TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Schulich School of Business at York University today announced its participation in a major new initiative alongside the City of Toronto and a team of leading global technology companies to help Toronto's main street retailers survive the COVID-19 crisis.
As part of the DMS ShopHERE project, 50 students from Schulich’s MBA, Masters’ and undergraduate programs will gain summer placements and be assigned to help Toronto's small businesses and artists move their businesses online at no cost. The students will be supported by Digital Main Street and leading technology and e-commerce firms such as Shopify, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, eBay and Mastercard Canada.
Toronto’s independent small businesses and artists can access ShopHERE to:
- launch their online stores with hands-on support in just a matter of days;
- activate their stores across key digital marketing platforms; and
- integrate with key e-commerce delivery solutions.
"I want to thank the business students of the Schulich School of Business and York University for bringing their talent and energy to help us fight for Toronto’s small businesses and artists,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory. “Their work will help ensure our main streets survive this crisis and that the culture and lively streets we all enjoy – and the jobs – will be there when we move into the recovery period.”
“Schulich is proud to partner with the City of Toronto in helping local small businesses and entrepreneurs rapidly transition to selling online,” said Dezsö J. Horváth, Dean of the Schulich School of Business. “We’re also proud to see that our students are playing an essential role in stabilizing our economy by supporting local businesses during this transformational time.”
The initiative will create summer "work-integrated learning" placements for 50 Schulich students and also provide them with additional specialized training on leading digital platforms including: Shopify, Facebook/Instagram, Google and more.
"The time to act in support of Toronto's main street businesses is now," said Schulich Entrepreneur in Residence Chris Carder, who spearheaded the engagement for Schulich. "We know our students will work with passion, focus and creativity in this important placement opportunity and we're thrilled to team up with Digital Main Street and its powerhouse team of technology partners."
In addition to Schulich, ShopHERE is supported by a number of community and corporate partners, including: Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas, Shopify, Google, Mastercard, Microsoft, Facebook, eBay, Ritual, Trufan, eShipper, Snapchat, and Magnet.
Funding for the student work placement program will be provided by the City of Toronto and Magnet, a social innovation platform with a mission to accelerate inclusive economic growth in Canada. The program’s goal is to develop 3,000 online stores by the end of August.
For more details on the program, please visit: https://digitalmainstreet.ca/shophere/.
About Schulich
Global, innovative and diverse, Schulich offers business programs year-round at its state-of-the-art complex at York University; at its Miles S. Nadal Management Centre located in the heart of the Toronto’s financial district; and at its campus in Hyderabad, India. Schulich also operates a number of satellite centres in Beijing and Shanghai, China; Mumbai, India; Seoul, South Korea; Mexico City, Mexico; and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Schulich offers undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate business degrees that lead to rewarding careers in the private, public and nonprofit sectors, and has more than 30,000 alumni working in over 90 countries. The School pioneered Canada’s first International MBA and International BBA degrees, as well as North America’s first ever cross-border Executive MBA degree, the Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA. The School has one of the largest portfolios of one-year, specialized Masters programs of any business school in North America. Schulich’s Executive Education Centre provides executive development programs annually to more than 10,000 executives in Canada and abroad.
