Government of Canada connects McMaster Science and Engineering grads with businesses
Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale MP David Sweet (right) was on campus Wednesday to announce more than $1.1 million in internship funding for Science and Engineering students. He's pictured here with McMaster provost and VP academic David Wilkinson (left) and Engineering student Blake Stacy.
Up to 86 recent graduates and graduate students in McMaster University’s faculties of science and engineering will receive valuable internships with southern Ontario businesses thanks to a new Government of Canada investment of $1,133,000. The investment was announced by David Sweet, Member of Parliament for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDevOntario).
“Our government is committed to creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity for southern Ontario,” said MP Sweet. “This investment will help McMaster’s young scientists and engineers to get the professional experience, mentorship and business skills they need as they develop into the next generation of leaders in business and innovation.”
The investment is being provided through FedDevOntario’s Graduate Enterprise Internship (GEI), which provides funding for not-for-profit organizations and post-secondary institutions to arrange internship and mentoring opportunities for recent graduates and graduate students of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs with small- and medium-sized enterprises.
“The FedDev GEI program will create an important bridge for recent graduates from the Faculty of Science who wish to enter the workforce,” said Dr. Peter Sutherland, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Science, McMasterUniversity. “The internship model will allow our students an opportunity to complement their academic training with relevant work experience and it will give employers access to new talent with cutting edge skills.”
McMasterUniversity’s science and engineering faculties place approximately 700 students in co-operative education work terms each year. FedDevOntario’s investment will allow the university to place up to an additional 86 recent graduates and graduate students in the fields of science and engineering at small- and medium-sized businesses in the region, providing them with access to job opportunities in their fields.
“We are proud of what our McMaster graduates bring to the marketplace,” said Art Heidebrecht, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. “We are very grateful to the Federal Economic Development Agency forSouthern Ontario. The Graduate Enterprise Internship program will kick-start the professional careers of young McMaster graduates in science and engineering, and will help build the next generation of leaders in innovation.”
