What is Beyond the Cloud?
Beyond the Cloud is a program built by ICTC (Information and Communications Technology Council) to develop job-ready workers through training and a remote employer-led project. It is an opportunity for employers seeking to connect with highly skilled workers in the field of digital infrastructure and build their talent pipeline, powered by Riipen.
Who are the Beyond the Cloud participants?
Participants are unemployed, underemployed or employed Canadians seeking to upskill themselves to be job ready for in-demand roles across the digital ecosystem.
They will have completed specialized training across dev ops, data and network administration, backend development, cloud engineering, cloud architecture, and cloud administration. The final phase of the program is to complete a project where they are required to demonstrate their knowledge and ability to apply core digital infrastructure principles.
Why is the Beyond the Cloud program important for participants?
Beyond the Cloud allows participants to benefit from work-based learning experiences through up to 40-hour remote placements. Participants can enhance and showcase their digital tech skills, form employer networks, and connect with long-term employment opportunities. Completed remotely over 4 weeks, employer projects provide an authentic work experience and support career clarity to pave the way for success in the dynamic job market.
Am I an eligible employer?
Employers must be located in Canada and considered as one of the following:
not-for-profit employer;
public sector employer (post-secondary institution); or,
private sector employer
Employers may not be:
a member of the House of Commons or the Senate;
part of an organization that engage in partisan political activities; and/or, a federal, provincial, territorial and municipal government.
You will be asked to verify your company information when joining the Beyond the Cloud program. You can find out more about our employer verification process here.
What is the employer registration process?
To sign up for Beyond the Cloud you will need to complete a short form to ensure you are eligible for the program and to let us know what types of digital tech projects you will be looking to post. If eligible, you will then be invited to join the Beyond the Cloud portal where you can view the three programs and post your projects to be matched to them. On joining a program, you will be asked to verify that you meet the Beyond the Cloud eligibility criteria, as outlined in our Terms and Conditions here. For more info on the verification process, view this article here.
What does a Beyond the Cloud project need to include?
Projects should align with one of the three Beyond the Cloud program disciplines: Cloud Technology, Data and Network Administration or Dev Ops and Backend Development. Projects should provide up to 40 hours of work for each member of team of 3-5 participants, resulting in 200 hours in total. Each project must be completed within 4 weeks. For more information on how to create and submit a project for Beyond the Cloud, you can consult this article.
How many projects can I submit and how many participants can I take on?
There’s no limit to how many projects an employer can submit to the Beyond the Cloud program. The participants will be assigned in teams of 3-5, directly to the project through the program.
What if my project requires more than 40 hours of work?
Projects are assigned teams of 3-5 participants, which means your project should be able to be completed over 200 hours in total. If you think you will need more than this we recommend splitting the work and posting multiple projects to work with more than one Beyond the Cloud team.
What are the Terms and Conditions for the program and what is the three-strike system?
In an effort to create a good Beyond the Cloud 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 when you post your project. We've also created a three-strike system. This means that if any the Beyond the Cloud 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.
How do participants get connected to projects?
Participants will be placed into a team of 3-5 and will be matched to your project by the Beyond the Cloud team. Participants must start and complete the project work through the Riipen platform in order to receive their Beyond the Cloud certificate. You are welcome to communicate with them outside of the platform as well. Participants will need a dedicated contact to answer questions and provide access to any resources they need throughout the project.
Am I required to pay participants?
No, Beyond the Cloud is at no cost to the employer. This work placement is the final part of the Beyond the Cloud certificate program. Participants complete a real world employer project in order to receive their Beyond the Cloud certificate.
Are participants employees of the organization?
No. participants are neither employees of the organization they do a project for nor of Riipen. As such, participants do not qualify for any benefits and will not obtain payment nor any record of employment (ROE) from either organization. This work placement is the final part of the Beyond the Cloud certificate program.
Is Beyond the Cloud available in French?
Yes, Beyond the Cloud 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.
Still have questions? Reach out to us via live chat in the avocado found in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen or via email at beyondthecloud@riipen.com.