Summers in high school are often seen as a pause from deadlines, exams, and daily routines. But they can also be a powerful opportunity to explore interests that go beyond the standard school timetable. Tech summer programs in Canada for high school students allow you to test your curiosity about technology, innovation, and the digital world in a focused, hands-on way.

These programs offer opportunities to learn coding, tackle real-world technical challenges, and collaborate with peers interested in software, engineering, data, and emerging technologies. Through structured instruction and project-based learning, you gain a clearer picture of what studying technology looks like beyond the classroom.

Many of these experiences are hosted by leading universities and research institutions across Canada. They give you early exposure to postsecondary expectations and independent learning, without the long-term commitment of enrolling in a degree programme.

What tech summer programs in Canada for high school students are available?

Across Canada, universities and educational organizations offer summer programs focused on computer science, engineering, artificial intelligence, robotics, data science, and related fields. Some programs are introductory, designed to build foundational skills, while others allow you to deepen existing knowledge through advanced coursework or research-style projects.

You’ll learn from experienced instructors, work with industry-relevant tools, and collaborate with motivated peers from diverse backgrounds. Along the way, you’ll develop technical skills, strengthen problem-solving abilities, and gain confidence navigating academic environments connected to technology.

If you want to experience what working in tech looks like, you can have a look at tech summer internships for high school students.

Not all tech programs offer the same level of academic depth or hands-on experience, which makes choosing carefully essential. To help you get started, we’ve curated a list of 15 Tech Summer Programs in Canada for High School Students. They’ve been selected for their rigor, instructional quality, and meaningful learning opportunities.

15 Tech Summer Programs in Canada for High School Students

1. Shad Canada Programs

Location: Various locations/Online
Cost/Stipend: There is a program fee to attend. Check the website for more details
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: July 5-31
Application Deadline: January 5th
Eligibility: Students in grades 10-11; international students welcome

Shad Canada Programs are immersive, month-long experiences designed for Grade 10 and 11 students who want to explore STEAM, entrepreneurship, and innovation in a rigorous, collaborative environment. Across all pathways, you work on hands-on design challenges involving areas like coding, AI prototyping, robotics, and applied problem-solving, guided by university faculty and industry mentors. The program emphasizes teamwork, leadership, and creative thinking, pushing you to tackle real-world problems rather than hypothetical exercises.

Alongside academic projects, you participate in community-building activities and curated excursions that highlight Canada’s natural, cultural, and institutional landscapes. Whether delivered on campus or online, every Shad program maintains the same high academic intensity and access to a national peer network.

Why it stands out: Shad uniquely combines advanced STEAM learning with entrepreneurship, leadership development, and a lifelong national network, making it as much about who you become as what you learn.

2. Immerse Education’s Toronto Summer School

Location: University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Cost: Varies; summer school scholarship available through their bursary programme
Application Deadline: Multiple summer cohorts with rolling admissions
Program Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Eligibility: Students worldwide aged 13-18 currently enrolled in middle or high school; international students welcome

The Academic Insights Program lets high school students experience university life firsthand. You will live on campus and study in small groups of 7-10, and learn from tutors from eminent top universities like Oxford and Cambridge. 

Participants can explore a wide range of subjects, spanning over 20 options, including Architecture, AI, Business Management, Software Development & AI, Economics, Medicine, Philosophy, and more. The courses are experiential and focus on hands-on learning. You may find yourself conducting dissections in medicine, designing a robotic arm in engineering, participating in a moot court for law, or building creative writing portfolios and business case studies.

By the end of the program, you’ll complete a personal project, receive written feedback, and receive a certificate of completion. You can find more details about the application here.

Why it stands out: It connects you with university-level tutors and small-group classes abroad, helping you gain early exposure to rigorous academic thinking and global peer networks.

