University of Toronto students in parade on College Street, pre-pandemic. Author’s photo.
Like everyone I know, I’m working from home. This means I’m far from the parades of brightly and uniformly-clad university students that I’m accustomed to hearing and seeing from my vantage point at the MaRS Centre, 10 floors above College Street in downtown Toronto. Not only am I unable to witness this September spectacle that traditionally marks the beginning of another school year at the University of Toronto, I don’t even know if it’s taking place because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nevertheless, it’s hard not to think about students this week as most of them – at least in Ontario – are heading back to elementary, high school and post-secondary classes.
Once they settle in to the new routine, university and college students would do well to start thinking about summer jobs, co-op programs and internships. September may seem early for that, but it’s not. (It’s easy to put things off, but you shouldn’t. Watch this video from a master procrastinator for 14 minutes, but then get back to the task at hand.)
Co-op programs and internships, which can be very competitive, are an excellent way to enhance skills taught in the classroom or to develop brand new ones. They provide valuable workplace connections that often result in post-graduation jobs and many employers only hire recent grads this way.
For Canadian students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), get to know Mitacs and BioTalent Canada if you don’t already.
Mitacs has an impressive legacy of having delivered training to over 33,000 students and postdocs, and it has supported 20,000 research programs in Canada over the past 20 years. It has evolved from its origins of supporting applied and industrial research in maths and associated disciplines, and today it supports all disciplines.
CCRM has partnered with Mitacs to offer 20-30 year-long internships in Process Development, Scale-up and GMP Manufacture of Novel Cell & Gene Therapies. Visit the website to learn about the project and the expertise and skills we are seeking, and then apply if you are a fit!
BioTalent Canada is an excellent partner to industry and academic institutions. For students, it connects talent – you – with employers. Check out their Student Work Placement Program if you are looking to work in biotech or healthcare.
Here are some other programs to explore:
As you would expect, the Government of Canada employs college and university students (secondary students too) in positions across the country. Visit this page for a variety of options within Health Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the National Research Council, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and more.
Would you like to intern or have a co-op term with Canada’s Space Agency (and who wouldn’t?!)? You can learn more about the requirements here.
Would you like to spend your summer in Germany participating in an internship at a university or research institution? Check out Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE).
If you know of other internship, co-op or job programs for college and university students, please share in the comment section below.
And for a little more procrastination distraction, here’s my favourite TV job interview.
Stacey Johnson
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