New Brunswick’s cybersecurity hub, CyberNB, has been named the Digital Skills for Youth (DS4Y) Delivery Organization for the province in a program that connects eligible youth with industry partners to provide 50 internships.

The federal program connects underemployed or unemployed university and college graduates aged under 30 with small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and non-profits.  Organizations that hire an intern will receive up to $30,000 in funding from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

“There has never been a more exciting time to begin a career in cybersecurity or the wider digital economy,” CyberNB CEO Tyson Johnson said in a statement.  “We know that completing your education is only the first step and that for many New Brunswick youth finding and securing job opportunities can be difficult.”

The internships are meant to prepare youth for tomorrow’s workplace, including in emerging areas where jobs may not yet exist, such as those related to cybersecurity, the automation of knowledge tasks, big data and artificial intelligence.

“This year has exposed entirely new barriers to finding employment,” said Jenn Peck, CyberNB’s Digital Workforce Strategist and DS4Y Program Lead. “The knowledge-based sector is in need of talent and DS4Y can certainly help fill that gap.”

The DS4Y initiative stems from the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS), which aims to provide more flexible employment services and enhanced support to young Canadians.

A non-profit, CyberNB works to boost the country’s cybersecurity sector. It recently launched a membership program, CIPnet, which it describes as Canada’s most extensive network of cybersecurity stakeholders for critical infrastructure protection.