A Huge Thank You to Our 2025 Winter Skills for Hire Volunteers

Our 2025 winter cohort has come to a close.

While we send congratulations to all of our graduating participants, we wanted to take a moment to thank our dedicated volunteers who offer their time and expertise to make our Skills for Hire program a more meaningful and transformative experience. Their insight and encouragement are what truly power this initiative and help shape the future of Nova Scotia’s tech talent.During this cohort, 41 passionate professionals stepped forward to offer one-on-one mentoring. Across 71 impactful sessions, participants received personalized guidance that helped them clarify their career goals, gain confidence, and take important next steps in their tech journeys.Our expert-led panels were another highlight of the program. Nearly 600 attendees joined in, eager to connect and learn. The response spoke volumes—90% of participants found the advice especially helpful for transitioning into tech, 89% valued tips on transferable skills and building credibility, and 88% appreciated the actionable insights shared on tech careers and in-demand skills.The stories shared by participants and mentors speak to the heart of the program.

One participant said they now have “a better understanding of the career path that I would like to take and how to navigate the Canadian job market.” Another described their session as “such an insightful and informative experience.” A mentor reflected, “I had a great experience, the platform was easy to use and I had a good conversation with my mentee.”

If you’ve been thinking about getting involved, there’s no better time. Applications for this year’s Skills for Hire program are now open and we are looking for industry volunteers to make an impact. Let’s keep building a stronger, more connected tech ecosystem in Nova Scotia—together.Become a mentor: https://skillsforhire.ca/industry-involvement/volunteer

Thank you to our Cohort 6 volunteers:

• Annie Kuxa, Software tester, Bentley
• Ashwin Kutty, President & CEO, WeUsThem Inc.
• Benedict Desmennu, Cybersecurity Analyst, Admiral Insurance
• Brooke Ireland, Senior Consultant IT, Meridia Recruitment Solutions (a KBRS Company)
• Charles Iyoha, Project Manager, Government Of Nova Scotia
• Craig Steinberg, CEO, WBC Designs
• Cornell Skyers, Region Lead, Avanade
• Dan MacLeod, Co-Founder, Dunvegan
• Davis Boudreau, Faculty, Nova Scotia Community College
• Dmitry Kosarev, Security Automation Engineer, Admiral
• Ezinne Onwuekwe, Senior clinical informatics analyst, Nova Scotia Health
• Emily Yach, Manager People & Culture, Outshine
• Fardeenul Islam, Senior BI Analyst/Data Scientist
• Gaby Picott, Head of HR, Sparrow Acoustics
• Jamie Gerrard, Founder, 20/20 Digital
• Jerome Nwoga, Business Analysts, Government of Nova Scotia
• Jillian Thistle, Human Resources Operations Manager, 45Drives
• John Cody, President, Social Spike Marketing Group INC.
• Jonathan Dunnett, CEO, Enable Leaders
• Kevin D'Aguiar, Principal Consultant / Owner, Matters of Data
• Laura Whalen, Analytics Engineer, Outshine
• Mariia Souchko, Owner, Playground Creative Agency
• Mary Ellen Makhlouf, CEO, Forward Creative
• Md Shahriar Tasjid, Research Assistant, Dalhousie University
• Mohammad Reza Sarkheh, Consultant
• Nick Mor, Product Owner, Nova Scotia Power
• Patrick Shannon, Software Developer / Team Lead, bbox.digital
• Paul Allen, Director Cyber Security Governance Risk and Compliance, Empire/Sobeys
• Paul Nguyen, Chief Executive Officer, Hybrid Tech Solutions Ltd.
• Peter Woodward, Managing Director, Shortstop
• Radhika Ramachandran Nair, Dba, Ust
• Rajni Gupta, Sales Representative, Tool Go Inc
• Ranbir Singh Bali, Security Architecture Manager, Sobeys
• Sam Kennedy, Business Intelligence Lead, Efficiency One
• Sheeba Kochhar, Change Specialist, Atlantic Lottery
• Sondos Farouq Mohammad Kan'an, Customer Service Representative
• Soumya Markandeya, Transformation Leader and Solutions Designer, Prime Material/Solopreneur
• Steph MacIntosh, Talent Acquisition Specialist, Venor
• Tajeane Roseway, Manager, Cybersecurity GRC, Sobeys
• Takfarines Guergueb, Staff Data Scientist, Vima technology inc
• Thierry Battistini, General Manager, Matera
• Titilayomi Damiro, Business Analysis and Process Support Lead, Mosaik Credit Union
• Travelle Barrett, Analyst, Outshine
• Vitalii Azarov, Software Developer (Android / iOS), Bentley Systems
• Veronica Merryfield, Tech Consultant