What can investment or finance companies do to attract more females into investment roles?

Innovation
Submission for this Challenge is now closed. Subscribe below to get early notifications when new Challenges launch!

Subscribe now to get early notifications when new Challenges launch!

The CPP Investment Board Challenge is giving top students and grads like you an opportunity to demonstrate your skills and tackle a real workforce issue.

Whether you’re committed to positive social change or are interested in career education and youth employment, this challenge is an opportunity for you to make a difference and build the skills for career success.

Are you ready to build new pathways to employment and support an equitable workforce?

The Question

What can investment or finance companies do to attract more females into investment roles?

Careers in finance have a lot to offer new professionals entering the workforce: variety, growth potential and the opportunity to do engaging and stimulating work are some of the unique benefits of a finance career.

In this Challenge, you’ll look at how to connect with female high school students in order to engage them with career opportunities in the finance industry.

As a top employer in the finance and investment industry, CPP Investment Board has a demonstrated commitment to enabling a diverse workforce. This Challenge asks you to put your skills to work and help them further that commitment.

What CPP Investment Board is looking for

This is your opportunity to tackle a real-world issue while helping high school students learn about a career pathway with serious potential.

To successfully complete this challenge, you’ll need to design an initiative that improves knowledge of careers in finance among young women at the high school level, with the goal of increasing the number of women who choose to pursue a career in finance.

You’ll need to identify some of the major factors that determine how students plan their careers, as well as unique details that may influence women choosing a career in finance.

Remember, this challenge is geared towards a female high school audience – you’ll also need to consider how to apply your innovative ideas to the career planning and research process at the secondary school level.

This Challenge not only asks you to innovate, it also tests your ability to recognize fine details in the big picture.

Getting started

Before you start planning and researching, take a little time to write down some initial thoughts and observations about the topics you’ll be working with.

Your own experience:

  • How did you plan your post-secondary pathway?
  • What were the major factors that influenced your decision?
  • Why did you choose the pathway you’ve pursued?
  • What role did your personal network (family and friends) play in this decision?
  • What have you learned since making this decision?
  • How would you do things differently, based on what you know now?

Next, focus on careers:

  • What factors would play a major influence in choosing a career?
  • How much do you know about finance careers?
  • What ideas do you associate with a career in finance?
  • Are there any unique factors that might influence the decision to pursue a finance career?
  • What would interest and engage a student audience in career planning topics?
  • What is the best way to address career misconceptions?

While good research and preparation will be crucial in developing and supporting your ideas, your own unique perspective matters too. Getting some of your ideas down before you start the research process will help you get organized and start brainstorming.

The goal of this challenge is produce an innovative idea that connects with the real details of the challenge and encourage meaningful change. The target audience and the objective are clear – everything else is up to you.

Ready to get cracking?

Click "Register" to accept the Challenge!