Bombardier to offer more than 1,000 internships in Canada this year

September 13, 2019 – Bombardier will provide more paid internship positions in Canada for the 2019-2020 school year than ever before, marking the first time it has committed to more than 1,000 internships in a single year.

Bombardier expects to invest approximately $17 million to fund its internship program, with the vast majority of this amount going towards intern salaries.

“We are extremely proud to be able to commit to more than 1,000 intern positions for this school-year,” says Mike Nadolski, vice-president, communications and public affairs, Bombardier Inc. “This announcement reflects Bombardier’s ongoing commitment to playing a leading role in the education and development of the next generation of innovators and business leaders.”

Bombardier internships are designed to provide students with practical, real-world experience that complements their academic training and better prepares them for careers in their chosen field. Each intern is partnered with a professional mentor and provided with additional enrichment and training opportunities, including networking sessions and direct interaction with senior executives.

The company expects to provide approximately 600 intern positions in the coming academic year for students pursuing engineering or science degrees, including opportunities in mechanical, electrical, aeronautical, chemical and industrial engineering, as well as computer science and artificial intelligence. Another 400 intern positions will be focused on other management functions, including finance, accounting, IT, human resources, public affairs and law.

In addition to growing the program from approximately 550 positions in 2016 to more than 1,000 in the coming year, Bombardier has focused efforts on recruiting and hiring interns who reflect the diversity that the company aspires to attain in its workforce. The percentage of female students recruited from science and engineering programs has increased from 16 per cent in 2016 to more than 25 per cent in this year. Female interns are expected to fill 40 per cent of all intern positions by the end of the 2019-2020 school year.

For the upcoming year, Bombardier expects to recruit interns from 23 colleges and universities across Canada, up from eight in 2016. Bombardier also recently launched a new website to streamline the application process for interested students and its university partners.

“With hundreds of former interns accepting full-time positions at Bombardier over the past few years, our internship program serves as a valuable pipeline for talent to support our future growth,” Nadolski says.

Gabriel Bran Lopez, president and founder for Fusion Jeunesse and FIRST Robotics Quebec, says that Bombardier’s relationship with his organization is an important one. “Bombardier offers 100 mentors and volunteers each year to encourage our high school students to develop their passion for science, technology and engineering, and to move towards careers in these areas. Today’s announcement of more enhanced internships at the post-secondary level is a perfect continuation of their commitment to developing the skills of the next generation of innovators in Quebec and Canada.”