In.Business Program

In.Business is the high school business mentorship program facilitated by Unama’ki College at Cape Breton University.  In.Business teams Indigenous high school students in grades 10, 11, and 12 with Indigenous business mentors, who are educated, working professionals with a background in business.  During the course of the school year, students work on bi-weekly business challenges facilitated by their mentors using smartphone technology (either a smartphone or tablet, provided to them by CBU). The primary goal of these challenges, and this program, was to help the students explore various facets of business so that they can make informed decisions about their future educational plans, which will hopefully include business.

Due in large part to the success of the Nova Scotia pilot (Business Network for Aboriginal Youth, 2011-2014) and the $5 million in Federal matching funds from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC), as well as other private donors, the mentorship program that was originally facilitated by the Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business Studies, expanded its operations nationally using the Nova Scotia pilot as a model. Currently, In.Business is operating an Atlantic Canadian-based program that includes students and mentors from: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador.

CBU has partnered with Grenfell to deliver the In.Business program at the campus in Corner Brook, Memorial University, making it more accessible for Indigenous students in Newfoundland and Labrador. To apply to be a student or mentor in the Grenfell program, click here.