BioTalent — Digital Skills for Youth Program

Building digital capability is becoming essential for biotech and life sciences organizations that want to stay competitive, but hiring and training new talent can be expensive. The BioTalent — Digital Skills for Youth Program helps Canadian bio-economy employers bring skilled post-secondary graduates onto their teams through paid digital internships, while offsetting a significant portion of the associated wage and training costs. Delivered nationally by BioTalent Canada, the program is designed to strengthen digital innovation across biotechnology, health, and related life sciences fields.

Through this initiative, eligible small and mid-sized businesses, not-for-profits, and other qualifying organizations can receive non-repayable funding of up to about $25,000 to support a full-time intern working on digital-focused projects. Internships often involve areas such as software development, data and AI applications, digital media, robotics, cybersecurity, or other technology-driven functions relevant to the bio-economy. Employers are expected to provide meaningful supervision, mentoring, and skills development, helping young professionals gain both technical and workplace experience while contributing real value to the organization.

Demand for the program has been strong, and applications may currently be placed on a waitlist as capacity is reached. For bio-economy organizations planning future digital initiatives or talent growth, learning more about how this program works can help determine whether it fits upcoming hiring and innovation goals.