OpenText and Lakehead University partner to create internships for Indigenous students

WATERLOO, ON and THUNDER BAY, ON and ORILLIA, ON, Sept. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OpenText™ (NASDAQ: OTEX), (TSX: OTEX) and Lakehead University announced a new program today that will create internship opportunities for Indigenous students enrolled at the University.

As part of the new partnership between OpenText and Lakehead University, up to 25 full-time summer internships will be created for Indigenous students studying at Lakehead's Thunder Bay and Orillia campuses through the OpenText Indigenous Internship Program.

The four-month internships will allow students to intern remotely at OpenText in the software engineering, marketing, finance, information technology, and human resources departments, where they will gain valuable soft and technical skills, confidence and knowledge that will better prepare them to enter the workforce.

These internships will include in-depth onboarding activities, engagement with OpenText leadership, mentorships with established OpenText affinity groups, and career planning and financial planning training sessions.

"OpenText believes a critical action Corporate Canada must take in removing barriers for Indigenous students, is to create jobs," said Mark J. Barrenechea, CEO & CTO, OpenText.  "Through this exciting partnership with Lakehead University, OpenText will create a next-generation internship program for Indigenous students that offers a compelling pathway to digital jobs. I look forward to welcoming these students, creating digital skills, and learning from them."

Lakehead has over a thousand self-identified Indigenous students enrolled in 2020, which represents 12 per cent of the University's domestic student population – one of the highest enrolments of self-identified Indigenous students among Ontario universities.

Lakehead President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Moira McPherson is excited about the significance of this partnership.

"We understand the barriers that Indigenous students face when looking for ways to start and nurture careers," she stated. "Partnerships like this one with OpenText will contribute greatly to our students' futures by providing experiences to work hand-in-hand with professionals in their field, apply skills and knowledge they gained at Lakehead University, and share their culture and history with others."

The addition of the OpenText Indigenous Internship Program will expand the innovative experiential learning opportunities offered to students on Lakehead's campuses and demonstrates the University's commitment to helping Indigenous students further their educational aspirations.

Both OpenText and Lakehead University acknowledge the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, including the call for businesses to build respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples, ensure equitable access to jobs, training, and education opportunities in the corporate sector.

The first recruitment for the OpenText Indigenous Internship Program will take place this fall, with the placements occurring during the summer of 2022.

Watch the full announcement on YouTube on September 24, 2021 at 11 am EST here.  

About Lakehead University
Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has 10 faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University's achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked, once again, among Canada's Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean's 2021 University Rankings; as well as included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2020 World Universities Rankings for the second consecutive year, and 99th among 1,115 universities from around the world in THE's 2021 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

About OpenText
OpenText, The Information Company™, enables organizations to gain insight through market leading information management solutions, powered by OpenText Cloud Editions. For more information about OpenText (NASDAQ: OTEX, TSX: OTEX) visit opentext.com.

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SOURCE Open Text Corporation; Lakehead University