Interac Association and Retail Council of Canada Announce Top Applicant of 2013 Retail as a Career Scholarship Program

TORONTO, June 10, 2013 /CNW/ - Interac Association and Retail Council of Canada (RCC) are pleased to announce the name of the top applicant of the 2013 Retail as a Career Scholarship Program, a program that honours students entering or enrolled in a business, marketing or retail-related program at a Canadian post-secondary institution.

Lauren Jaques, currently enrolled at Ryerson University in Toronto, is the winner of the $5,000 scholarship, funded by Interac Association.

Ms. Jaques was one of 24 post-secondary students from across the country awarded $1,000 scholarships to assist in their pursuit of retail as a career. Interac Association awarded an additional $5,000 scholarship to the top applicant among the 24 finalists.

"Interac Association is proud to call the Retail Council of Canada an industry partner and we're pleased to continue our support of the Retail as a Career Scholarship Program," said Mark O'Connell, CEO & President, Interac Association. "Congratulations to Lauren Jaques on her winning submission and we wish her the best of luck in her educational and professional pursuits."

The program, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, has awarded more than $550,000 in scholarships and award benefits to students who demonstrate a strong commitment to the future of retail. The Retail as a Career Scholarship Program continues to grow each year, both in the number of applicants and in the number of retailers who provide the additional funding needed to increase the number of scholarships available.

"We thank Interac Association for its ongoing support of this significant award. Their generous contribution will help Ms. Jaques in her academic endeavours and pursuit of a career in retail," said Diane J. Brisebois, President and CEO, Retail Council of Canada.  "I also want to thank all of the sponsors of the scholarship program for their generous contributions and their commitment to furthering the retail education of students across Canada."

About Retail Council of Canada
Retail Council of Canada is the Voice of Retail in Canada. Founded in 1963, RCC is a not-for-profit, industry-funded association representing more than 45,000 store fronts of all retail formats across Canada, including department, grocery, specialty, discount, independent stores, and online merchants. We speak for an industry that touches the daily lives of Canadians in every corner of the country — by providing jobs, career opportunities, and by investing in communities.

About Interac Association

A recognized world leader in debit card services, Interac Association is responsible for the development and operations of the Interac^® network, a national payment network that allows Canadians to access their money through 59,000 Automated Banking Machines and 727,000 point-of-sale terminals across Canada.  Interac Association was founded in 1984 and is comprised of a diverse membership that includes banks, trust companies, credit unions, caisses populaires, merchants, and technology and payment related companies.

Other related services offered by Acxsys Corporation, whose shareholders are the architects of the Interac network, include: Interac Online, for secure online payments made directly from a bank account; Interac e-Transfer^TM, for the secure online transfer of money from one person's bank account to another person's bank account, and international services, which provide Canadian cardholders with point-of-sale access at nearly 2 million U.S. retailers, and PULSE, Discover, Diners Club International and UnionPay cardholders access to ABMs in Canada.

®, ™: Interac, and Interac e-Transfer are trade-marks of Interac Inc. Used under license.

SOURCE: Retail Council of Canada

Marcie Wenn
Retail Council of Canada
[email protected]
416-467-3776