Summer Experience with IT Industry Experts 2025
🌟 Internship Complete – See the Results! 🌟
Our Summer Mentored Internship has officially wrapped up, and what an incredible journey it’s been! Over seven weeks, students collaborated with mentors, took on real-world roles, and delivered a professional project for a nonprofit client. The experience gave them hands-on skills, teamwork practice, and a chance to make a real impact in the community. Curious to see what they accomplished? 
Check out the results here!
This isn’t just a summer program—it’s a mentored, real-world tech experience for high school students.
Led by industry experts, this program offers students hands-on training, resume-worthy experience, and a chance to work on a real project for a real nonprofit client. With both technical and non-technical roles available, it’s the perfect opportunity to explore the world of IT and build future-ready skills.
Normally valued at $999, this immersive internship is completely free, thanks to the generous sponsorship from The Canadian Learning Trust.
Participants will:
- Collaborate in a simulated professional development team
- Receive mentorship from experienced professionals
- Attend expert-led workshops and career-building sessions
- Gain practical skills that prepare them for co-op placements, jobs, or post-secondary programs
All high school students are welcome to apply. Don’t miss this unique chance to experience tech the way the pros do.
About the Program
What's SIT Venture?
Just like flight simulators prepare future pilots by letting them train in a risk-free, realistic environment, SIT Venture is designed to simulate a university co-op workplace environment where students can take on real IT roles, work on real projects without the high stakes of the real world.
SIT Venture is a student-led simulated IT company, running and managing real IT projects in a simulated professional, company-like work environment. While guided by mentors and experts, our team of students gets hands-on exposure to various operations of a technology company, from executive roles, product owners, project management, coding, design, and testing, marketing, sales and more. At SIT Venture, students explore diverse tech fields, work on impactful projects, and build the skills they need for their future careers in technology.
SIT Venture Project: Revamping The Canadian Learning Trust Website
As part of SIT Venture’s hands-on internship program, students will be working on a real-world project to help a Canadian registered charity, The Canadian Learning Trust (https://canlearntrust.org/), revamp its existing website. The goal of this project is to modernize the site, enhancing its user experience and visual appeal while making it easier for visitors to navigate and access important resources. Students will collaborate in teams to address the client’s needs, from design to development, ensuring the website aligns with the mission of the Canadian Learning Trust. This project offers students valuable experience in a professional setting while contributing to a meaningful cause.
About The Canadian Learning Trust
Since 1999, the Canadian Learning Trust has championed the benefits of lifelong learning for Canadians. Our focus is on providing funding and support to minimize the financial barriers faced by Canadian learners through our Gifting of Learning Program. Through our virtual organization, we bring individuals from across Canada to stand up and be counted among those who celebrate lifelong learning and the benefits of a Learning Canada for all.
Program Dates
The internship is remote.
Start Date: July 7, 2025
End Date: Aug 22, 2025
Mon to Fri – 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm EDT
Full commitment is mandatory but you can be away for 5 days.
Join the Real Development Team with IT Expert and Mentors
At 10X Hub, students step into the shoes of a real development team. They’ll experience the day-to-day life of Product Managers, Project Managers, Business Analysts, UX Designers, Developers, QA Analysts, and more—working together to bring an actual project to life from start to finish.
It’s a deep dive into the world of professional IT, giving students early exposure to real tools, real teamwork, and real deadlines—just like they would experience in a university co-op or junior industry role.
They won’t just “learn tech”—they’ll live the IT experience:
- Collaborate in a structured, agile development team
- Attend expert-led workshops and industry speaker sessions
- Guidance from experienced mentors.
- Gain experience with professional tools and workflows
- Build a portfolio-ready project that makes a difference
- Explore what IT careers actually look and feel like
This is for students who are serious about their future. It’s more than coding—it’s about understanding the ecosystem of modern tech teams and discovering where they might belong in it.
Think of it as a career exploration + mentorship + internship + skill-builder—all in one transformative summer.
Expert-Led Industry Workshop Topics*
- How Real IT Projects Work
- Agile & Scrum for Beginners
- Team Communication & Office Etiquette
- Time & Task Management
- How to Work with Clients
- Understanding the Website Revamp Process
- Role Specific – Product Manager
- Role Specific – Project Manager
- Role Specific – Business Analyst
- Role Specific – UX / UI Designer
- Role Specific – Developer
- Role Specific – QA Analyst
- Maintenance Best Practice
- Risk Management and Issues Tracking
- Deployment, Security, High Availability and Disaster Recovery
- Professional Communications and Email Writing
- Resume Building & LinkedIn for Tech Careers
- Interviewing for Tech Roles
Ethics & Responsibility in Tech - CyberSecurity
- Code of Conduct / Confidentiality
- UX Design and Accessibilities
- Career Development
- Branding and Design
- Intellectual Property (What belong to corporation)
- Stakeholder Presentation and Demonstration Techniques
- Introduction to Data Analyst and AI
(*Topics subject to change)
Admission & Selection Process
This is a selective program that simulates a real-world tech co-op placement. Students will join a development team and work together to redesign and rebuild the website for our sponsor – The Canadian Learning Trust.
