Did you know?

• One in three young people aged 18-34 cite entrepreneurship as themost desirable profession, ahead of occupations such as lawyer, teacher or stockbroker (source: Royal Bank Angus Reid Survey)
• There are more than 340, 000 small to medium sized businesses across Ontario.
• These businesses make up 99% of the province’s business and they account for more than 50% of all jobs.

Every year, thousands of Ontarians take the leap into the world of entrepreneurship.

What about you?

The Ontario government has programs available to enhance small business strength and to help entrepreneurs get their leading-edge products and services into the marketplace. Sault Ste. Marie has four supporting agencies that champion these goals:

• Enterprise Centre Sault Ste. Marie (ECSSM) is “Your First Step to Business Success” and offers various services (free of charge) to the general public. These include: advisory services, access to resources, business plan review, referrals, mentoring and youth programming.
  • ECSSM also offers Summer Company, a program that provides hands-on business training and mentoring to youth aged 15-29 who are returning to school in the fall. Participants of the program will receive cash awards of up to $3,000 to start and run their own summer business.
  • For more information, contact the Youth Development Coordinator at: 705-759-2616 or a.ross@ssmedc.ca. You can visit: www.ecssm.com
• The Upper Lakes Environmental Research Network (ULERN) facilitates natural resources and environmental research, development and communications. ULERN is coordinating the Youth Science Forum and helps create jobs for students and recent graduates in cutting-edge science projects.
• For more information visit: http://ulern.on.ca
• Science enterprise Algoma (seA) was established in 2005 to take advantage of opportunities in the natural resource and life science industry in the Algoma Region and Northern Ontario.
• The Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC) is focused on growing the IT sector. The Innovation Centre operates a business incubator to assist start-up IT organizations; provides support services to IT companies and runs innovative projects such as an award-winning GIS department.
  o In 2006 SSMIC launched 2 major programs targeted to the community’s youth. The Youth Outreach Program is aimed to engage youth in grades 8-10 in entrepreneurial opportunities in the science and technology sector. The Young Entrepreneurship Program pays and provides guidance to 15 local youth for 10 months while they plan, develop and open their own business.

For more information on how these organizations are investing in Northern Ontario youth, contact:

Mei Ling
Communications Manager
Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre
1520 Queen St. E., Rm. NW307
Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2G4
705-942-7927, Ext. 3122
Fax: 705-942-6169
mling@ssmic.com
www.ssmic.com
www.itssm.com

This youth programming has been brought to you by the Ministry of Small Business and Consumer Services (MSBCS) Youth Entrepreneurship Partnership Grant.