UofT Master’s student gains hands-on experience through Mitacs internship
The MScAC degree is a unique two-year program that pairs graduate students with information technology companies for internships, following eight months of advanced courses in computer science. Caroline jumped at the opportunity to apply her skills in a business environment through a Mitacs Accelerate internship, a research grant awarded for students in the program.
Through Mitacs, Caroline was connected with SecureKey, a Toronto-based leading identity and authentication provider — they enable consumers to share identity information using trusted providers, like banks and governments.
“As an immigrant in Canada, I thought my Mitacs internship was an ideal chance to broaden my professional network in Toronto. I left Brazil because of the economic downturn and a desire to live a better life. My internship was the first step in that direction,” says Caroline.
During her internship, she was responsible for looking at existing methodologies that could improve SecureKey’s processes. “I worked directly with the product owner and the solution team to provide recommendations to SecureKey’s business problems,” cites Caroline. She also developed a living document that employees at SecureKey can refer to, to better understand SecureKey’s product requirements and challenges.
When Caroline finished the MSc in Applied Computing, she was motivated to continue her professional journey in Canada. She was hired as a full-time business analyst shortly after her internship. “Mitacs opened the doors to my career at SecureKey,” says Caroline. “And more importantly, it opened the doors to a new life in Canada.”
Mitacs thanks the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario for their support of the Accelerate research internship in this story. Across Canada, the Accelerate program also receives support from Alberta Innovates, the Government of British Columbia, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Prince Edward Island, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan and Research Manitoba.
Do you have a business challenge that could benefit from a research solution? If so, contact Mitacs today to discuss partnership opportunities: BD@mitacs.ca
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Mitacs empowers Canadian innovation through effective partnerships that deliver solutions to our most pressing problems. By driving economic growth and productivity, we create meaningful change to improve quality of life for all Canadians.
