Advance Ontario connects eligible Ontario post-secondary students with remote internships designed to build in-demand skills. Ontario employers mentor students through paid 60-hour projects lasting 2 to 8 weeks. Powered by Riipen, the program fosters workforce diversity and aims to create long-term job opportunities while supporting Ontario’s economy.

Students can gain valuable resume-building experience and develop critical soft skills. Each completed project is paid, with students earning $1,400 directly from Riipen. Employers benefit from talented interns at no cost, receiving much-needed support for their company needs.

The current Advance Ontario funding cycle runs from January 2025 - June 2025, with three cohorts during which projects must take place, lasting a minimum of 2 weeks and a maximum of 8 weeks:

Project dates are set by the Advance Ontario team based on your assigned cohort and cannot be changed. Employers can participate in multiple cohorts, while students may only participate in one cohort. Both employers and students must be available during the set dates to participate.

Read more about important dates and deadlines for each individual cohort.

The terms and conditions can be found on our dedicated pages for students and employers.

Here are some helpful guides to get started with Advance Ontario for students and for employers.

Students in Advance Ontario apply to and work on projects individually. While employers may have their teams collaborate, each student is required to submit their own unique final deliverables.

Yes, Advance Ontario is available in French, including communications, marketing materials, and support. Any project posted in French is available and Riipen offers French-speaking support through the avocado icon in the bottom corner of the platform.

How do I join Advance Ontario?
Follow the help articles below with outlined steps:

1. How to Apply for Advance Ontario
​2. Joining an Advance Ontario Cohort

3. How to Apply for Advance Ontario Projects

4. Guide to Completing an Advance Ontario Project

​I am a student with unique needs. Can Advance Ontario accommodate them?

Advance Ontario projects offer flexibility for students needing extra time due to emergencies, cognitive needs or unforeseen life changes. Use clear communication to talk to the employer about your needs. Riipen encourages employers to provide the necessary support for student success.

​If you require special accommodations due to a unique circumstance, please make sure that your employer is made aware of it at the beginning of the project and that you connect with the Advance Ontario team immediately via chat feature in the bottom right corner of every Riipen page.

Unfortunately, side agreements between employers and students cannot be tracked and therefore are not honoured by Riipen. Advance Ontario is designed to work on a cohort schedule, therefore projects must be completed within the timeframe.

Students can complete 1 project per funding cycle. The current funding cycle has renewed with dates from January 2025 - June 2025.

No, students can only participate in one cohort per funding cycle. The funding cycle spans from January 2025 - June 2025.

Read our guide on making yourself stand out during the application process.

Students apply directly to projects, and employers accept applications. Employers do not search for students to join the project. Read more here.

Students are given the opportunity to apply to three projects at a time. This means that each student may only have three applications pending at once. The first employer who accepts one of the students' applications indicates the students project for the remainder of the cohort. Reminder that there is a specifically outlined set of dates for when students must apply and be matched to projects for each cohort.

Students must stay active in the Advance Ontario program to retain their spot. If you are inactive and miss action deadlines, you may be removed from the program. Make sure to review and adhere to the deadlines to maintain your enrolment.

Yes, AI can be a useful tool, unless instructed otherwise by the employer. All projects must encompass 60 hours of work, and you must upload deliverables and working documents to demonstrate completion, even when AI is employed. While students are allowed to use AI for assistance, they must demonstrate their effort and work, showing that AI was used only as a tool to aid them, not to complete the entire project.

See our blog on how you can leverage Advance Ontario projects as part of your job search.

Unfortunately, no. Students are only paid for 60 hours that are completed by ensuring they follow the rules that keep them eligible for the payout. Riipen does not compensate anyone over and above outside of the internship agreement.

To ensure fairness, all students must join Advance Ontario via an invitation based on their application. If you have a specific student in mind, you can share our application form with them. No student entry is guaranteed.

Each employer can post a maximum of 1 project per cohort. Each of those projects can have up to 4 students working on them.

Employers can read this guide on Creating a Successful Advance Ontario Project. It outlines the key elements needed in your project match request to expedite approval by the Advance Ontario team.

Yes, if a team is inactive after being matched to your project, they may be removed. The team must begin the project on the Riipen platform before or on the cohort start date.

Yes, employers are responsible for providing necessary software licences or access to students for work-related tasks, such as those in manufacturing or engineering roles.

Each employer can have only 1 account on Riipen and each account is allowed to have a maximum of 2 companies connected to it.

Projects span 60 hours, and students must fulfil the full 60 hours to be eligible for payment. These 60 hours must be completed between 2 - 8 weeks within a set cohort period. Students may work for a maximum of 30 hours per week on Advance Ontario projects.

Yes, any necessary training or mentorship required to complete the project is included in the 60-hour work requirement. This includes the 5-hours of mentorship that employers must provide.

Projects must align with cohort schedules:

Projects must start before or on the set start date of the cohort you are participating in.

Projects must be completed within the cohort timeline and dates cannot be altered. The project must be completed within a minimum of 2 weeks and a maximum of 8 weeks, following the cohort schedule.

Continuous communication between students and employers throughout the project is essential for clarifying expectations, problem-solving, maintaining quality, fostering positive relationships, collaboration, and accountability. It's also a program requirement for payment eligibility.

The first step is to always try to work through challenges together. Learn more in these helpful articles for students and employers.

If a project reaches 60 hours, it is considered complete, and students are not required to exceed this limit.

Riipen does not offer partial payments for incomplete work. To receive payment, students must demonstrate that they completed the 60 hours required.

Please view our help article: Complete your Advance Ontario project to view our evaluation process.

After completing a project $1,400 will be deposited directly into your bank account. Read more about this here.

Typically up to 14-21 days after project completion.

To receive payment within our standard billing cycle, please ensure that your project fulfils all of our payment requirements. We are unable to expedite payment for individuals to maintain fairness and equality in our practices.

You'll receive a T4A tax form and can request a verification letter if needed. Read more here. Know that you will receive your T4A for the year that you received payment, which could be different from the year that you completed the project.

Riipen prohibits any work from being conducted off the platform until a student is matched to a project and initiates it officially by clicking the "start project" button.

While employer feedback is crucial for payment, it is not mandatory. If the employer hasn't given feedback, the Advance Ontario team will review your submission five weeks after receiving it. During this period, we'll send reminders to your employer to complete feedback and help expedite the payment process.