HCLTech partners with Athabasca University for apprenticeship program in Canada

NOIDA, India and MISSISSAUGA, Canada, Oct 19, 2023 — HCLTech, a leading global technology company, has partnered with Athabasca University, Canada’s Open University, to enable eligible employees to pursue a university-level STEM program while working with HCLTech in Canada.

The partnership allows HCLTech employees, who have successfully completed the company’s IT Apprenticeship Program, to enrol in Athabasca University’s Bachelor of Science, Computing and Information Systems program. Based on their academic performance the employees will be eligible for tuition benefit coverage.

“We are excited to partner with Athabasca University to strengthen our apprenticeship program, which is unique in the Canadian tech space,” says Joelien Jose, Executive Vice President and Country Head – Canada, HCLTech. “This program exemplifies our commitment to our employee value proposition: Find your Spark. Employees from diverse backgrounds can now benefit from the apprenticeship program, which gives them room to learn while they work and achieve their higher education degree.”

“At Athabasca University, we’re pleased to be able to help major international organizations like HCLTech to meet their employees’ further education requirements by enabling a flexible online learning environment. This flexibility will allow HCLTech employees to advance their education and careers simultaneously,” said Dr. Alex Clark, President, Athabasca University.

Economic development organizations including Invest Alberta and Edmonton Global have shown their support for this partnership, highlighting the importance of developing tech talent in Canada.

Non-profit organization NPower Canada, which provides bootcamp training and employment opportunities to youth in the tech sector across Canada, notes that HCLTech’s apprenticeship program is helping candidates fast-track their careers in technology while ensuring Canada stays competitive in the technology space.

For its apprenticeship program, HCLTech selected NPower Canada candidates from diverse cohorts across Canada, giving them an opportunity to be employed in the technology industry while also pursuing an online IT degree from Athabasca University.

HCLTech’s apprenticeship program, described as ‘groundbreaking’ by a Technology Business Research Inc. special report, allows employees to undergo 12 months of training and work-integrated learning designed to fast-track their careers in software development and testing, digital and cloud services, infrastructure delivery and engineering.