Toronto, ON | December 3, 2026

Campus Recruitment
Forum

Trends & Best Practices

Discover What Works Now in Early Talent Attraction.

Why attend the Campus Recruitment Forum?

Stay Ahead of Campus Recruitment Trends

Discover the latest insights on student preferences and strategies to engage early talent effectively.

Practical Strategies for Real Results

Get actionable tactics to optimize your campus recruitment efforts — even when resources are limited.

One-Day, High-Impact Learning

Join industry professionals for a focused, practical conference designed to help you succeed today and in the future.

Here's your chance to connect with other employers, network with schools, and discover how to:

increase engagement with the right candidates
navigate students' use of AI in the hiring process
optimize in-person and virtual recruiting
improve the candidate experience to eliminate reneges
adapt to the changing interests of today's students

Are You Keeping Up with Campus Recruitment?

The campus recruitment landscape is changing rapidly. Organizations that stay ahead of emerging trends are better positioned to attract, engage, and hire top early talent.

The Campus Recruitment Forum helps you keep pace with what's changing and what works.

4.8 out of 5 stars

Last spring's Campus Recruitment Forum was given an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars by
campus recruiters and post-secondary career and employer relations professionals.

Preliminary Program

Thursday, December 3, 2026

Welcome & Introductions

9:30 - 10:00 am

Graham Donald

Founder & President, Brainstorm Strategy Group

Understanding Today’s Students

10:00 - 10:45 am

The career landscape has changed dramatically and so have students’ expectations. Drawing on Brainstorm’s latest survey of 22,000+ post-secondary students across Canada, this session reveals the newest trends shaping student...

Discover what truly drives today’s candidates and how their priorities are evolving.

You’ll leave with fresh, research-backed insights to sharpen your campus recruitment strategy and connect with the next generation of talent more effectively than ever.

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Graham Donald

Founder & President, Brainstorm Strategy Group

Your Employees Are Your Best Recruiters: Building an Authentic Ambassador Network

11:00 - 11:45 am

In today’s competitive talent market, traditional campus recruitment isn’t enough. Students want to hear from real employees, not marketing messages. This interactive workshop reveals how to build and scale an internal ambassador network that attracts top early-career talent, strengthens university partnerships, and delivers measurable ROI. Learn from ABB’s proven global model, explore strategic implementation frameworks, and walk away with practical tools you can apply to your organization, regardless of size or industry.

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Rose-Anne Gabriel

Early Talent Program Manager, ABB

The Campus Perspective: What Schools Are Seeing in Recruitment Right Now

12:00 - 12:45 pm

For employers hiring student talent, success on campus depends on understanding how schools are prioritizing employer partnerships, student engagement, and recruiting activities. Employer relations and career teams sit at the...

For employers hiring student talent, success on campus depends on understanding how schools are prioritizing employer partnerships, student engagement, and recruiting activities.

Employer relations and career teams sit at the intersection of student expectations, institutional priorities, and employer demand — shaping how employers access talent and how recruitment activity unfolds on campus.

In this candid panel discussion, employer relations leaders from post-secondary institutions will share what they’re seeing across their campuses — including shifts in employer engagement, changing student participation patterns, and how schools are prioritizing their efforts.

For employers, this session provides valuable insight into how campus teams are thinking about partnerships, what helps organizations succeed when recruiting students, and where stronger collaboration can make the biggest difference.

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Panelists

To be announced.

Hot Topic Roundtables: Peer-Led Conversations on What Matters Most Right Now

1:45 - 2:30 pm

The landscape for hiring student and early talent is shifting quickly — and many of the most important questions don’t have simple answers. These roundtable discussions bring together campus recruitment and early talent...

The landscape for hiring student and early talent is shifting quickly — and many of the most important questions don’t have simple answers.

These roundtable discussions bring together campus recruitment and early talent professionals to share experiences, compare approaches, and explore how others are navigating today’s hiring environment. Through candid peer conversations, participants will exchange ideas, benchmark strategies, and discuss what’s working — and what isn’t — when it comes to attracting and hiring student talent.