3. Computers for Schools Plus (CFS+) Internship

Location: Across multiple provinces/territories in Canada
Cost/Stipend: Paid internships
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Varies; you need to contact your local centre
Application Deadline: Varies by centre
Eligibility: Canadian citizens/residents aged 15-30 years

Computers for Schools Plus (CFS+) Internship is a paid, hands-on technology internship for high school students that focuses on refurbishing and preparing donated computers and digital devices for reuse across Canada. As an intern, you’ll repair hardware, install and test software, package equipment for deployment, and may assist with network setup, installations, or community outreach.

Alongside technical skills, you’ll build experience in teamwork, communication, and basic project management while contributing to a national initiative that reduces e-waste and expands digital access. The program is supported by the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy and is designed to help students develop practical, job-ready digital skills in real work environments.

Why it stands out: CFS+ uniquely combines paid technical training with social and environmental impact, giving you accessible, real-world IT experience while contributing directly to digital inclusion efforts nationwide.

4. techNL High School Tech Immersion Program (HSTIP)

Location: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada; hybrid format with virtual training and flexible in-person/remote placements based on sponsor location
Cost/Stipend: None / C$16.50/hour (~ $11.92)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 7th – August 15th (tentative)
Application Deadline: May 11th (tentative)
Eligibility: Current 10-12 students in Newfoundland and Labrador

techNL High School Tech Immersion Program (HSTIP) is a paid, six-week work-integrated learning experience and one of the more industry-focused tech summer programs in Canada for high school students. You begin with structured digital skills training before moving into a four-week, project-based placement with a local tech or tech-enabled company. You will work in areas such as software development, engineering, business operations, or customer success, contributing to meaningful projects rather than simulated tasks.

The program also includes networking sessions, career exploration activities, and exposure to different post-secondary tech pathways. Designed to be accessible, HSTIP welcomes students with no prior tech experience and offers both in-person and remote placements depending on location.

Why it stands out: HSTIP combines paid industry work, skills training, and a strong equity focus, making it one of the few programs that intentionally removes barriers while placing high school students directly into real tech company projects.

5. Focused Ultrasound High School Summer Research Program

Location: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; ~25 students
Dates: Starts on July 6th (tentative)
Application Deadline: February 13th
Eligibility: High school students; 16+ by July 1st; Strong academic performance in math and sciences | Legally authorized to work in Canada

The Focused Ultrasound High School Summer Research Program is one of the most research-intensive tech summer programs in Canada for high school students, offering hands-on experience inside an active biomedical engineering lab. You assist with real research projects involving focused ultrasound (FUS), working at the intersection of acoustic physics, biomedical engineering, imaging, and signal analysis.

Your role may include supporting experiments, analyzing data, and helping test therapeutic ultrasound systems used in medical research. Rather than simulations or coursework, this program emphasizes meaningful lab involvement, giving you a realistic view of how medical devices are designed and evaluated.

Why it stands out: You work directly inside a specialized biomedical research lab on cutting-edge, non-invasive medical technology, an opportunity rarely available to high school students.

6. ELITE Program for Black Youth

Location: Various sites across Canada (including universities, industry, and government labs)
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Admissions are competitive
Dates: 8-16 weeks, depending on high school programs and schedule
Application Deadline: Typically, February or early March
Eligibility: Black youth ages 15-22 who are high school students, post-secondary students, or transitioning into post-secondary education; more details here

The ELITE Program for Black Youth (Experiential Learning in Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship) is a paid internship that places you on real STEM and business projects within university labs, tech companies, or government teams. You’ll gain hands-on experience in areas such as robotics, automation, advanced manufacturing, and tissue engineering, working with professional-grade tools and technologies.

Alongside your placement, you’ll attend weekly workshops focused on leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The program also offers personalized coaching to support career planning, resilience, and long-term academic and professional success.

Why it stands out: ELITE combines paid, work-integrated technical training with leadership and resilience coaching, making it one of the few programs designed specifically to support Black youth entering advanced STEM and innovation careers.

