ipprenticeship

A program for Black youth (18 – 25) and women looking to build a career in interactive digital media.

If you are a Black youth between the ages of 18 and 25 or woman looking to build a career in interactive digital media, you can apply for a chance at a week-long paid placement at Ubisoft Toronto, CBC, Uken Games, or Kindly Beast.

Following successful cohorts in 2017 and 2018, Interactive Ontario will once again offer its ipprenticeship program in 2019. The program provides week-long paid placements at leading IDM (interactive digital media) studios for emerging IDM professionals who are currently underrepresented in the industry. If you’re looking to start a career in video games, virtual/augmented reality, eLearning or other forms of interactive media, this program is for you!

Want to get a sense of what the program is like? Check out our video about the 2018 cohort!

The program is jointly funded by the host companies and the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services as part of a three-year grant from the Black Youth Action Plan’s Industry-Led Career Initiative (ILCI).

Eligibility Criteria

1

Black youth (aged 18-25) and women looking to start their careers in the interactive digital media sector

2

Must either be post-secondary students or new grads, or those with a comprehensive portfolio of art and/or programming projects with the intention of pursuing a career in IDM

What You’ll Get

  • A week spent on site at their host company with job shadowing, meetings, workshops and networking
  • A $1000 honorarium upon completion of the program
  • A networking dinner with fellow participants and industry contacts

Program Placements

  • Black youth in video game programming/software development at Kindly Beast in Ottawa
  • Black youth in the video game industry at Uken Games in Toronto
  • Black youth in digital content creation with the CBC Digital Programming team at the public broadcaster’s offices in Toronto
  • Black Youth in Games at Ubisoft Toronto
  • Women in Games at Ubisoft Toronto

Program History

Last year, the program expanded to include four positions in Toronto and one in Ottawa. The host companies for 2018 were Ubisoft Toronto and Groupe Média TFO in Toronto and Magmic in Ottawa.

The program is jointly funded by the host companies and, as part of a three-year grant from the Industry-Led Career Initiative (ILCI), administered by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services through the Network of Services for Black Children, Youth and Families (formerly the Black Youth Action Plan). As one of five organizations selected to deliver programming over three years through the first round of the ILCI, Interactive Ontario oversees the ipprenticeship Program as well as Digital Dive, a series of workshops for Black high-school aged youth who are interested in learning about careers in interactive digital media.

Previous Participating Companies:
  • Magmic
  • Groupe Média TFO
  • Ubisoft
  • DHX Media
Funding Provided by the Government of Ontario