These sessions often surface some of the most practical insights of the Forum, offering a real-time pulse check on how organizations are adapting their campus recruitment strategies.

Examples of topics may include:

How campus recruitment strategies are shifting in response to hiring uncertainty
What’s working (and not working) to engage students today
How AI is affecting student applications and early talent hiring
Making the case for campus recruitment internally
Deciding where to focus: target schools, programs, and engagement formats
Managing campus recruitment with limited time, budget, or team capacity
How employers and campuses can work together more effectively

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TBA

2:45 - 3:30 pm

Employer Panel: What’s Changing & What Works Now in Early Talent Recruitment

3:30 - 4:15 pm

Campus recruitment continues to evolve as organizations respond to changing business priorities, student expectations, new technology, and market uncertainty. Join campus recruiters and early talent leaders as they discuss the...

Campus recruitment continues to evolve as organizations respond to changing business priorities, student expectations, new technology, and market uncertainty.

Join campus recruiters and early talent leaders as they discuss the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping student hiring today. From new recruitment strategies and candidate expectations to AI and campus partnerships, panelists will share what’s working now and what they’re watching as they plan for the next hiring cycle.

Whether you recruit students or work on campus, you’ll gain practical insights into what’s influencing hiring decisions — and what successful campus recruitment looks like today.

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Amy Weston

Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition, Early Careers, Human Resources, Sun Life

Additional Panelists

TBA

Closing Remarks & Wrap-Up

4:15 - 4:30 pm

Graham Donald

Founder & President, Brainstorm Strategy Group

Spring 2026 Presenters

Fall 2026 presenters will be announced soon.

Cameron Douglas

Ontario Power Generation

Manager, Recruitment, Recruitment, Onboarding and Equity

Dana Tonus

Brock University

Manager Employer Relations & Partnerships, Co-op and Work Place Partnerships

Jade Greer

QuadReal

Early Talent Recruiter, Talent Acquisition

Graham Donald

Brainstorm Strategy Group

Founder & President

Kristin Robinson

Queen's University

Industry Liaison Associate, Corporate Relations, Smith Engineering

Lisa Kramer

BMO Financial Group

Head - Campus Recruitment Strategy

Melanie Richardson

Centennial College

Coordinator, Co-operative Education

Reem Masoud

PwC

Manager, Campus Talent Acquisition

Robert Wooden

Dalhousie University

Director, Management Career Services, Faculty of Management

Shreya Raj

Mastercard

Manager, Global Programs (Early Careers)

Testimonials

“It was a very insightful conference. With a mix of employers and university presentations we were able to see two sides of campus recruitment. I am going into the Fall session with new ideas and fresh perspectives!”

Emma Osmancevic

Early Talent, University Relations and Employer Branding Specialist, ABB

“I took so many insights from the program! I was able to bring back a lot of ideas to my team. I would highly recommend this program to individuals who have experience in campus recruitment and are looking to enhance their existing (or new) Early Careers/Talent program at their workplace.”

Veronica Santos

Talent Acquisition Lead, Early Careers, Questrade Financial Group

“I will reinforce what was said by a University Employer Relations Director, "If you are not at this event, then you are completely missing out". The networking opportunities and the quality of the discussion conversations is unmatched to any other industry event. ”

Joy Janzen

Talent Partnership Consultant, Co-op Education & Workplace Partnerships, Brock University

“It was an incredibly enriching experience. The intensive program was specifically tailored for early talent professionals, providing deep insights into the latest trends shaping the landscape of early talent recruitment. I gained valuable insights into emerging trends and best practices, equipping me with the knowledge needed to elevate my recruitment strategy, particularly when it comes to hiring Gen Z candidates. I would highly recommend this workshop to my colleagues and fellow professionals in the early talent community. It's a fantastic opportunity to stay ahead of the curve, gain meaningful insights, and enhance your recruitment strategy in today's competitive market.”

