Last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada announced a $40 million investment into the future of Canadian students through supporting the creation of 5,000 new Mitacs internships for college and university undergrads across the country. The addition of skilled youth talent that these internships provide for Canadian businesses result in essential placements that effectively battle adverse economic impacts, such as job shortages and lack of student experiences, caused by the restrictive shutdowns of COVID-19.
“Students drive creative solutions for the workforce and, in times like these, we need to ensure that they can continue to build job-ready skills and contribute in meaningful ways to meet pressing health, economic, environmental and social challenges.”
– François‑Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
Last week, Mitacs officially reported that all the work-integrated learning opportunities specified in the funding agreement have been generated. The new internships are in addition to the 10,000 Mitacs provided for fiscal year 2020–21, creating a total 15,000 skilled youth placements for the current year.
“Work-integrated learning helps prepare Canadian students for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Our investment for Mitacs’s work placements will give students the skills they need to support Canadian businesses as they re-open while ensuring Canada’s economy continues to thrive.”
– Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
About Mitacs Support for Canadian Businesses
Partnering with over 6,000 companies, 70 universities, and both federal and provincial governments, Mitacs is a national, not-for-profit organization that has designed and delivered research and training programs across Canada for 20 years. They value partnerships and workplace opportunities that support industrial and social innovation for Canadian youth.
“Our efforts will mitigate the impact of the pandemic on this generation of students that would otherwise have missed important career development opportunities.”
– Dr. John Hepburn, Mitacs CEO & Scientific Director
Along with the creation of programs and workplace opportunities, Mitacs performs regularly funded research to help strengthen connections, improve economic performance, and create jobs. Over the company’s history, they have supported more than 20,000 research projects, trained more than 33,000 student and postdoc career-skills participants, and supported more than 3,600 international research collaborations.
In recent years, Mitacs has expanded its efforts in response to industrial and university needs, including programs in research and development management, professional skills development, and international research training.
Government Funding for Hiring and Training Employees
Canadian government funding programs can help businesses hire and train new and existing staff by improving employee and team effectiveness and training staff in new areas such as advanced technologies or operational processes. If you are planning on adding a new member to your team, or developing the skills of your current staff, there are various hiring and training government grants, like Mitacs, that support the growth and ongoing success of a business through professional development and training-related activities.
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