ICT Ignite Skills allows those seeking work in the digital tech sector to benefit from paid work-based learning experiences through 80 hour internships. Learners are able to enhance and showcase their digital tech skills, form employer networks, and connect with long-term employment opportunities. Completed remotely over 2-8 weeks, employer projects provide authentic experience and support career clarity to pave the way for success in the dynamic job market.

If you are interested in joining ICT Ignite Skills, you can apply here. For additional information on the process, feel free to check out the Getting Started with ICT Ignite Skills help article.

Tech education leader, Lighthouse Labs is partnering with Riipen, the leading work-based learning platform to provide an accelerated path to Canada’s thriving tech sector. Through hands-on, employer-led projects, this partnership will help aspiring tech professionals pave their way for success with in-demand tech skills and work experiences tailored for today's dynamic job market. Together they are creating an ecosystem of opportunities for all and creating a more inclusive and thriving tech sector. ICT Ignite Skills is offered as part of the ICT Boost Initiative. Funded in part by the Government of Canada's Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program (SWSP).

To be eligible, you must fit all of the following criteria:

Please note that learners on temporary work permits, those who immigrated to Canada through the CUAET program, and international students are not eligible for the ICT Ignite Skills program. Eligibility criteria is set as part of the funding agreement with the Government of Canada.

You will be asked to verify your eligibility information when joining the ICT Ignite Skills program. You can find out more about our learner verification process here.

Learners can only complete 1 ICT Ignite Skills project. Each project is 80 hours in length and can be completed over the course of 2-8 weeks.

Once invited to the ICT Ignite Skills portal you will be able to browse employer projects. After you have found a project of interest please read the project scope before you apply to ensure it is a good match to your skills and career interests. You can apply to up to three projects. The application process includes uploading your resume, responding to any screening questions the employer would like you to answer, and sending an introductory message to the employer. You can then submit your application.

You will also want to keep an eye on your messages. Employers may reach out to you to schedule an interview or to chat with you about your application.

This article walks you through this process step by step.

For ICT Ignite Skills you can apply to up to 3 employer projects. Employers will respond to your applications within 5 business days. You may be successful in more than one application. Once you have decided which project you wish to complete you should select ‘start project’ on the project overview page. Please make sure to cancel the pending applications on any other projects. You will be automatically removed from any additional projects if you try to start more than one.

This article walks you through this process step by step.

As a participant in ICT Ignite Skills, you will receive one year of access to the Mind Beacon Mental Health App at no cost. Taking care of your mental well-being is crucial during your career journey, and this app provides valuable resources to support your mental health needs. Information on how to sign up will be shared when you start your project.

If you have any other questions, you can reach us at ictignite@riipen.com

Yes, ICT Ignite Skills is available in French on the platform. If you'd like to use the Riipen platform in French, you can navigate to your dashboard, click the drop down arrow in the top right corner and again on "Settings". Under "Accessibility", you will be able to change your language preference to French.

Final submissions may include multiple files. This could include files of your work, a detailed timesheet, or a comprehensive written summary of the work completed. Your final submission upload should demonstrate that 80 hours of work has been completed for the project. If our team is unable to ascertain that a good faith effort has been made to complete the project as defined by the employer we will have to follow up with yourself and the employer. This will cause your payment to be delayed.

Once you submit your final project submission, employers will have the chance to leave feedback on their experience working with you - both public (on your Riipen profile) and private feedback. They will also be asked to approve the deliverables, confirm that the project adhered to the ICT Ignite Skills Terms and Conditions, and that the project deliverables were completed within 80 hours per learner.

We encourage you to keep open lines of communication with the employer during the project to ensure you are both in agreement about the desired project outcomes.

The ICT Ignite team will also review your final deliverables. If our team is unable to ascertain that a good faith effort has been made to complete the project as defined by the employer we will have to follow up with you and the employer. If 14 days have elapsed and the employer has not provided feedback, please reach out to the ICT Ignite team. We will contact your employer again and if we do not hear back we will review your final deliverable on behalf of the employer.

Each Learner will be paid for the project in the form of a stipend, with payments processed via Tipalti. You will submit your banking information when you join the program. Each learner is required to complete 80-hours of work and the exit survey to receive their $1500 stipend.

ICT Ignite Skills operates on a 21 day payout period for learners completing ICT Ignite Skills projects. Your stipend will begin to be processed when the ICT Ignite Skills employer you worked with provides feedback on your project submission. If 14 days have elapsed and the ICT Ignite Skills employer has not provided feedback, please reach out to the ICT Ignite team. We will contact your employer again and if we do not hear back we will review your final deliverable on behalf of the employer, which may cause your payment to be delayed. You can find further details about our payments process here.

In an effort to create a good ICT Ignite Skills experience for all parties, we have Terms and Conditions, which can be found here. Please take a moment to read through them. You will be asked to sign the T&Cs agreement before you can apply to an employer project. We've also created a three strike system. This means that if any ICT Ignite Skills user goes against the Terms and Conditions, they will receive a strike. You will be notified via e-mail when/if you've received a strike. If you receive three strikes, you will be removed from the program and will no longer be able to participate and receive a stipend.

Unfortunately not. Learners will be paid once the project is submitted and exit survey is completed, in the form of a stipend. For that reason, learners who do not fully complete the project, will not be paid. Additionally, if you do not clearly communicate to the employer and the ICT Ignite team that you are unable to complete a project, you will receive a strike (see three strike system).

If you’re struggling to get in contact with a member of your team, be sure to let the employer know straight away. You should also let the ICT Ignite team know via email (ictignite@riipen.com), or via live chat on the platform. The ICT Ignite team will then reach out to the team member and the employer, with the aim to re-engage the team member and to understand if there’s additional support we can provide.

Continued unresponsiveness or a lack of commitment is a breach of the program’s T&Cs and is considered a strike (see three strike system). This may lead to a team member being removed from the project. If that happens, you should work with the employer to readjust the project deliverables and continue your 80 hour internship project.

If you’re struggling to get in contact with an employer you should also let the ICT Ignite team know as soon as possible via email (ictignite@riipen.com), or via live chat on the platform. The ICT Ignite team will then reach out with the aim to re-engage them and understand if there’s additional support we can provide. Continued unresponsiveness or a lack of commitment is a breach of the program’s T&Cs and is considered a strike (see three strike system). This may lead to the employer being unable to post additional projects on the platform.

No. Learners are neither employees of the organization they do a project for, nor of Riipen (who will pay their stipend). As such, learners do not qualify for any benefits and will not obtain any record of employment (ROE) from either organizations. Upon joining the ICT Ignite Skills program, Riipen will require learners to submit their legal name, social insurance number (SIN) and mailing address so that we can issue the appropriate tax form(s).

All learners engaged in the ICT Ignite Skills program for the 2023 tax year will be issued a T4A. You can expect to receive this in February 2024. If you complete an employer project in the 2024 tax year, you will receive a T4A in February 2025. This will be available on your Riipen account in your user settings under "issued documents". You will receive an email notification when it has been uploaded.

If you need a verification letter to confirm your participation in the ICT Ignite program you can request one by sending an email to people@riipen.com and we can verify the dates of your participation.

Yes. It is the responsibility of the organization to provide software license/access to learners if required to perform the work.