HyperTalent
Connecting K-12 educators and Indigenous youth to tackle the tech talent shortage in British Columbia.
Project Overview
Updated October 10, 2024
The Problem
The B.C. tech sector projected to have 83,000 job vacancies by 2027.
The HyperTalent project encourages students to explore and pursue rewarding tech careers while demystifying technology among educators.
How We Are Solving It
HyperTalent is led by BC Tech and brings together Accenture, Arrow Lakes School District 10, British Columbia Institute of Technology Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships, Microsoft Vancouver, Providence Health Care, SAP, Unbounce, Vancity and the Vancouver School Board. The first pilot is delivering educational seminars, tours of leading technology companies and other hands-on experiences to more than 100 teachers from rural and urban school districts. The aim is to build awareness of the kinds of tech careers open to students and align school curriculums with the career opportunities of today and tomorrow.
The project is not limited to technology skills. It also focuses on employment gaps in disciplines such as marketing, business development and operations. This broader approach helps youth align their interests and skills with prospective careers.
HyperTalent’s second program exposes more Indigenous youth to the tech sector through 12 internship positions with leading technology companies. Students gain hands-on work experience during four-month internships, along with support in resume writing and interview skills.
Designed to be scalable, HyperTalent can be rolled out to more educators across Canada in the future, providing a multi-faceted approach to encouraging students to pursue technology careers.
The Result
HyperTalent connected more than 125 teachers from rural and urban school districts with educational seminars, tours of leading technology companies, and hands-on experiences. Out of the over 125 teacher who participated, over 75 educators were female. The project also built awareness to the kinds of tech careers open to students and supported school curriculums with real-world examples of the opportunities ahead, including successfully placing 12 Indigenous students in internships.
Project Lead
Project Partners
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"The HyperTalent Indigenous Internship program provided us with a keen and curious young intern who came ready and able to work and learn. His presence and his perspectives strengthened our relations with Indigenous partners and helped to grow our company. He also provided much needed digital skills, improving our social media and website during his time with us."
Founder & CEO, Seven Leagues Watch the BCTech HyperTalent Careers in Tech Video