Ontario Supporting More Paid Internships for Postsecondary Students
TORONTO — The Ontario government is providing over $10 million to help Mitacs — an organization that builds research partnerships between postsecondary institutions and industry — create 2,700 paid internships for postsecondary students which will help them gain the skills they need to secure in-demand jobs after graduation. This latest investment supports high-quality research in the province and demonstrates Ontario’s commitment to experiential learning.
“We are proud to support high-quality research internships to help provide the next generation of talent with the real-world experience they need to get good jobs after graduation, and help businesses address their talent and research needs,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “This support for innovative, hands-on learning, and the efforts of employers, students and postsecondary education institutions to expand opportunities, has made Ontario a national leader in experiential learning.”
Through partnerships with Mitacs, the government is continuing to fund thousands of research internships for undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows. These internships range widely in discipline, with support for key provincial priorities like critical minerals, manufacturing, and health care.
For example, interns with the University of Toronto recently worked on a project with local start-up Quantum Bridge Technologies that focused on building a faster, more secure internet for everyday communication and commerce.
Ontario’s latest funding for Mitacs builds on the government’s ongoing efforts to help advance Ontario made research and innovation at postsecondary institutions across the province and helps position businesses and students for success.
Quick Facts
- Mitacs internships are paid learning placements that last four months and may be online, on-site or a combination of both.
- The investment will fund internships in the following programs:
- Accelerate enables college, polytechnic, and university students across all disciplines to participate in applied research projects, while allowing industry and not-for-profit organizations to benefit from students’ talents to achieve their innovation goals.
- Elevate is a two-year research management training program and postdoctoral fellowship designed to develop critical career skills while completing a collaborative research-based project with a partner organization.
- Globalink offers programs designed to promote two-way international research collaborations for senior undergraduate and graduate students. Globalink builds international networks and experiences, and positions Canada as a top destination for innovation and research.
- Business Strategy Internship is a program that offers collaborative internships and matches students with businesses or not-for-profit organizations to apply their technical expertise to support business innovation activities.
- Since 2017, Ontario has allocated over $57 million to Mitacs to support up to 14,205 research internships.
- The government is investing more than $500 million over the next 10 years to support high‐value research undertaken across Ontario’s universities, colleges, research institutes and research hospitals.
Quotes
"Mitacs is a proud partner of the Government of Ontario. Together, we are building innovative partnerships that drive cutting-edge innovation and create job opportunities for students and postdocs across the province. Through the investment announced today, we will be able to help match more top talent to industry, improve productivity and drive economic growth."
- John Hepburn
CEO, Mitacs
"My Mitacs internship, funded by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities, enabled me to do critical background research to support my goal of developing a mobile self-therapy tool for survivors of sexual assault. Thanks to the generous support I received, I was able to determine the main symptoms and conditions survivors face as well as gain an understanding of exercises, tools, and techniques used by psychologists to help survivors. I have no doubt that the funding announced today will go a long way in helping other Ontario students and postdocs pursue their innovative ideas."
- Nina Mistry
Past intern, Queen’s University