August 30, 2011 – Marketwire — Ryerson University students and recent graduates can access up to 150 internships with small- and medium-sized businesses in southern Ontario, Canada, thanks to funding from the national government. The internships are tailored to benefit research capabilities in the student body as well, focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs.
"These investments in Ryerson University will help businesses access the research capacity and resources they need to develop new ideas and bring those to market, while also helping graduates gain valuable work experience and entrepreneurial skills," said Costas Menegakis, Member of Parliament for Richmond Hill, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
FedDev Ontario is providing Ryerson University with up to $2,035,000 to arrange up to 150 six-month internships (Details at http://www.ryerson.ca/ors/funding/internal/iSTEM_bootcamp.pdf).
One participating company is Alcohol Countermeasure Systems Corp. (ACS Corp.), which usese micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) technology to create a breath alcohol sensing instrument that prevents vehicle operation if the driver’s breath alcohol concentration is over a pre-determined level. ACS Corp. has earned TS 16949, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications.
Participants in related electronics manufacturing fields include C2C Link Corporation, which designs and manufactures standard and customized nonlinear optical chips using their proprietary crystal poling technology; LED nanomaterials developer Lumentra Inc.; Luminautics Inc., working in reliable LED display technology; and Thermodyne Engineering Ltd., a consulting engineering and qualification/certification testing company.
Other participating companies include Delvinia Holdings Inc., Kensington Communications, Messier-Bugatti-Dowty, Met-Scan Canada Ltd., Mount Knowledge, NCK Engineering Ltd., Solana Networks, Trade Secret Printing, Vision Coaters Canada Ltd., and waveDNA.
In addition to FedDev Ontario’s $2 million investment in the internship program, Ryerson will receive up to $750,000 to partner with small- and medium-sized businesses on activities such as applied research, engineering design, technology development, product testing, and certification under FedDev Ontario’s Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative.
FedDev Ontario was created as part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan to support businesses and communities in southern Ontario. Now in its third year of operation, the Agency has launched a number of initiatives to create a Southern Ontario Advantage and place the region in a strong position to compete in the global economy. These initiatives are designed to support businesses and other organizations through partnerships and investments in skills and training; innovation; research and development; and increased productivity. To learn more, please visit www.feddevontario.gc.ca.