UBC Sauder School of Business and Mitacs have partnered to launch a new summer program called the Mitacs Business Strategy Internship. UBC Sauder is the pilot school in a network of Canadian business schools that will match up skilled undergraduate and graduate students with four-month summer job placements in small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and not-for-profit organizations across Canada.
Students who secure jobs through the new internship program will be eligible for a $10,000 stipend. UBC Sauder and the employer will contribute $2,500 each to the total award and Mitacs will contribute the remaining $5,000. UBC Sauder undergraduates and graduate students returning to studies in September 2020 will be eligible to participate in the program. Each internship will be designed to address one or more business strategy need (including marketing, operations, finance, etc.) dependent on the requirements of the organization. The vision of the Mitacs Business Strategy Internship is to stimulate Canada’s economic recovery in the COVID-19 era, and to provide additional opportunities for business students in need of summer work.
UBC Sauder School of Business Dean Robert Helsley is proud to be the first Canadian business school to pilot the initiative. “Our new partnership with Mitacs will provide our students with opportunities to apply business concepts and theories in real-world settings,” says Helsley. “We recognize that SMEs and not-for-profit organizations across Canada need additional support to adapt to new economic realities, and this initiative will stimulate these sectors at a crucial time. By leveraging the talents and business experience of our students, we can build and strengthen connections and collaborations between industry, the non-profit sector and Canadian universities.”
Mitacs CEO and Scientific Director John Hepburn echoes the importance of using business students’ expertise to support industry. “Providing students with work opportunities during the economic downturn will help ensure our talented university students are contributing to Canada’s recovery, while building skills that our economy will need in the longer-term,” says Hepburn. “At the same time, we are supporting small and medium businesses and not-for-profit organizations that need assistance in modifying or pivoting their operations to adapt to a new economic reality.”
Employers who wish to hire a UBC Sauder summer student can learn about eligibility requirements and the application process by visiting the Mitacs Business Strategy Internship program page.