Amitoj Sandhu

Manager, Global Early Talent, Dayforce

“The Campus Recruitment Trends & Best Practices is an excellent event that provides campus recruitment professionals with the opportunity to network with and learn from peers across the country!”

Maria Khan

Head of Campus Recruitment, Canada, CGI

“Campus Recruitment Trends & Best Practices is an excellent professional development and industry networking opportunity. I especially appreciate the data insights and relevance to our particular market reality.”

Mai-Gee Hum

Senior National Manager, University Relations and Early Careers, AtkinsRéalis

“The Campus Recruitment Forum offers a high value platform for connecting with industry leaders, employer partners, and career professionals. A full day packed with insights, dynamic industry panels, and engaging breakout sessions creates the perfect space to explore student needs, employer expectations, and emerging trends in recruitment. As a returning attendee from the East Coast, I’m always energized by the idea sharing, relationship building, and collective drive to move campus recruitment forward. This event truly brings our community together in the best way!”

Cindy Ryan

Manager Employer Development, Management Career Services, Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University

“I had a wonderful experience! All of the information was very helpful and it was great to learn from others 1:1 during the roundtable discussions.”

Daniela Acosta Roman

Campus Recruiter, Human Resources, ATS Corporation

"The program is a must for University Relations leaders. The perfectly curated program not only tackled the fundamentals of this profession, but it also offered great insights into current trends and opportunities in the industry. The Forum served as a great networking event, as I was able to meet great peers and share best practices with them. This was, by far, the most well-rounded conference about campus recruiting I have ever attended, and I strongly recommend it!"

Ruben Colon Velazquez

Early Careers Program Lead, Mondelez International

“Attending the Trends and Best Practices Session was an eye-opening experience! The insights shared were not only current but also actionable. The session provided a comprehensive understanding of emerging technologies, changing student expectations, and what employers are doing to adapt to the gen Z workforce. Moreover, the best practices shared by industry experts were invaluable . I highly recommend this session to anyone looking to stay ahead of the curve and drive success in their campus engagement strategies.”

Nancy Sammon

Relationship Manager, Career Advancement Centre, Smith School of Business, Queen’s University

“Brainstorm's Campus Recruitment Forum is a fantastic opportunity for campus staff to learn what our employer partners need from us and to build new or stronger relationships with recruiters.”

Lauren Starr

Associate Director, Corporate Recruiting, Career Management, Ivey Business School

Registration Rates

If you'd like to hold these rates while you secure the budget needed to attend,
please email Julie Rahmer at julie@brainstorm.ca.

Ticket Rate	Deadline	Individual	3 to 5 (Save 15%)	6 to 8 (Save 25%)	9 or more (Save 35%)
Advance Rate	August 14	$595	$505.75	$446.25	$386.75
Regular Rate	October 30	$695	$590.75	$521.25	$451.75
Late Rate	December 3	$795	$675.75	$596.25	$516.75

Cancellation Policy

No refunds will be provided within three weeks of the Forum. Cancellations three weeks or more before the event date will be refunded less a $100 administration fee. Substitutions from the same organization are welcome at no cost up to three weeks before the event date.

Venue

The event is taking place at Sun Life, One York Street, 22nd Floor, Rooms A–E, Toronto, ON.

Public Transit

Union Station (subway, GO Transit, UP Express, and VIA Rail) is the closest transit hub—approximately a 2–3 minute walk from One York Street.
The building is connected to Toronto's PATH underground network, providing convenient weather-protected access from Union Station and surrounding downtown office towers.
Numerous TTC streetcar and bus routes are accessible nearby, including stops along Bay Street, Front Street, and Lake Shore Boulevard West.

Parking

One York Underground Parking Garage offers paid parking within the building, subject to availability.
Additional paid parking is available at nearby commercial parking facilities operated by Green P and Impark.
Limited on-street metered parking may also be available on nearby streets, including York Street and Wellington Street.