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Become an employer partner and lead the way in this extraordinary first for Canada

An exciting opportunity to supercharge skills development in digital technologies

Since launching in September 2023, this innovative program, which combines academic coursework with full-time, paid employment, has seen all employers choose to retain their students for a second year. Employers report high satisfaction and increased productivity, citing the benefits of continuous student involvement compared to traditional short-term student placements.

Achieving a 100% student contract renewal rate in its inaugural year demonstrates the value of this fully work-integrated degree model in supporting an organization’s talent pipeline.

Supported by organizations such as Alstom, BMO, Dayforce, OPG, Quanser, and Shopify, the program addresses the digital skills gap in Canada’s tech industry, preparing students for the global economy.

By reducing financial barriers, the program has increased degree access for non-traditional and underrepresented learners, including recent high school grads, professionals and transfer students. Notably, the first cohort includes 41% women, compared to the 16% typically seen in traditional computer science programs.

Digital Tec info

The design and development of York’s Digital Technologies degree program was a collaborative process between Lassonde and a visionary group of businesses, companies, public sector organizations, and industry associations known as “Trailblazers.” Senior technology experts from these organizations contributed to curriculum and learning outcomes, ensuring the program delivers the required knowledge, skills and professionalism of graduates. So, you can be assured that this program addresses your needs now and in the future. In addition to the Trailblazers listed below, CIO Strategy Council and TECHNATION Canada were instrumental in brokering consultation across the sector.

Our Trailblazers

Our Trailblazers, representing various sectors and sizes, include:

Ceridian, CGI, Cinchy Inc., Cisco Canada, Connected (Connected.io, Now part of Thoughtworks), EY Canada, General Motors of Canada Company, IBM Canada, mimik Technology Inc., RBC, Saa Dene Group, Shopify Inc., TELUS Health, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and TribalScale Inc.

What are the benefits?

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Attract new high-quality talent who bring fresh ideas, knowledge, and skills to help your business remain competitive by offering them a competitive paid salary and opportunity to study.

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Drive high levels of employee retention and fill skills gaps by supporting existing employees who wish to improve their theoretical understanding, build their skills, and earn an internationally recognized, quality assured degree qualification. 

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Increase employee access to the latest expertise, knowledge and resources that a university can provide by developing a collaborative working partnership with Lassonde School of Engineering and York University.  

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Recruit a more diverse talent base and improve social mobility by removing financial barriers to postsecondary education for learners who will earn a salary throughout the four-year program. 

A successful model in the UK

Although this is new to Canada, this model is highly successful in the UK. The first tranche of the UK programs was rolled out in 2015 with 756 learners across the UK and has now grown to ~22,500 learners. The majority of higher education providers in England offer these types of programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

This program is for both students, including recent high school graduates, and employees in the workforce who want to work towards a Bachelor of Applied Science in Digital Technologies. A learner has three choices of specialization routes that equip them with the precise skills needed to excel in a career as a software developer, cyber security analyst or data scientist.
Learners study a core set of courses with flexible elements that businesses can choose to meet their ongoing requirements. Learners are expected to spend 20% of their contracted working hours in training (or approximately 12 hours per week). This could be in the form of day release or block release for on-campus attendance or time to study online. The program operates fully over a calendar year and takes four years to complete. Your employee will be one of 100 other learners from a range of organizations from SMEs to large multinational organizations from a variety of sectors.
Visit our learner page to find out more.
Our program includes support for your employee via a Professional Skills Coach and a Course Director. Each employer will assign a Hiring Manager (Mentor) for the duration of the four-year program and support the employee by allowing them sufficient study time and access to resources or work experience related to their study so that they have every chance to succeed.  
Employees must be paid at least the minimum wage appropriate to their age and job/role. As your employee, they will have the same benefits as your other employees. An additional cost is the course tuition fees, which are either paid by the learner (who may be eligible for OSAP) or the employer.
If you’re using this to attract new talent into your business, you are in complete control of who you employ. The university will play a small part in the recruitment process as we do need to ensure the learner meets the entry requirements to the academic program to ensure they’re set up to succeed.  
We start our program with “professional skills” to help build communication, team building, and time management strengths, etc. The Professional Skills Coach, Course Director, and Hiring Manager (Mentor) are instrumental in helping to facilitate this transition.
A new learner can remain employed if you wish to keep them on. You’ve got the time to see if they’re a good fit for your company. If you’re upskilling an existing employee, you’ve developed their skills and provided an opportunity to retain them.
The Bachelor of Applied Science in Digital Technologies welcomed its first cohort of students in September 2023.
Please fill out the form below or email hire@lassonde.yorku.ca
Salary is up to the employer’s discretion based on their current salary scale, taking into consideration any previous work experience of the candidate.
 
The program does not require that employers pay tuition. If an employer is willing to pay tuition in part or in full, this is welcome. It is the student’s responsibility to cover the cost of their tuition fee (which is similar to the existing Computer Science program, approximately $10,000 per year). Eligible students could also apply for OSAP. If an employer would like to add a retention policy to the condition of paying part or the full cost of tuition, Lassonde will respect the employer’s decision. 
We appreciate that employers may want to engage in curriculum development to meet internal skill gaps in their organizations. Lassonde will share the current curriculum and welcome employer input to understand their needs. However, at this time we are not in a position to customize the curriculum. We may be able to offer this option in the future using elective courses within a common framework.
Traditional ModelWork-Integrated Model
Degree21% women
79% male
62% identify as White
50% women
79% identify as people of Colour
Previous WIL Experience49% of grads have participated in work-integrated learning
16% of Engineering and Computer Science co-ops are held by women
100% have work-integrated learning experience
Retention40% of co-ops are converted to full-time positions90% graduates are converted to full-time positions
Outcomes65% of grads have standard employment, full-time, within 6 months after graduation (2021)100% have full-time job offers in their field of study 6 months after graduation (96% before graduation)
15% grads are now working as Senior Developers, with three graduating cohorts

Learn more about the new Integrated Program in Digital Technologies