Thanks to generous sponsorship from The Canadian Learning Trust, this high-impact program is completely free to selected participants.
Prerequisites
- High school students
- All applicants must submit a resume
- Applicants should submit a cover letter.
- Students will be required to attend a short interview
- We’re looking for enthusiastic, responsible, and committed students—those who are curious about tech and open to working in a virtual team-based setting
Students will work collaboratively to redesign and rebuild the entire website for The Canadian Learning Trust. Students will learn product management, project management, professional tools and agile team practices along the way.
What We’re Looking For
- Strong willingness to learn
- Communication and collaboration skills
- Reliability and accountability
- Interest in exploring real-world IT roles (not just coding!)
Available Roles Include
- Product Manager
- Project Manager
- Business Analyst
- UX/UI Designer
- Developer
- Tester/QA Analyst
Limited Spots Available
We will accept only 5 to 10 students this summer to ensure high-quality mentorship and meaningful participation for each student. Participants must be available for Monday to Friday daily virtual team meetings (minimum 2 hours per business day).
💡 Participation is free, but students must be selected through our interview process to join the team.
Application Deadline
Application Deadline is May 31, 2025 or if all positions are filled whichever is earlier.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and interviews will be conducted as they come in. Once a candidate meets our criteria, they’ll be placed into a role on the project. That means the earlier you apply, the better your chances—just like in the real world!
All interviews will be carried out on zoom.
Avaliable Roles
🧭 Product Manager
Who Should Apply: Students who are creative thinkers, love understanding user needs, and are passionate about building meaningful solutions for the business users.
What You’ll Do: Define the vision of the project, prioritize features, and ensure the end product delivers value to users. Coordinate with the business users to ensure the overall project meets. Liaise between stakeholders and team. Prepare presentations for clients and provide project oversight.
Skills/Pre-reqs: Strong organizational and strategic thinking skills. Ability to communicate clearly and coordinate across teams. Experience with project management tools is a plus. No coding needed.
Available Positions: 1 to 2
🎨 UX/UI Designer
Who Should Apply: Students with a flair for creativity and an eye for design who want to make websites beautiful and user-friendly.
What You’ll Do: Create wireframes, mockups, graphics, design user-friendly and accessible user interfaces. Coordinate with business users to ensure the UX is aligned with business. Work with the team to ensure a smooth user experience.
Skills/Pre-reqs: Basic design skills (Canva, etc.), Basic AI Graphic Skills (e.g. MidJourney or equivalent tools) understanding of layout, color, and user flow. No coding needed.
Available Positions: 1 to 2
📅 Project Manager
Who Should Apply: Organized students who enjoy planning, coordinating, and making sure everything runs smoothly.
What You’ll Do: Lead team meetings, manage timelines, assign tasks, and ensure deadlines are met.
Skills/Pre-reqs: Leadership, time management, clear communication. No coding required. Google Docs/Sheets experience is helpful.
Available Positions: 1 to 2
💻 Developer
Who Should Apply: Students who enjoy building real web applications.
What You’ll Do: Create a website in WordPress with other components such as blog, shopping cart, forms, etc. Actual deployment to live site.
Skills/Pre-reqs: Experience with WordPress, Basic coding concept. Curiosity and willingness to learn are essential.
Available Positions: 2 to 3
🔍 Business Analyst
Who Should Apply: Analytical minds who like asking “why” and figuring out how things work.
What You’ll Do: Gather requirements from businesses, create documentation, and help the team understand what the client really needs.
Skills/Pre-reqs: Good at writing and organizing ideas. Comfortable talking with people. Some interest in tech is helpful but not required. No coding needed.
Available Positions: 1 to 2
🧪 Tester / QA Analyst
Who Should Apply: Detail-oriented students who love catching mistakes and ensuring things work as they should.
What You’ll Do: Create test cases, test the website’s features, find bugs, report issues, and make sure everything runs smoothly before launch.
Skills/Pre-reqs: Patience, strong observational skills, and an organized approach. Some familiarity with websites is helpful.
