Recently, the Stiller Centre at Western University Research Park was awarded funding under a new FedDev initiative called the Graduate Enterprise Internship (GEI) Program. The program, created to help meet southern Ontario’s future labour market needs, partners recent graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) backgrounds with small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) throughout London and surrounding communities for a six-month paid internship opportunity. Graduates taking part in the program will gain invaluable business and management skills to complement the technical skills that they have acquired over the course of their studies, while businesses benefit from the novel perspectives, specialized skill sets, and fresh thinking that new graduates provide.
Funding of up to $1,787,500 has been made available to arrange roughly 140 internships through to March 2014. Eligible SMEs include commercial enterprises having less than 1,000 employees, operating in STEM fields located in defined geographic areas of southern Ontario. Eligible internship candidates must be recent graduates (within the past 5 years) of Advanced Diploma, Bachelor, Masters, or Doctoral programs in STEM fields. SMEs can choose their own hires and may receive a non-repayable contribution towards an intern’s salary of up to $10,000 for an Advanced Diploma/Bachelors graduate, and up to $15,000 for a Masters/PhD graduate. Businesses providing mentorship opportunities must contribute a minimum of 50 percent of the intern’s salary and benefits.
To apply, complete and submit the GEI Application Form, found at http://stillercentre.com/programs/gei-program. For further information, please contact Erin Leppard, GEI Project Manager at (519) 858-5096 or erin@stillercentre.com.
