ICT Student Internships – The Government of Canada will contribute to the creation of 60,000 practical internships for students over the next five years.
The ICTC (Information and Communications Technology Council) forecasts a labour shortage in the digital sector: 216,000 vacancies in Canada by 2021, and employment growth four times that of the global economy. Many opportunities will be created for people looking for a job.
The Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, Patty Hajdu, announced the news at an event organized by ICTC: 60,000 internships will be created within five years for students. The goal is to give them practical experience, develop their skills and develop relationships that will help them find good jobs in the IT industry. It will also give them a chance to work in fields more closely linked to their field of study and to earn more. The Workplace Apprenticeship Program involves post-secondary students in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Business.
An investment of nearly $300 million
$73 million will be invested in the creation of 10,000 practical internships over the next four years and $221 million over five years will be provided to Mitacs, a not-for-profit organization, to create 10,000 research internships. ICTC will receive $4.5 million.