A few weeks ago, I stepped into a Humber College classroom instead of a meeting room or client’s office for an afternoon. It felt a bit like getting back to fundamentals. Training camp, if you will.
With less than two months until the FIFA World Cup lands in Canada, we put together a workshop to demonstrate how timely and impactful PR, influencer and content creation can be leading up and during the tournament for brands. As a group, we looked at the scale of the tournament and its cultural reach with Canadians, then reviewed past marketing campaigns tied to major sporting moments. From there, we dug into FIFA’s marketing restrictions and what it means to bring campaigns to market as an official partner and non-FIFA partner.
The session wrapped with a group exercise focused on a fictional client brief. Student teams developed integrated campaign ideas and presented them back to peers. The discussion felt closer to a pitch meeting than a classroom exercise with students playing the role of agency partner and “the client.”
The afternoon spent with students about to launch their careers was a reminder that strong ideas are not tied to titles or tenure, and that the next generation has a lot to offer when given the opportunity.
Why supporting PR students in Canada matters to North Strategic
That day at Humber is not a one-off. It is part of a broader commitment at North Strategic to support PR students in Canada and help develop the next generation of communications leaders.
In March, North hosted a Social Media class from George Brown College at our Toronto office. In that session – hosted by a North team featuring Katelin Onishi, Kinga Nowakowska, Kate Walker, and Rishita Chawla – the students came in with strong instincts. They were social savvy, full of content ideas, and curious about the realities of the job. Managing and mitigating brand risk. Navigating issues and crises. Working with ad agencies. Deciding when and how to boost content. Those are the plays you only learn once you are in the game, and our team helped them understand what that looks like.
Investing through the Humber PR scholarship
Our commitment also shows up through long-term support. North provides a scholarship to students enrolled in Humber College’s Bachelor of Public Relations program. The goal is to help reduce barriers, support diverse talent, and contribute to a stronger, more representative PR industry in Canada.
Scholarships may not make headlines, but they change outcomes. We are proud to play a small part in helping students focus on learning, building skills, and finding their footing in the profession.
Launching careers with TMU’s Career Launcher Initiative
We also partner with Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) on its Career Launcher Initiative. The program awards a summer contract to a graduating student, in partnership with a brand.
Recently, after reviewing more than 50 applications, we selected five finalists who completed a real-world assignment. One winner will be joining the North team this summer. Beyond the role itself, the initiative helps create broader awareness of PR as a career and gives students a clear view of what the work actually looks like.
Looking ahead
What I took away and was most inspired by the afternoon with the students Humber was the energy in the room. The questions. The confidence. The willingness to challenge assumptions. Sometimes not knowing what you don’t know yet is the best game plan.
If you are a student considering a career in PR, or someone early in your journey, know that we are paying attention, investing in you, and always looking for smart, curious people who want to do the work behind ideas that travel.
Learn more about current open roles online here.
