Science and Technology Internship Program
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The Science and Technology Internship Program provides an opportunity to recent graduates in science or engineering to gain relevant and meaningful work experiences within their field of studies.
How it works
Any non-federal government organization (private company, university or college, non-profit organization and provincial or municipal government) can become a partner of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) when it hires an eligible intern to work on research and development projects that are within the mandate of NRCan. Partners can receive a contribution payment for a portion of the intern's salary. The intern is an employee of the partner.
Internships start at any time throughout the year, based on project requirements and funding available. The maximum contribution per internship from the Science and Technology Internship Program fund is $13,200 over a maximum of 52 weeks. See How to Apply for more details.
Purpose
Some of the key goals of the Science and Technology Internship Program are to allow:
- Graduates to acquire professional skills and practical work experiences to facilitate their transition to the labour market and to eventually find sustained employment
- Organizations within the natural resources sector to develop the knowledge economy and increase the pool of versatile and highly qualified youth to ensure continuous innovation within their fields of research and development
- The rest of Canada to gain from the results of the developments coming from an experienced and functional natural sciences sector
Background
The Science and Technology Internship Program began in 1997 following the announcement of the Youth Employment Strategy led by Human Resources and Social Development Canada. Since then, Natural Resources Canada has been contributing to around 50- 80 internships each year in an effort to assist youth find valuable work experiences.
In general, around 70% of interns within the program find permanent employment immediately after their internship. Another 20% decide to return to school to pursue further studies and the remaining 10% continue to search for employment.
Find more information about the Government of Canada’s Youth Initiatives