7. RBC Summer Tech Labs

Location: Downtown core of Toronto / Remote
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend paid, exact hourly rate will be outlined in your offer letter
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically small cohorts
Dates: July 2nd – August 20th
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Ontario-based high school students in grades 11-12; Working knowledge of one or more programming languages | Applied experience with technology concepts or coding

RBC Summer Tech Labs places high school and early undergraduate students in small, startup-style teams to tackle real technology challenges faced by RBC. As an Innovation Developer, you’ll design, build, and test working prototypes using tools like JavaScript, GitHub, and React while learning how enterprise tech products are developed.

You’ll collaborate closely with business users and senior leaders to gather requirements, apply design-thinking methods, and refine solutions. By the end of the summer, your team presents a functional proof-of-concept, building skills in teamwork, technical execution, and pitching ideas.

Why it stands out: Unlike many student tech programs, RBC Summer Tech Labs lets you deploy real code and solve live business problems inside a major global company, offering rare exposure to industry-scale innovation.

8. University of Alberta – High School Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS) Program

Location: University of Alberta in Edmonton
Cost/Stipend: None / Approximately C$15/hour (~ $10.77)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective (25-30 students)
Dates: July 3rd – August 14th (tentative)
Application Deadline: Unspecified
Eligibility: Must have completed specific Grade 11 courses | Reside in or north of Red Deer | Be legally eligible to work in Canada

The University of Alberta – High School Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS) Program is a paid, six-week research internship. You’ll be placed in a university or research lab in Alberta, contributing to real projects in areas such as digital health, data-driven research, commercialization, or health system transformation.

Alongside hands-on research, you’ll participate in workshops and career-exploration activities that introduce you to innovation pathways in health research. Many placements focus on priority areas like machine learning in health, digital diagnostics, or data-enabled care models, giving you early exposure to cutting-edge research methods.

Why it stands out: HYRS is one of the few paid high school research programs that directly connects students to province-wide health innovation priorities, allowing you to work on real-world, tech-enabled health challenges while building strong connections within Alberta’s research and innovation ecosystem.

9. TELUS Digital High School Internship

Location: TELUS offices in major Canadian cities such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, depending on role availability and department
Cost/Stipend: Unspecified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: 4 to 16-month co-op opportunities
Application Deadline: Deadlines may vary slightly by school
Eligibility: High school students; international students welcome

TELUS Digital High School Internship is a hands-on technology internship that lets you experience how a major digital-first company operates from the inside. You’ll work on real team-based projects across areas such as coding, mobile application development, data science, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. Throughout the program, you contribute to meaningful work like building prototype apps, analyzing user data to improve digital services, or supporting network and security initiatives.

You’ll also participate in mentorship sessions, professional development activities, and networking events with TELUS professionals from across Canada. The internship emphasizes collaboration, problem-solving, and ownership, helping you understand how technical roles connect with business, product, and customer needs in a large organization.

Why it stands out: Unlike short-term workshops or simulated projects, this internship places you inside a real corporate tech environment, giving you early exposure to industry-scale systems, cross-functional teams, and how technology decisions are made and deployed in a national company.

10. Ontario Tech University’s Summer Camps

Location: Ontario Tech University – North Campus, Oshawa, ON / Virtual
Cost/Stipend: In-person: C$280 to C$350 (~ $201 to $252), Virtual: C$100 (~ $72)/ None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Cohort sizes support low ratios, but are not specified
Dates: TBA
Application Deadline: TBA
Eligibility: Opportunities available for students ages 6-17 (varies based on the camp); international students welcome

Ontario Tech University’s Summer Camps offer hands-on, curriculum-based STEM experiences that introduce students to technology fields such as coding, robotics, gaming, and engineering. Through interactive projects like Minecraft coding, Python programming, robotics builds, and engineering design challenges, you actively learn by doing rather than through lectures alone.

