Tanvi Sikand (2021 Asper Co-op Student of the Year) and Callia Flowers (2021 Asper Co-op Employer of the Year)
Celebrating another year of co-op success
2021 Co-op Student and Employer of the Year recognized at annual awards
On February 4, more than 200 co-op employers and students gathered virtually for the Celebrating Co-op Awards. The annual event sponsored by The Associates, celebrated the business community’s dedication to providing career-building experiences for Asper students.
With 296 successful job placements in 2021 and a recent report indicating that 100% of co-op employers would recommend the program to their peers and 100% of students would recommend their employer, the program continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to connecting talented Asper co-op students and employers in Manitoba, Canada, and around the world.
2021 Student of the Year: Tanvi Sikand
Congratulations to Tanvi Sikand, third-year Human Resources major, who was nominated by her co-op employer, GFIT Wellness.
Founder and CEO, Grant Reid, noted that Sikand developed an entire HR system for the company. She used problem-solving skills in developing and implementing their Incentivized Compensation and Bonus Structure and married it to the KPIs used in their Performance Management Program.
“Tanvi is extremely self-driven and hard-working,” said Reid. “She is very bright and also displays high emotional intelligence. Her ability to adapt to anything that she is presented with shows that she is gritty and resilient.”
With the positive impact Sikand had on their team, GFIT Wellness looks forward to bringing more co-op students onboard.
“We were highly impressed with the perspective a co-op student can bring to the organization, so we hired three more co-op students in the previous semester. In fact, we extended part-time positions to all our students, so they are staying on with us throughout their academic terms.”
2021 Employer of the Year: Callia Flowers
Callia Flowers team
Callia Flowers Inc. fosters exceptional experiences for Asper co-op students as indicated by the three student nominations they received for the 2021 Co-op Employer of the Year award. Students Michela Troia, Stefan Kushka and Samuel Régnier all celebrated the outstanding learning opportunity they had at Callia in 2021.
Troia, whose co-op placement has now turned into a permanent position, says the team at Callia cares about its employees and fosters an amazing culture that is inclusive, fun, and educational.
Callia Flowers is a female-founded company that started in Winnipeg and has now expanded throughout Canada and the US. Online visitors select a bouquet according to what is in season and then send it to recipients – all done from the comfort of home through the Callia website. Callia even has a selection of artisanal gifts and sweets that senders can add to their box of flowers.
Troia said Callia provided her with countless learning opportunities for her to explore a career in marketing and were always open to answering questions.
“Callia puts a lot of trust in its team members as well, which is really great. You are always free to suggest ideas for improvement, no matter your title or role within the organization,” says Troia. “This means that co-op students have the actual opportunity to try out different initiatives, and to see some of their dream ideas come true. You will not get this experience as a co-op student somewhere else.”
In 2022, the Asper School of Business looks forward to welcoming students from our MBA, Master of Finance, and Master of Supply Chain to the co-op program. The first batch of students will begin their co-op placement this summer.
Are you interested in hiring an Asper co-op student? Visit the Career Development Centre to learn about wage subsidies, recruitment fairs, and more.