Programs
PROGRAMS
High School Internship Program
About the program:
2021 is the inaugural year for the techNL High School Technology Internship Program. This nine-week internship program places talented high school students from across newfoundland and Labrador in technical and business roles within local technology companies. Students also attend a four-week virtual technology bootcamp at Keyin College learning coding skills. Students are paid a minimum per hour salary of $15 at 35 hours per week for nine weeks and techNL covers 75% of the cost.
The objectives of the program are to:
Provide high school students with an inside look at the unique environment, community, and culture of a technology company.
Help high school students improve their technical and business skills, build trust in their abilities, increase awareness and better prepare them for opportunities in the technology sector.
Help participating companies become more innovative — students provide fresh ideas and perspective that often spark innovation and can improve processes and increase efficiency.
Promote leadership skills for employees and increase motivation through mentoring of high-school interns.
Benefit the companies in the medium-long term by helping them discover and train quality talent that will fuel the future workforce in the technology sector.
Enable high school students to develop vital personal networks and relationships with industry workers and other students who share their passion for technology and computing.
Improve the participation of women and other underrepresented groups in the tech sector.
The 2021 cohort
35 students in Grade 11 and 12 from all over NL
40% of students live outside the metro region
30% identify as girls or non-binary individuals
Participating companies
Beaufort Software; Bench Boss; Bluedrop; Celtx; ClearRisk; Compusult; Driven Power Sports; Genoa Design; HYKE; JAC; Metricsflow; Mysa; PolyUnity; Newfound Marketing; Sequence Bio; SucSeed; Solace Power; and Zorbits Math by Carnegie Learning
Valuable Aspects of the Program According to Students:
Learning technical skills: “I am learning about coding and technical skills that I know I will need in any future employment.”
Hands-on work experience: “I’m going to get exposure to all of the different divisions that work together, and I think that diverse exposure is valuable.”
Connections and networking: “Meeting successful entrepreneurs and making connections within the industry is a valuable part of this program.”
Employer Feedback:
“The high school internship program is a great initiative to introduce students to the options they have in the tech industry. We hope that this experience lives up to their expectations and helps jump start their career.”
“I think it’s a great program and will help introduce students to careers in STEM”
Program Timeline
April 2021: The program was announced, and applications opened
May 2021: Students were matched with participating companies
June 28: The program officially kicked off with a two-day orientation for students hosted by techNL
June 30- July 30: Students attend virtual Keyin College Junior MAVRX Bootcamp from 9:00-1:00 daily and spend the remainder of their day with their employer
Aug 2-27: Students work full time with their employer
Aug 27: 2021 program concludes with celebration and recognition of achievements
As with all pilot programs, we are constantly learning and striving to improve the program experience for all stakeholders. techNL is committed to continuous improvement by conducting surveys and communicating with employers and students throughout the internship program. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this program, don’t hesitate to reach out!
As a part of techNL’s Talent Strategy to create a long-term talent pipeline, the High School Technology Internship is a crucial initiative that encourages students to pursue a technology or technology-enabled career right here at home.
Applications for the 2022 High School Internship will open in the spring of 2022. Check back regularly for updates.
techNL High School Technology Internship Contact:
Susan Kelly,
High School Talent Lead
susan@technl.ca, (709) 709-772-8324 Ext. 6
PROGRAMS
Programs
Bounce Health Innovation
Bounce Health Innovation (Bounce) was launched in January 2018 as a result of increasing interest in health innovation spurred from the local Hacking Health initiative – a series of open innovation networking events that connect frontline healthcare workers with developers, designers, patients, and entrepreneurs. Their mission is to accelerate the growth of the health innovation sector in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) with a vision to help the province become the testbed for medical technology innovation in North America. They engage with and support medical innovators and entrepreneurs by leveraging resources within a unique health innovation ecosystem. They are a mini-cluster in medical technology composed of the following participating organizations: Eastern Health, Memorial University (the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship, and the Faculty of Medicine), Genesis, the Provincial Government, Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology and Innovation (NATI), and the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information (NLCHI).
Digitalization in Oil and Gas
Digitalization of the oil and gas industry has the potential to reduce emissions, increase competitiveness and create employment. In collaboration with Noia, techNL (formerly NATI) began to investigate how to leverage this opportunity for its members. Various successful events were executed such as a Big Data Oil and Gas Forum, Hacking Oil and Gas Cafés, and the first ever Oil and Gas Hackathon in NL in 2019. These events, along with a report from the Digital Transformation Working Group, highlighted the need and creation of the Digital Oil and Gas Initiative (DOI).
With continued support from Noia, techNL will drive the DOI to work with key industry stakeholders to focus on the identification of value producing digitalization opportunities and conduct key strategic capacity building activities for local tech companies in the oil and gas sector. By expanding our local expertise and technology skill set through the digital transformation process, the DOI will spur innovation to deliver local digital solutions for the industry on the Field of the Future.
Business Tech Solutions
COVID-19 severely impacted small businesses across Atlantic Canada. As the pandemic has reshaped the way business is conducted, companies need to adapt and pivot to reach new customers and opportunities. That is why the provincial and federal governments are helping local companies adapt and adopt new technologies.
This program was administered by techNL to help businesses purchase digital solutions and access expertise so they could create online sales systems and generate new revenue streams. With an investment of more than $4.8 million, the program has helped more than 300 small and medium-sized businesses in the province.