Overview

The Indigenous Internship Program (IIP) is a paid 12-month program that provides recent Indigenous post-secondary graduates with an opportunity to gain valuable work experience with the Ontario Public Service (OPS), while delivering important public services to the people of Ontario.

Indigenous interns contribute to meaningful work by offering knowledge, experiences, values, and perspectives to influence organizational policies, programs, and services.

As an IIP intern, you will:

  • receive full-time employment for up to 1 year
  • earn a competitive salary
  • develop your skills and gain valuable work experience
  • receive mentoring, coaching and learning opportunities
  • develop valuable professional contacts

Job alerts

Sign up for job alerts to find out when new job ads are posted for the 2025 cycle:

  • under the Job Categories section, select Internships
  • under the Minimum Salary section, select >$40,000
  • under the Subscription Length section, select 6 months

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Eligibility

You are eligible if you:

  • self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit)
  • graduated from a college or university with a diploma, degree or post-graduate certificate within the past five years (i.e., May 2019 to August 2024)
  • are legally entitled to work in Canada
  • are a resident of Ontario during the term of employment

Self-identification

We are committed to ensuring Indigenous candidates have equitable access to employment with the OPS. To achieve program objectives and ensure that our recruitment practices are fair, open, and transparent, self-identification as Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, or Inuit) is necessary. Only those who choose to self-identify will be considered for this program.

  • During the online application in-take process, you will be asked to confirm your identity as an Indigenous person, as follows:
  • Do you self-identify as an Indigenous person:
    • Yes (First Nations)
    • Yes (Métis)
    • Yes (Inuk)
    • No

For the purposes of the Indigenous Internship Program, the term Indigenous is used in reference to the legal definition provided in Section 35(2) of the Canadian Constitution, which defines Indigenous (Aboriginal) peoples as Indian (First Nations), Métis or Inuit.

Types of jobs

We offer a wide range of Indigenous internship positions, which may vary by ministry. Some of these include, but are not limited to:

  • communications
  • financial management
  • human resources
  • Indigenous relations
  • policy
  • program and service delivery