both! institutions.!!Resources! for! these! team! projects! can! come!from!Sheridan!and!UTM!with!respect!to!student!resources,! in! addition! other! project! resources!could! come! from! the! participating! business,!from! local! government,! and! local! service!organizations.!!


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“Examples) of) the) power) of) interdisciplinary)collective)efforts)to)solve)problems)abound,)from)the)Manhattan) Project,) to) placing) a) human) on)the)moon,)to)the)Human)Genome)Project.)While)most)projects)are)not)of)such)monumental)scope,)they)can)nonetheless)still)represent)monumental)obstacles) to) a) company) that) is) searching) for)practical) and) costAeffective) commercialization)solutions.) )The) ability) to) assemble) a) responsive)team) from) beyond) the) confines) of) any) one)agency)or) institution)is)a)remarkable)advantage)in) aligning) the) skill) sets) that) are) essential) to)effectively) address) major) projects) that) require)collective)insight)and)effort.”)Ulli' Krull,' ViceAPrincipal,' Special' Initiatives,'University'of'Toronto'Mississauga'!The! team!projects!may! be! relatively! large! and!complex! projects! requiring! a! fair! amount! of!preplanning! by! both! the! business! and! the!academic! institutions.! ! These! projects! create! a!unique!opportunity!for!students!as!they!may!be!working! with! other! students! from! different!study! areas! or! they! could! be! a! mix! of! college!and!university! students.! ! Sheridan!College!and!UTM! have! a! longFstanding! relationship! and!currently!offer!joint!programming!/!courses.!!

!!The!greatest!challenge!of!these!projects!will!be!to! get! business! working! and! thinking! on! the!same!timeline!as!the!two!academic!institutions.!!Projects! need! to! be! considered! as! longerFterm!business!objectives!as!there!is!a!need!for!them!

to! fit! with! the! curriculum! and! its! associated!schedule.!!Business!will!have!an!opportunity!for!using!students!in!the!shorter!term!through!the!internship! programs! and! will! have! the!opportunity! to! engage! them! in! the! upcoming!academic!year.!!PROJECT&RESULTS&AND&IMPACTS&!The! first!and!greatest! success!of!our!project! is!that! Sheridan! College! sees! the! value! and!opportunity!of!what!the!overall!project!is!about!and! is! showing! their! support! through! the!funding! of! the! Business! Innovation! Connector!position.! !In!addition,!UTM!is!also!a!partner!on!our! project! team! and! is! tremendously!supportive!of!the!project.!!They!have!identified!and! internally! structured! staff! for! us! to! work!with! and! the! initial! idea! for! the! Team! Project!component!came!out!of!discussions!with!UTM.!!The! project! components! have! both! short! and!longFterm! impacts! that! will! be! measured!through!the!duration!of!the!project.!!!1.&Business&Innovation&Connector&In! the! short! term! the! focus! for! the! Business!Innovation! Connector! will! be! educating!business! on! how! to! engage! and! working! with!business!on!the!first!few!projects.!!The! number! of! businesses!made! aware! of! this!opportunity!will!measure!engagement.! !One!of!our! key! metrics! is! the! connection! with!businesses!that!have!never!used!the!schools!as!a!talent!resource.!!In!the!first!six!months!we!are!expecting!to!connect!and!educate!no!fewer!than!100!of!these!businesses.! !Another!key!measure!will! be! the! number! of! projects! defined! with!business.! ! In! our! first! year! our! objective! is! a!minimum!of! 20! projects! planned!with! varying!levels! of! engagement! with! both! Sheridan! and!UTM.!!This!will!grow.!!!!


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2.&International&Student&Internships&MBOT!already!has!great!rapport!with!the! local!ethnic!business!associations!and!as!part!of!this!project!we!are!expecting! to!engage! four!ethnic!business! associations! in! the! project! over! the!course!of!the!first!year.!!Internally!we!will!work!with! MBOT! International! Trade! Committee! to!find!potential! internships! for!students! through!the!MBOT!members.!!3.&Team&Projects&The! independence! of! MBOT! and! Advantage!Mississauga! provides! the! group!with! a! unique!ability! to! develop! multiFparticipant! projects!working! with! business! and! both! institutions.!!Within! the! first! year! our! objective! to! develop!and! get! underway! two! of! these! team! projects.!!The!rationale!for!a!low!first!year!number!is!that!these!projects!are!expected!to!be!fairly!complex!in!nature!with!a!long!leadFtime.!!!PROJECT&TRANSFERABILITY&!The! approach! that! we! have! taken! is! fully!transferrable! to!other! chambers! that!have!one!or!more!postFsecondary!institutions!within!the!chamber’s! region! or! from! which! their!community!accesses!talent.!!Components!of!our!project! such! as! the! Business! Innovation!Connector!require! funding! to!do!on!a! fullFtime!basis,!but!most!components!can!be!added!value!functions! that! the! chamber! can! offer! by! using!existing! resources! or! partnerships.! ! Having! a!blend! of! colleges! and! universities! makes! this!offering! very! attractive! and! provides! the!diversity!of!students!and!programs!to!match!up!with!local!business!needs.!!Both!the!college!and!the! university! are! partners;! their! involvement!at!the!executive!level!is!critical!as!both!a!project!champion! and! to! ensure! staff! level! support! at!those!institutions.!!!!!SELFNPROMOTION&Unlike! traditional! academic! to! business!engagement!our!approach!has!an!emphasis!on!business!being!in!the!drivers!seat.!!!

Our! connection! with! the! local! Mississauga!businesses!enables!us! to!be! the!single!point!of!contact! for! business! for! engaging! these! two!institutions.!!We!understand!business!and!what!business!needs,!enabling!us!to!work!with!them!to!best!prepare!them!for!engaging!students.! !A!unique! proposition! to! this! is! that! our!independence! allows! us! to! create! the! best!projects!teams!to!the!meet!the!business’s!needs!regardless! of! whether! it! requires! one! or! both!institutions.!!Marketing! of! the! project!will! be! done! through!our! project! partners! and! MBOT! along! with!other! channels! including:! print! media,! social!media,! email! blasts,! a! web! presence,! MBOT!newsletter,! and!promotion!at!MBOT!and!other!local! business! events.! ! Engagement! and!awareness! workshops! will! be! run! at! both!Sheridan!College!and!the!University!of!Toronto!Mississauga! with! the! faculty! and!administration! to! ensure! a! full! understanding!of!the!initiatives’!opportunities.!!“We) strive) to) not) only) to) be) the)most) talented)community,)but)to)have)a)highly)developed)and)integrated) innovation) ecosystem) that) is)responsive) to) meeting) businesses) needs.))Businesses) are) attracted) to) communities) where)there) is) easy) access) to) an) abundant) pool) of)talent,) and) talent) is) attracted) to) places) where)there) are) quality) businesses) and) job)opportunities.) ) By) better) connecting) student)talent) with) the) labour) needs) of) business,) we)build)a)culture)of) industryAacademic)partnership)that) develops,) nurtures) and) connects) talent) to)business,) to) grow) businesses) and) our) economy.))Our) Board) of) Trade) is) proud) to) have) taken) a)taken)a)leadership)role)in)this)initiative,)because)this)is)what)we)exist)to)do!)”)Sheldon' Leiba,' President' &' CEO,' Mississauga'Board'of'Trade'

advantage mississauga and mbot canadian chamber competition submission

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talent connections

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jobf ready