Third-year business student brings hope to fellow millennial job seekers

Third-year UPEI business co-op student Amber James is positive there's a better way to connect students and recent graduates with Islander employers. Enter Gradpeek.com, James' new business that aims to connect young talent with Island companies and reduce Island youth unemployment rates.

For her first co-operative education work term, James co-founded Gradpeek.com, an innovative venture that began in April, after seeing first-hand the challenges her fellow students were facing when it came to landing their first jobs in their fields of study.

'We wanted to create an interactive marketplace for students and employers to connect,' said James. 'LinkedIn is a similar tool, and is particularly great for individuals with plenty of experience, but can fall short when it comes to servicing upcoming talent.'

Beginning in May of 2015, post-secondary students will be able to create their own candidate profiles on Gradpeek.com, which consists of a short video or professional photo, and an infographic résumé. James and Gradpeek.com Founder Jonathan Cormier will be on campus today, December 9, and tomorrow, December 10, with their bright green Gradpeek mobile studio to shoot their first ten video profiles.

'I applaud the entrepreneurial spirit and creativity of Amber and the opportunity she created to mutually benefit our co-op students, as well as Island employers,' said Dean of the School of Business Juergen Krause. 'We are proud to welcome Amber and her new business as a tenant in the ‘Launch Pad,' our business incubator office for students in the School of Business, and I wish her lots of success.'

James, the passionate entrepreneur from Morell, PEI truly believes that Gradpeek will make a difference in the lives of hundreds of unemployed and underplayed millennials across Prince Edward Island.

Congratulations, Amber!