Finding new digital talent
A guest post by Diane McArthur, Ontario’s Chief Talent Officer.
Editor’s Note: The upcoming cohort of the Ontario Internship Program will feature a digital stream. We asked Ontario’s Chief Talent Officer about what that means for digital talent in the organization, and how people can apply for the program.
As Chief Talent Officer for the Government of Ontario, I am always on the lookout for ways to bring talented new professionals into the public service. As Dana has mentioned before, “public servants care. They care hard.” Having the right people in government means better service for all Ontarians.
The Ontario Internship Program (OIP) is a great example of a successful talent pipeline into government. Currently, the OIP gets over 4,000 applications a year, and most OIP Interns quickly integrate into the larger public service upon graduation from the program.
OIP interns are an important source of fresh, new ideas for government. And in a world where technology plays an increasingly large role, they have the potential to bring important digital skills to our work.
That’s why I am excited to announce that, for the 2017 OIP cohort, we are offering a digital stream.
The I+IT Learning and Development Unit has worked closely with the Digital Government team to add a new focus on modern digital technologies to the I+IT internship stream.
A little bit about OIP
The Ontario Internship Program is a two year program that introduces recent graduates into government. Through two 12-month placements, interns get to experience a diversity of projects and work environments.
OIP interns are supported in their professional development through extensive learning and development programs to set them on course for a career in the public service.
Why you should apply
The goal for the new digital OIP stream is to find talented new professionals, with cutting edge digital skills, who want to contribute to great digital projects happening in the public service. We are looking for interns in a variety of digital fields — application development, user experience, digital strategy, data science, and web communications — to put their skills to work on complex government problems.
In particular, we’re looking for passionate, talented and driven new graduates with targeted expertise:
- Coders and civic technologists
- User experience experts and service designers
- Communications grads with a talent for creating simple, crisp online content
- Grads from all disciplines who want to transform how citizens interact and engage with their government through the power of digital technology
Applications for the Ontario Internship Program are now open, and will be accepted until January 19, 2017.
If you have graduated or will graduate between May 2015 and June 2017, join us to make government services simpler, clearer and better for people in the internet age.
For more information and to apply, visit the Digital internships in the Ontario government page on Ontario.ca. For any other questions about working in Digital, we’re just an email away.