Available Positions: 1 to 2
Meet our Interns
After countless interviews and some seriously tough decisions (our team needed extra coffee ☕ for this!), we’ve finally assembled our team of student interns!
These talented and driven high school students stood out from a sea of amazing applicants—and trust us, the competition was fierce. Each intern brings something unique to the table, and we can’t wait to see the magic they’ll create this summer.
They’re about to dive into real-world tech, work with industry experts, and help transform a nonprofit’s website—all as part of SIT Venture. Big ideas, bold learning, and a whole lot of fun ahead!
Stay tuned as they begin their journey working with industry experts and contributing to a real project that makes a difference.
🧭 Product Manager
Vivian Yang – Gr 12 at Bayview Secondary School
Jonah dela Cruz – Gr 10 at Cardinal Carter Catholic High School
📅 Project Manager
Kelin Cheng – Gr 11 at Bayview Secondary School
Jerry (Zirui) Wang – Gr 11 at St. Robert Catholic High School
🔍 Business Analyst
Elaine Dong – Gr 10 at St. Theresa of Lisieux Catholic High School
Angela Zhao – Gr 11 at St. Theresa of Lisieux Catholic High School
🎨 UX Designer
Maximo Almada – Gr 9 at Thornhill Secondary School
Athena Wong – Gr 11 at Sacred Heart Catholic High School
🧪 QA Analyst
Nima Nasiri-Toosi – Gr 10 at St. Augustine Catholic High School
David Obayomi – Gr 12 at Cardinal Carter Catholic High school
💻 Developer
Hong Yi (Eric) Wang – Gr 11 at St. Theresa of Lisieux CHS
Jonathan Wu – Gr 12 at St. Robert Catholic High School
Stay tune for future opportunities! Don't miss out!
Information Sessions
Attend an Information Session: Learn About SIT Venture mentorship
To help you fully understand what the program offers, we’re hosting a series of live information sessions.
These sessions are your chance to:
- Learn how SIT Venture works and what makes it different from traditional camps
- Understand the various roles available (like Developer, Product Manager, UX Designer, and more)
- Hear how students will work on a real project for a real nonprofit client
- Get details about the application and interview process
- Ask your questions directly to the 10X Hub team
Whether you’re a parent exploring the best summer opportunity for your teen, or a student eager to build real skills—join the information session to see if this program is right for you.
Apply Here for the Experience
Applications for the 2025 internship are now closed. Stay tuned for updates on our next opportunity!
Expert Speakers
What an incredible lineup of expert speakers! Thanks to our technical sponsor Calian Group and a host of passionate industry professionals, this internship will be packed with sessions on both technical and soft skills. It’s going to be an unforgettable experience!
Hello, I’m Noure, a Project Coordinator at Calian Digital Solutions, where I lead day-to-day project execution across cross-functional teams. With a strong foundation in IT consulting and a focus on communication, organization, and delivery, I help drive projects from planning to completion while ensuring client needs are met with excellence.
Paul Spencer
Hello, I’m Paul. With over a decade of experience in business analysis and functional leadership within the software services industry, I specialize in delivering innovative, user-focused digital solutions that drive operational efficiency and business growth. My background spans a wide range of enterprise applications, with recent focus on healthcare-adjacent projects where I have led complex application implementations, process improvements, and stakeholder engagements. I bring proven expertise in requirements gathering, backlog management, across various initiatives spanning both commercial and domain-specific platforms
Vidhi Thaker
Hello! I’m Vidhi Thaker, a Senior developer at Calian Digital Solutions with 10+ years of experience in creating websites and software applications. I currently work on projects that use artificial intelligence to solve real-world problems. I’m excited to share what I’ve learned and help you explore the world of technology.
John Young
Hi, I’m John Young, an App Modernization Consultant at Calian.
I specialize in helping organizations reimagine their legacy applications—breathing new life into them by enhancing functionality and unlocking new potential through modern data and AI capabilities.
In this session, we’ll explore traditional approaches to application modernization and discuss how emerging AI technologies are reshaping the landscape.
Helena Yu
Hello, I’m Helena! I’m a data and AI leader with 5+ years of experience turning cutting-edge research into real-world solutions. I’ve led cross-functional teams to build impactful AI/ML systems across industries like tech, finance, retail, and non-profits.
Collaboration is at the core of my work—I partner with academia, industry, government, and nonprofits to ensure innovation addresses real human needs. I’m especially passionate about human-centered AI and developing data-driven strategies that create meaningful, lasting change.
