Overview

The Ontario Public Service (OPS) offers a number of programs for students and recent graduates including:

  • internships
  • co-op student placements
  • summer employment opportunities

By joining the OPS, you will have the opportunity to gain experience, develop new skills, secure references that you can add to your resume and make yourself more competitive in today’s labour market.

You will also be able to:

  • share your knowledge and grow your network
  • continue to learn and develop new skills
  • bring your passion to create a stronger Ontario
  • be part of a team of energetic and creative people in an organization that welcomes new ideas and people from diverse backgrounds
  • receive competitive pay and benefits

Internship and co-op opportunities

Here are some of the benefits of our program opportunities:

Explore career options

Interns and co-op students gain invaluable work experience as they explore the diverse range of career opportunities available with the OPS.

Keep learning

Through experience, collaborating with colleagues and training, interns and co-op students are supported by a wide network of peers, managers, mentors and alumni to guide and enrich professional growth. Interns and co-op students receive ongoing feedback, mentoring and coaching to grow and succeed.

Get connected

Countless professional communities and employee networks are yours to discover. Interns and co-op students are encouraged to connect with leaders at all levels and collaborate with colleagues to make their placements more meaningful.

Ontario Internship Program (OIP)

The Ontario Internship Program (OIP) helps recent graduates start and accelerate their careers through a one year-long, paid developmental opportunity that provides practical hands-on experience while delivering important public services to the people of Ontario.

Interns can choose to work in one of the following areas:

  • business and financial planning
  • communications
  • human resources
  • information and information technology
  • labour relations
  • policy development
  • program and service delivery

Individuals who have graduated or will graduate with a recognized degree, postgraduate certificate or diploma during the last two years may be eligible to apply. The OIP also offers extended eligibility up to five years, post-graduation, for the following groups:

  • Indigenous
  • Black
  • bilingual (French/English)
  • persons with disabilities

The OIP offers diversity streams, including:

  • Ability Internship Stream
  • Black Internship Stream
  • Indigenous Internship Stream

For more information, see our eligibility requirements. (Opens in new tab)

On average, 90 percent of OIP interns leverage their placement to launch careers within the OPS.

Visit the Ontario Internship website for more details. (Opens in a new tab)

Co-operative placements

Co-operative post-secondary students receive practical paid experience while earning course credits towards their academic program in co-op placements in the OPS.

To participate, you must be:

  • enrolled in co-operative education in a post-secondary school
  • a Canadian citizen or legally entitled to work in Canada
  • 18 years of age or older for field positions

Co-op placements in the OPS are posted at various educational institutions across Ontario. Check for co-op job postings with your school’s career centre and respective co-op office.

Master Level Policy Co-op program

This program bridges the needs of the OPS policy community with graduate school programs in Ontario that are public policy-focused. The program builds a talent pathway of new policy professionals and provides students studying public policy with real-world experience.

The four or eight-month co-op term runs between May to December.

Summer employment

Every year the OPS, provincial agencies and community groups hire up to 5,000 summer students across the province through the Summer Employment Opportunities (SEO) program (opens in new tab) These positions help Ontario students and new graduates with limited work experience develop transferable skills, support their career goals and learn more about the OPS.

We offer a wide variety of temporary student jobs over the summer months in diverse career fields, such as:

  • Administrative and Support Services
  • Business and Finance
  • Human Resources and Labour Relations
  • Marketing and Communications
  • Customer and Client Services
  • Engineering, Technical, and Maintenance
  • Environment and Wildlife
  • IT and Information Management
  • Parks (Ontario Place, Ontario Parks)
  • Policy and Analysis
  • Science
  • Social Services
  • Program Delivery

You can find additional information about program eligibility, application deadlines, and our hiring process on the Summer Employment Opportunities webpage.

Summer employment opportunities webpage (opens in new tab)

Other internships and co-ops

We offer a wide range of internships and co-ops. Find out what is available.

Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) Internship Program

An up to 10-month internship for post-secondary students or recent graduates, interns work as resource technicians, ecologists, biologists, systems officers, foresters and communications officers for key ministry projects.

Transportation Technician Program

This three-year, entry-level Ministry of Transportation (MTO) program for civil engineering graduates provides practical, multifunctional learning experiences through rotational assignments in many disciplines, including construction, highway design, program planning and maintenance.

Transportation Engineering Development Program

A four-year development program with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) for recent civil or geotechnical engineering university graduates provides practical, mentored multidisciplinary learning experiences through rotational assignments including construction and maintenance, highway design, program planning, structural, traffic and materials engineering.

Environment, Conservation and Parks Engineering Development Program

This four-year development program with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) for current and recent university graduates in chemical, civil, environmental or mechanical engineering offers practical, multidisciplinary learning experiences through rotational assignments across the ministry, allowing interns to gain the qualifying experience required to obtain their P.Eng license.

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Engineering Development Program

A four-year development program with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for recent graduates from accredited engineering universities that provide non-licensed individuals with the work experience to support obtaining their P.Eng licence. This is an opportunity to apply your engineering knowledge as part of a multi-disciplinary team to support engineering solutions that contribute to a healthy environment, food safety, public health and welfare, and a robust agriculture and food industry.

Law Student Programs with the Ministry of the Attorney General

The Ontario government is one of the largest employers of law students in Canada, hiring approximately 175 articling students and 70 summer students every year. Our law student programs offer the opportunity to gain legal skills in a supportive and collaborative environment. Students participate in work that has a real and meaningful impact on the lives of Ontarians, in the areas of:

  • criminal law
  • civil litigation
  • regulatory prosecutions
  • policy development
  • Indigenous law

Ontario Legislature Internship Programme (Opens in a new tab) (Ontario Legislative Assembly)

A 10-month (September to June), non-partisan opportunity to gain practical experience directly supporting Members of Provincial Parliament in the legislative process and in the day-to-day operations of their offices. Interns will have opportunities to meet with political leaders and officials from the Legislative Assembly, the public-sector, and other parliaments. Interns also receive a stipend and there is potential for national and international travel. Applications are opens from December to January each year.

Inclusion and diversity

OPS commitment to diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and anti-racism:

  • We are committed to build a workforce that reflects the communities we serve and to promote a diverse, anti-racist, inclusive, accessible, merit-based, respectful and equitable workplace.
  • We invite all interested individuals to apply and encourage applications from people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black, and racialized individuals, as well as people from a diversity of ethnic and cultural origins, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions.
  • The OPS provides French-language services in a variety of positions throughout the organization. We invite and encourage applications from bilingual candidates who are proficient in English and French.
  • Our hiring process is accessible, and consistent with Ontario’s Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion.

Read the OPS People Plan to learn more about the OPS commitment to advance racial equity, accessibility, diversity and inclusion in the public service.

Contact us

Contact us if you have questions about:

  • job advertisements
  • status of a competition
  • help with an application (for example, disability accommodation)