What is the BYO pathway?
BYO (Bring Your Own Employer/Students allows students/employers who already have an employer/student willing to work with them to participate through a dedicated pathway.
Who is eligible to participate as a BYO student?
Check the Riipen FuturePath Student Participation Agreement for full details or see below:
To participate in FuturePath, you must meet all of the following requirements:
Be currently enrolled at an eligible Canadian post-secondary institution or approved institution and maintain that status throughout your participation.
Be enrolled in at least one course during the current academic term.
Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or protected person who is legally authorized to work in Canada.
Be physically located in Canada for the entire duration of your project.
Not be an international student.
Have no conflict of interest with the employer (for example, a relative who is a major shareholder, owner, or board member of the company)
Not currently be participating in another FuturePath project
Can second-year students participate through BYO?
Yes, Students who are otherwise ineligible through the regular FuturePath pathway may qualify through BYO if all program requirements are met.
FOR STUDENTS
FOR STUDENTS
For Student: How do I join through BYO?
You must:
Find an employer interested in working with you - Learn how using this toolkit.
Fill out the interest form,
Our team will reach out to the employer,
If the employer agrees to work with you, they will have to submit a BYO match request.
Once the project is matched our team will reach out with onboarding steps.
Complete FuturePath onboarding and verification.
Apply to the project once access is granted.
I have a BYO employer. Why haven’t I received an invite yet?
Your employer must first:
Submit the BYO match request
Complete business verification
Complete project setup
Once the project is matched our team will reach out with onboarding steps.
Complete FuturePath onboarding and verification.
Once those steps are finished, you’ll receive onboarding instructions.
I have completed my onboarding. What happens next?
If you have completed all of your onboarding steps, thank you! Our team conducts ongoing reviews of onboarding submissions and will review your file to ensure all requirements have been successfully completed and verified.
Once your onboarding has been reviewed, we will contact you with the next steps, which may include an invitation to the Riipen platform and cohort participation instructions.
Please note that completing onboarding does not automatically mean all requirements have been approved. Some steps, such as ID verification and Proof of Enrollment verification, must be reviewed before you can move forward.
I completed onboarding, but I keep receiving emails saying my onboarding is incomplete. What am I missing?
If you are receiving onboarding reminder emails, it is possible that one or more required steps are still missing, incomplete, or awaiting review.
The most common outstanding items are:
Eligibility Form
ID Verification
Proof of Enrollment Verification
Required onboarding course activities
Please email futurepath@riipen.com or reach out via the avocado and our team will review your record and let you know exactly which step(s) are still outstanding.
To help us assist you more quickly, please include:
Your full name
The email address associated with your Riipen account
Any screenshots that may be relevant
Once we review your account, we will provide guidance on any remaining requirements and the next steps needed to complete onboarding.
FOR EMPLOYERS
FOR EMPLOYERS
How do I join through BYO?
Step 1: Submit a BYO Project to an Open BYO Cohort
Complete the Bring Your Own Employer match and provide the student’s full name and email address. Important: We cannot begin onboarding or verification without the student’s information.
Step 2: Complete Employer Setup
Once your project is approved, you will need to:
Complete business verification
Sign the FuturePath Participation Agreement
Add a valid credit card
Accept the project setup
Step 3: Student Completes Onboarding
After the project has been successfully matched to the BYO cohort, our Student Success team will contact the student directly with onboarding instructions.
The student must complete:
The FuturePath Eligibility Form
ID Verification
Proof of Enrollment Verification
The FuturePath Onboarding Course
Step 4: Student Joins the Riipen Platform
Once all onboarding and verification steps have been successfully completed and reviewed, the student will:
Receive an invitation to the Riipen platform
Join the BYO cohort
Locate your project
Submit an application to your project
Step 5: Accept the Student’s Application
After the student applies:
Review and accept their application
A small deposit will be charged to your credit card
These funds will be placed in your company wallet and used to pay approved student invoices throughout the project
What happens if I don’t already have a student?
If you do not have a student identified, you may be a better fit for one of our regular FuturePath cohorts, where students apply directly to employer projects
How long does BYO onboarding take? I just matched my project.
Once your project has been successfully matched to the BYO cohort, our Student Success team will send onboarding instructions to your student. Employers are typically copied on this communication.
The timeline largely depends on how quickly the student completes these steps and whether their submissions meet program requirements.
As a general guideline:
Onboarding instructions are typically sent within 24 - 72 hours of the project being matched.
Students who follow the instructions and submit the correct documentation often complete onboarding and gain access to the platform within about one week.
Delays can occur if documents need to be resubmitted, information is missing, or verification requirements are not met.
Students must complete onboarding and start their project within 30 days of being sent onboarding instructions.
My student has not matched my project. Why?
Students are not matched to a project. Once onboarding is successfully completed and reviewed, the student will receive access to the Riipen platform, join the BYO cohort, locate your project, and submit an application. You can then review and accept their application.
Common reasons a student has not yet matched include:
They have not completed the onboarding course
They have not completed the eligibility form
Their ID verification is still missing or under review
Their Proof of Enrollment verification is still missing or under review
Their onboarding submission requires corrections or resubmission
The student has joined the platform but not applied to your project
If your student has completed all onboarding requirements and you have not seen any progress after several business days, please contact the FuturePath team.
My student is struggling with onboarding. What should they do?
The first step is to ensure your student carefully follows the instructions provided in their onboarding email and onboarding course.
Students experiencing difficulties should:
Review the onboarding instructions carefully.
Revisit the onboarding course and ensure all required steps have been completed and they are compiling for the corrent cohort.
Check that all requested documents have been submitted correctly.
Contact the FuturePath team as soon as possible if they are unsure what is missing.
Please note:
We cannot expedite ID or enrollment verification reviews.
Verification reviews are completed through a third-party system and must follow standard processing timelines.
The earlier a student reaches out for assistance, the more likely we can help resolve issues before onboarding deadlines.
If you are unsure of your student’s onboarding status, please contact the FuturePath team with the student’s name and email address, and we can review their progress.