OREANDA-NEWS. May 28, 2015. Each summer, BMO Financial Group recruits approximately 230 students or recent grads for internship positions across every operating group in the company. The goal of the program is to give students an opportunity to develop practical skills through real-world work experience. Many interns join BMO as full-time employees upon graduation and give back by acting as mentors for incoming student interns.

BMO was recently named one of Canada's Top 100 Ideal Employers for 2015 in a survey of nearly 30,000 Canadian university and college students conducted by Universum, an international research, communications and strategic counselling company.

"The BMO Student Intern Program brings in talented students, helping them develop experiences and skills to use throughout their career – and build relationships today that will grow after they graduate," says Lynn Roger, Chief Talent Officer at BMO Financial Group. "Students also give us insights into new approaches, ideas and styles of work that matter to Millennials and Gen Zs. Millennials make up about 25 per cent of BMO's workforce and they will represent almost 75 per cent by 2025 – a dramatic shift!"

Through their assignments, interns gain hands-on experience fulfilling a range of job responsibilities relevant to the corporate business environment, from analyzing research data and preparing and delivering presentations, to honing their customer service and communications skills. Every intern is paired with a mentor who provides ongoing and personal support throughout their work-term. The internship also gives participants the opportunity to network with peers, managers and company leaders and to develop other skills such as critical thinking and problem solving.

"Interning with BMO has given me the chance to gain practical work experience that I can apply to my continuing studies and, ultimately, in the real world when I graduate," said Michaela Burton, a current BMO student intern. "For example, the training I'm receiving in data analytics – where I review and interpret various sets of internal data and share the story it tells with my wider team – is a tangible skill that puts me in a better position to advance into a full-time role. It will also make me a more competitive applicant in the job market."