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New program to award $40,000 annually in scholarships to support women pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

OTTAWA, CANADA, March 17, 2021 – Telesat, one of the world’s most innovative global satellite operators, announced today the launch of its new national scholarship program, Telesat’s Women in STEM. This scholarship program focuses on closing the gender gap in STEM and helping to prepare and empower more women to take a leading role in these important and fast-growing fields.

Today in Canada, women are largely underrepresented in the fields of STEM, both at university and in the workplace. Through this annual program, Telesat will be awarding $5,000 scholarships annually to eight women who are entering the third or fourth year of their bachelor’s program in a STEM field through an accredited Canadian university.

“With just over one in five engineering graduates in Canada being women, there is an urgent need to attract and empower more women students to pursue degrees in STEM,” said Dan Goldberg, President and CEO of Telesat. “Having a workforce that leverages Canada’s rich diversity is a key contributor to Telesat’s – and Canada’s – long term success, and we recognize there is more work to do to achieve this important goal. We are committed to fostering Canada’s highly-skilled and diverse STEM talent and are excited about supporting outstanding women candidates pursuing STEM degrees.”

“A full recovery from the impacts of the pandemic will only be possible when we address women’s economic security and ensure equal access to good, well-paying jobs.” said the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Canada’s Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development. “We all benefit when more women choose careers in technology and engineering, and our government is taking strong steps to improve access to skills training and education in these sought-after fields. It’s encouraging to see corporate partners like Telesat recognize the importance of a diverse workforce and take action to support more women in STEM.”

Scholarship Partners Canada (SPC), a division of Universities Canada, will administer Telesat’s Women in STEM Scholarship Program and select a committee of Canadian university representatives to evaluate scholarship applications. A set criteria that focuses on academic performance, quality/relevance of the essay and reference letters, volunteer/community involvement and/or extracurricular activities will be used to select final awardees. Telesat aims for this scholarship to reflect Canada’s broad diversity and we strongly encourage Indigenous and visible minority students to apply.

Scholarship applications for the Fall 2021 academic year are being accepted until 1:00 pm EDT on May 12, 2021. For more information on the scholarship program, eligibility and application, visit https://www.telesat.com/scholarships.