The CIO Strategy Council is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Business/Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) to collaborate on the development and implementation of a work-integrated learning (WIL) pilot program for Canada’s ICT sector.

This partnership will combine the Council’s wealth of ICT knowledge with the BHER’s breadth of experience and leadership in the higher education space to develop and pilot a new national machine learning and AI internship program that will address the current talent gap in Canada.

“As the democratization of AI and machine learning applications expands, so has the demand for AI professionals to do the work” said Keith Jansa, Executive Director of the CIO Strategy Council. “The problem is the talent pool in AI and machine learning isn’t at scale to match the demand.”

“Employers across the country – in both the government and the private sector – recognize the need to invest in developing new talent,” says Valerie Walker, Executive Director of the Business/Higher Education Roundtable. “Work-integrated learning programs help develop the feedback loop between post-secondary institutions and employers, preparing new grads with the skills they need to succeed in a changing world of work.”

Collaborating with BHER to design and deliver an internship program dedicated to addressing the national skills gap in AI and machine learning furthers the Council’s mission to strengthen the nation’s IT ecosystem and establish Canada as a leader in the global digital economy.

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About the Business/Higher Education Roundtable

Composed of leaders from the private sector, universities, colleges and polytechnics, BHER works to support young Canadians as they transition from education to the workplace, strengthen research collaboration between industry and institutions, and help Canadian employers as they adapt to the economy of the future. Learn more at bher.ca.

About CIO Strategy Council

The Council Strategy Council (CIOSC) provides a forum for Canada’s most forward-thinking chief information officers to focus on collectively transforming, shaping, and influencing the Canadian information and technology ecosystem. Learn more at ciostrategycouncil.com.