Local university students will be learning how to hone their leadership skills in a number of upcoming seminars with the CEOs of Ottawa's high-tech companies.

The annual Mindtrust Leadership Development Program is being presented in conjunction with Carleton University's Sprott School of Business, University of Ottawa's School of Management and Mindtrust, an Ottawa-based CEO-exclusive and invitation-only networking forum.

Thirty business, computer science and engineering students were selected for the six seminars, starting this Friday, Jan. 20 and running until Friday March 24. The program is exclusive to those in the fourth year of a bachelor's degree or in the MBA program and each were provided with a $2,000 grant to cover the majority of the seminar costs.

One of the founding members of Mindtrust says this opportunity is just one example of how the networking group brings the area's high-tech leaders together to share their knowledge.

"While this exclusive organization provides CEOs with an environment in which to grow and share, it also represents a wealth of knowledge and business acumen that will be eminently valuable to the business leaders of tomorrow," says Claude Haw, a general partner at Skypoint Capital Corporation. "The Mindtrust Leadership Development Program is the perfect venue for selected students to get valuable real-world advice and access to the experience from current leaders."

The seminars, which will take place on the campuses of both universities, will cover a number of topics, including leadership communication and influence, life/work balance and group process skills. Friday's seminar is entitled "Themes in Leadership: Challenges and Issues".