Ottawa, ON – July 9, 2025 – The Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) and the Vector Institute are pleased to announce a transformative new partnership dedicated to building the workforce of the future and accelerating Canada's leadership in artificial intelligence (AI).
ICTC and the Vector Institute will equip students and startups with the critical skills to scale AI innovation in Canada. Rooted in a shared mission to strengthen Canada’s digital economy, the collaboration will help to ensure the country remains globally competitive in emerging technologies.
Growing Canada’s AI Advantage with Student Talent
This partnership is anchored in ICTC’s national Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Digital program, which provides students with AI-aligned work placements, access to advanced training resources, essential employment readiness tools, and real-world work experience through paid job placements.
Over the next three years, this $1.5 million collaboration will support 150 paid student work placements, enabling students to gain hands-on experience and make meaningful contributions to Canada’s AI ecosystem.
Accelerating Innovation and Commercialization in Canada’s AI Startup Ecosystem
At the heart of this initiative is a commitment to fuel Canada's innovation economy by developing a robust AI talent pipeline that directly supports both early-stage ventures and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Through this partnership, students will be embedded within the Vector Institute’s FastLane community—a dynamic network of AI-enabled startup businesses—to help bring cutting-edge research and products to market.
By contributing technical expertise, fresh perspectives, and applied research capacity, these students will help accelerate commercialization efforts, enabling startups and SMEs to more rapidly transform ideas into viable, market-ready solutions. This, in turn, supports the broader national goal of growing Canada’s innovation-driven economy and expanding the global competitiveness of its small business sector.
The Impact of Student Talent on Startup Success
Asenion (formerly Fairly AI), a Canadian AI startup in the Vector Institute’s FastLane Community, has embraced student talent as a key driver of its innovation and growth. Through ICTC’s partnership with the Vector Institute, the company has access to a pipeline of highly skilled, research-oriented students who contribute real value from day one.
“We’re a startup, so there’s always more to do than our internal resources can handle,” explains Fion Lee-Madan, Technical Co-Founder and Head of Strategic Partnerships at Asenion. “Students helped us tackle projects we would’ve otherwise deprioritized, many of which directly supported our commercialization roadmap.”
These students offer more than just technical support. “There’s often a two-way learning exchange,” says Fion. “While we train them on our project management and processes, they bring fresh perspectives, domain-specific expertise, and research insights that elevate our whole team’s capabilities.”
Over the years, Asenion has hired more than 15 work-integrated learning students, with several transitioning into permanent roles. “They already understand our systems by the time they graduate. There’s no ramp-up required,” she adds.
For students, the value is just as significant. Many come to startups like Asenion because they aspire to launch ventures of their own. The hands-on exposure to real-world AI challenges and startup dynamics gives them a unique edge. “They’re smart, entrepreneurial, and ready to work,” says Fion. “We don’t teach them AI from the ground up—they already bring that. What we give them is the chance to apply it meaningfully in a real product context.”
For Asenion, students hired into work-integrated learning placements have provided the bandwidth, technical insight, and innovative boost needed to bring ideas from concept to market faster—ultimately strengthening the company’s commercialization efforts in the competitive AI landscape.
“This partnership represents a strategic investment in Canada’s future, one that strengthens our innovation economy and ensures that Canadian talent is driving global competitiveness in emerging technologies. By combining real-world experiences with cutting-edge research and training, we’re equipping students with the skills they need to thrive while heightening Canada’s innovation economy. Together with the Vector Institute, we're proud to support a future-ready workforce that helps shape the next wave of AI-driven solutions.” – Namir Anani, President and CEO of ICTC
“As the nexus of the Ontario AI ecosystem, Vector is uniquely placed to connect the province’s world-class AI talent with SMEs and startups from our FastLane community. A hotbed for AI talent, Ontario is producing more than 1000 new AI grads each year, with more than 90% remaining in the province. Our work with ICTC will ensure that Ontario maintains a vibrant commercial AI ecosystem where AI talent wants to live and build their careers.” – Glenda Crisp, President and CEO of the Vector Institute
About ICTC:
The Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) is a national centre of expertise dedicated to advancing Canada’s digital advantage through forward-looking research, policy advice, and workforce development initiatives. Learn more at https://ictc-ctic.ca.
About Vector Institute:
The Vector Institute is an independent, not-for-profit organization driving excellence in AI research and applications. It works with industry, institutions, and public sector partners to build and sustain a world-class AI ecosystem in Canada. Learn more at https://vectorinstitute.ai.
Media Contacts:
● For ICTC: Anne Patterson, @email
● For Vector Institute: Ian Gormely, [email protected]
