Students in the Sarnia-Lambton area will be offered $3,000 grants to start and run their own business this summer through the Ontario Summer Company Program.The Summer Company Program provides participants with a $1,500 grant to launch a business as well as mentoring and training in various aspects of entrepreneurship over the course of the summer. Upon successful completion of the program, students are eligible to receive another $1,500 for a $3,000 total.This program is a joint initiative between the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership and the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade and has been running in Ontario for 21 consecutive years.�The Summer Company Program has long been successful in the Sarnia-Lambton area, and we are eager to continue to foster youth entrepreneurship in our community through this offering,� said Stephen Thompson, CEO of the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership.Following public health guidelines as a result of COVID-19, student entrepreneurs� start-ups should not require direct interaction with customers. Interested applicants are encouraged to explore offering electronic payment options for traditional services or e-commerce business options.�Through Summer Company, our team has worked with students in a variety of sectors, ranging from in-demand seasonal businesses such as landscaping and painting services to 3D printing businesses serving the local fabrication industry,� Thompson added. �Students are learning about new technologies as part of their formal education and this program offers the opportunity to apply those learnings and drive innovation in the Sarnia-Lambton area. We�re looking forward to hearing new and innovative ideas from students who see the current economic environment as an opportunity to offer new and creative products and services.�In each of the last two summers, technology-based businesses have been successfully launched through the Summer Company Program with Radiant 3D Printing beginning operations in 2018 and Kember Web Development launching in 2019.Recently, Radiant 3D Printing�s Jared Waller, a graduate of the 2019 Summer Company Program, made headlines by using his 3D printer to help manufacture medical-grade protective masks for frontline staff at Bluewater Health who are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.The program is open to students between the ages of 15 and 29 who are returning to school in the fall and have not received a Summer Company Grant in the past.Interested students are encouraged to visit�www.ontario.ca/summercompany�and contact Chantelle at�chantelle@sarnialambton.on.ca�for more information.
