In 2019, a group of former Dalhousie students from different programs came up with an idea for a sustainable solution for water treatment by mimicking nature. Clean Valley CIC, a clean tech start-up located in Dartmouth, is continuing to make waves in the biomimicry and bio-utilization industry, and that is due in no small part to the Dal students that they continue to hire term over term.

Founding CEO of Clean Valley CIC and Dalhousie alumnus Nicholas LaValle shares that the company has been hiring Dal students since it began, including Commerce Co-op and Management as well as science and PhD students. He believes that having work experience while you are still a student is an important opportunity to apply your studies in a real work environment. “Students bring new perspectives to the team. They’re able to jump in and provide an immediate impact.”

Nicholas also notes that hiring students gives Clean Valley CIC a tangible opportunity to provide industry experience to the Nova Scotia job market. “Business students that join the company find they have a macro level impact in the business due to the flat hierarchy. They’re given a great deal of autonomy, responsibility, and opportunity to provide input in the direction of the company,” he says. “This is highly valuable to our development as openness is directly correlated to innovation.”

Nicholas shares that his team hired their winter marketing co-op student Kareem for part-time work in the summer, and they are joining the team again full-time for another co-op in the fall. Kareem has been helping the company excel on social media and in customer relations. “I would highly recommend hiring Dal business students because the growth of the province is interconnected with employers’ abilities to take advantage of the incredible academic institutions within the province. There is a wealth of knowledge available for Nova Scotia companies that are looking to take their company to the next level. As someone who went through the Dal co-op program, I am honoured to pay it back by paying it forward, and hope to do so more in the future.”

Interested in hiring a business student or grad, or learning about funding programs? Contact our Employer Development team:

Ayse Dai-Gammon, Employer Development Manager
Ayse.Gammon@dal.ca
902-220-2237

Cindy Ryan, Employer Development Coordinator – NS
Cindy.Ryan@dal.ca
902-219-2548