Bertrand Lin
Hi, I’m Bertrand, a Business Analyst at Calian Digital Solutions, where I focus on integrating automation and AI into our QA operations to make things smarter and smoother. I’m always on the lookout for ways to streamline processes and boost efficiency. Can’t wait to show you some of the cool stuff we’ve been working on!
Sarina Atashian
Hi, I am Sarina Atashian, a QA Lead at Calian Digital solutions with over 20 years of experience in executing and managing testing processes for software applications. I have Solid knowledge in all phases of SDLC including Test Planning, Test Execution, Defect Management and Automation testing within a Waterfall & Agile life cycle.
Upasana Sood
Hi, I’m Upasana. I’m a dedicated IT professional with over 21 years of experience delivering and managing medium to large-scale custom software projects. I’m PMP and Scrum-certified, with deep expertise in Agile delivery, stakeholder management, and leading cross-functional teams across global onshore-offshore models.
I have a proven track record in modernizing enterprise systems, and I bring strong technical acumen along with a passion for building high-performing Agile teams.
Industry Professionals
Dickson Yip
Dickson Yip is a veteran organizational development consultant and certified DiSC® practitioner with over 20 years of experience empowering leaders, teams, and organizations through personality-based insights and people strategies. His work focuses on enhancing communication, collaboration, and emotional intelligence across diverse professional environments.
Dickson is the Associate Executive Director for Across U-hub a non-profit organization. Before that, he spent two decades consulting across Asia, specializing in leadership training, talent development, and organizational culture transformation.
Anita Huang Teshima
Anita has extensive experience driving digital transformation and organizational change management initiatives, with a strong focus on delivering “tech for good.” She is a passionate thought leader and trusted advisor, who leverages a blend of business acumen, servant leadership and agile principles to champion transformation initiatives for social impact, managing diverse strategic and technical portfolios across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Besides providing digital transformation consulting services in the social impact space, Anita is a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Learning Trust, and an Advisor & Mentor with NTEN, the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network.
Ben Hum
An award winning serial entrepreneur and IT professional, Ben is no stranger to the startup world having been involved with a number of early stage companies and organizations. With the last 30 years being involved in the technology space, his current roles include Cofounder at ReactForge.and Board Member at AR Medical Technologies. Fostering a new generation of entrepreneurial and community leaders, Ben serves as Toronto Chapter President at the North American Association of Asian Professionals, York Region Chapter President at Keiretsu Forum Canada and Chair of the Young Entrepreneurs Group at the Association of Chinese Canadian Entrepreneurs. An invaluable advisor by some and a leadership chiropractor to others, no matter how Ben is described, clients and partners regularly welcome the impact and benefits that result from their work together.
Luki Danukarjanto
Luki is “the soft skills guy” – a career coach who found his purpose helping others find theirs! He is a former Big 4 management consultant, undergrad campus recruiting lead.
He is the author of SIWIKE “Stuff I Wish I Knew Earlier” how to unlock your career potential http://focusinspired.com/siwikebook and host of a podcast of the same name https://www.youtube.com/focusinspired
Luki is an educator as well as mentor for various youth, entrepreneurship and newcomer organizations around the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). He is also a dad and lifelong learner!
Lisa Tong
Lisa is an ex-corporate consultant and engineer turned entrepreneur, bestselling author, speaker and professionally trained and certified coach and facilitator. She founded This Project Called Me and The Leader As a Coach, projects that use data to think about your thinking and systemically train the power of words. When Lisa is not writing or coaching, you will likely find her cycling or making soups for her other fun persona, The Chinese Soup Lady.
Sayan Sivanathan, MBA
Sayan is an accomplished, award-winning Enterprise Sales Leader and Trusted Advisor with extensive portfolio of success driving ‘land and expand’ strategies for start-ups by steering sales and account management, new client acquisition, and business development efforts. I offer strong business acumen; expertise in growing & scaling start-ups from ground up; exceptional ability to build robust pipelines. I have been instrumental in negotiating multimillion-dollar deals, boosting market share, driving significant territory growth, and securing and attaining Fortune 500 accounts. Over my career, I have built an award-winning sales reputation: Won multiple President clubs,’ 100% clubs at Bell Canada, Verkada, and Semperis.
Elia Neishaboori
Is a tech entrepreneur and community leader with over a decade of experience in software engineering and management. After witnessing the challenges that tech professionals face, burnout, stress, isolation, and the struggle to maintain a healthy work-life balance, Elia was inspired to create Harmony Circuits.
Driven by a passion for wellness and a commitment to fostering genuine connections, Elia founded Harmony Circuits to offer a new kind of support for tech professionals.
