Why Should you Hire an Arts Student for your Tech Roles? Introducing TECHNATION Canada’s Infuse Program
TECHNATION Canada’s Career Ready Program recognizes the importance of developing the next generation of tech talent, and has partnered with York University to provide employers with access to a group of candidates they may not have considered for tech roles – students enrolled in liberal arts programs.
TECHNATION’s commitment to lead the way to an equitable digital workforce gave birth to the Infuse Program to create intentional pathways for liberal arts students into roles in Canada’s digital economy. The Infuse Program enables employers to offer immersive tech internships to arts students while providing funding and resources that can support these opportunities. Launched as a successful pilot program in Spring 2023, this unique program allows employers to hire students from arts programs into tech and tech-adjacent positions. Liberal arts include, but are not limited to, programs such as:
- Social sciences
- Humanities
- Languages
- Communications
- History
- Politics
- Law
- Gender studies
The Infuse Program is continuing in Fall 2023, providing more employers with the opportunity to participate.
Why Arts Students?
Research at York University has shown that students from arts programs are equipped to anticipate human needs and identify societal challenges and contribute toward a dynamic range of innovation and business development initiatives. These students have shown the ability to adapt quickly to tech-immersive environments, making them uniquely suitable for a range of tech roles such as:
- Business analyst
- E-commerce
- Research
- Consulting
- Marketing
- Related support services
The Infuse Program has been a gamechanger for arts students in increasing their confidence in securing fulfilling career opportunities.
Demonstrated Success
One employer that has benefited from the Infuse Program is Compugen, a TECHNATION member who has been involved with the Career Ready Program for several years. Compugen praised the program for its ability to connect them with candidates they may not have immediately considered for tech-based roles. According to Compugen, these students bring unique skills that are highly valuable to the work they do.
“Our experience through the Infuse Program has given us visibility to a pool of student candidates enrolled in the Liberal Arts program,” said Compugen’s Talent Development Coordinator, Lyndsey Yake. “These students have such a broad skillset, and we value their diverse and transferrable talents in our organization.”
Creating an Inclusive and Equitable Team
According to research conducted by the University of British Columbia, 70% of students enrolled in arts programs self-identify as members of one or more equity-deserving groups. Through the Infuse Program, employers can connect with a pool of talented candidates from different educational and cultural backgrounds and benefit from the skills and perspectives they bring to the table. This helps organizations across Canada create a more inclusive and diverse tech workforce.
Get Involved
Hiring liberal arts students into tech and tech-adjacent positions allows companies to leverage the skills and perspectives of a diverse workforce while bridging the skills gap in the tech industry. Find out how your organization can benefit from infusing arts talent into your tech workforce by visiting the Program website.