Professional Experience U of T Engineering offers undergraduate students rich opportunities to enhance their technical and professional competencies and gain significant work experience before they graduate through summer and year-long internships.
multinational corporations such as Apple, Deloitte, IBM and Tesla Motors. The average annual salary for engineering PEY students in 2015 was $50,000, with individual salaries ranging as high as $104,000.
The Professional Experience Year (PEY) paid internship program is a key part of our Faculty’s commitment to experiential learning. Through this optional program, students can work for leading companies worldwide after their second or third years of study. During this period, which lasts 12 to 16 months, they are full-time employees, with a competitive salary to match. PEY internships allow students to gain greater insights into workplace operations and make larger contributions than in the shorter co-op placements that many engineering schools offer. More than 70 per cent of PEY students who secure internships return to their studies with confirmed or tentative job offers in hand after they graduate.
Students may also choose to participate in the Engineering Summer Internship Program (eSIP), a paid, four-month summer internship that is open to second- and third-year U of T Engineering undergraduates. Akin to a traditional co-op placement, the program provides students with work experience and prepares them to be competitive for future opportunities, including the PEY internship program. To enhance student success in the recruitment process, the program offers intensive and interactive development through a series of large- and small-group workshops and individual career counselling appointments. In summer 2016, 30 students secured eSIP opportunities with employers such as the Toronto Transit Commission, Geomechanica Inc., Amphenol Canada Corp., BlueCat, and Temporal Power Ltd.
In 2015–2016, a record 790 undergraduates — including 64 per cent of students from the previous year’s third-year class — participated in the PEY internship program. The number who secured international placements increased to 79, from 61 in 2014–2015, as more students seek global engineering experience. More than 300 employers hired PEY students, ranging from startups such as EventMobi to large
The Engineering Career Centre provides workshops throughout the academic year to help PEY and eSIP students prepare their applications, succeed in job interviews and make a positive impact in the workplace.
Figure 4.3a PEY Internship Placements for Engineering Undergraduates with Percentage Participation from Previous Third-Year Class, 2006–2007 to 2015–2016 65% 56%
55% 50%
47%
64%
58% 790
51% 705
41%
62%
724
632 554
537 447
458
2006–07
2007–08
581
461
2008–09
2009–10
2010–11
2011–12
2012–13
2013–14
68 Chapter 4: Cross-Faculty Education | Annual Report 2016 | Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering Figure 4.3a
PEY Internship Placements for Engineering Undergraduates with Percentage Participation from Previous Third-Year Class,
2014–15
2015–16