As NBCC prepares learners for careers in their chosen fields, community and industry partners play a vital role. Whether they donate bursary funds or equipment, host workplace practicums, provide applied learning opportunities, visit classrooms as guest speakers or hire graduates, their contributions help make the NBCC experience extraordinary for students.
At the Fredericton Campus, a local start-up that services a Canada-wide clientele is one of the College’s most important partners. HotSpot Inc., a tech company that creates mobile-based parking solutions for municipalities, is a consistent employer of NBCC graduates, an applied research partner and a practicum host. This rising star in the city’s burgeoning start-up cluster is the recipient of the 2020 Partner Award for the Fredericton Campus.
For NBCC, the benefits of this partnership with HotSpot are obvious – the opportunity for students to work on real-world tech solutions while studying and the potential for jobs after graduation. But HotSpot also benefits from its relationship with NBCC.
“There are lots of advantages for us,” said Krista Murphy, Integrations Manager at HotSpot. “We get fresh young talent coming in through our doors – out-of-the-box thinkers. And by hiring NBCC grads, that keeps the economy vibrant in Fredericton, keeps grads from leaving the city to go to Halifax or Toronto.”
NBCC students have worked on several projects for HotSpot as part of their curriculum. Their fingerprints are on the company’s licence plate recognition software and bus tracking applications, said Nathan Armstrong, Vice President Business Development at HotSpot.
“NBCC students are developing software that’s being used by most of eastern Canada,” he said. “This is something they get to help build and get to see customers use. They’re developing technology that’s solving real world problems.”
The College is HotSpot’s first stop when recruiting new employees, Armstrong added.
“The quality of students and knowledge coming from NBCC…it’s so well-connected to the market and the students are so well-trained and prepared to work, it’s hard to look anywhere else.”