The camps are designed to spark curiosity and show how STEM connects to the world around you, making complex concepts feel accessible and engaging. Low camper-to-counsellor ratios ensure you receive close guidance and support throughout activities.

Why it stands out: The program blends structured, university-designed STEM curriculum with playful, age-appropriate projects, helping you see STEM not just as a subject—but as something you can realistically enjoy and pursue in the future.

11. McMaster University Engineering Summer Camp

Location: McMaster University in Hamilton, ON
Cost/Stipend: Not mentioned
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Unspecified
Dates: Multiple sessions between July and August
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students entering Grade 9, 10, 11, or 12 as of September; international students welcome

McMaster University Engineering Summer Camp is a full-day, in-person STEM experience held on McMaster’s campus in Hamilton, Ontario, designed for high school students in Grades 9–12. Led by undergraduate students from McMaster’s Faculty of Engineering, the camp combines mentorship with hands-on instruction across multiple engineering disciplines.

You can choose between the Engineering Immersive Experience, which offers advanced lab exposure in areas like biology, chemistry, physics, 3D printing, and soldering, or the Engineering Design Studio. Throughout the camp, you’ll work on real-world engineering challenges that build technical skills, critical thinking, and teamwork. The program gives you an authentic introduction to how engineering is taught and practiced at the university level.

Why it stands out: You learn directly in university engineering labs under the guidance of current McMaster engineering students, gaining early exposure to both advanced equipment and the engineering design process in a real campus setting.

12. DEEP Summer Academy

Location: University of Toronto, St. George Campus, Toronto, ON
Cost/Stipend: C$725 (~$525) /week for domestic students; C$1,100 (~797)/week for international students; Application fee: C$50/C$60 (~$36 to $43). Financial aid may be available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive admission
Dates: Multiple one-week sessions in July. Check details here
Application Deadline: TBA
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9-12; Must have strong performance in science and math; International students can apply

DEEP Summer Academy is a hands-on engineering program for high school students hosted by the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. You’ll explore advanced topics such as robotics, data science, biomedical engineering, and cybersecurity through a mix of lectures, lab sessions, and collaborative research projects.

The curriculum emphasizes real-world problem-solving, rapid prototyping, algorithmic thinking, and analytical reasoning rather than introductory-level content. Courses are designed and taught by graduate students, with input from industry mentors. The program is well-suited for students who want early exposure to research-driven STEM learning and the rigor of engineering education.

Why it stands out: DEEP offers academically challenging, research-oriented engineering courses created by graduate students, giving you an authentic preview of university-level engineering long before college.

13. CREATE: Engineering Design Challenges

Location: University of Toronto, St. George Campus, Toronto, ON
Cost/Stipend: C$725 (~$525) /week for domestic students; C$1,100 (~797)/week for international students; Application fee: C$50/C$60. Financial aid may be available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive admission
Dates: Multiple one-week sessions from July 6th to August 21st. Check details here
Application Deadline: TBA
Eligibility: Students in Grades 9-12. Applicants must have completed at least one year of high school. Check more details here; international students welcome

CREATE: Engineering Design Challenges is a week-long, hands-on engineering program that introduces high school students to core engineering principles through real-world design problems. You’ll work in teams to apply the full Engineering Design Cycle, defining problems, brainstorming solutions, building prototypes, testing, and iterating, across disciplines such as civil, mechanical, biomedical, and electrical engineering.

The program emphasizes systems thinking, CAD-based design, technical communication, and collaborative problem-solving. Through labs, design activities, and applied projects, CREATE offers a practical introduction to engineering as an interdisciplinary and research-driven field.

Why it stands out: Instead of passive learning, CREATE centers on structured design challenges that mirror how real engineers think and work, giving you early exposure to team-based engineering problem-solving across multiple disciplines.

14. Blueprint Program-University of Toronto

Location: University of Toronto, St. George Campus, Toronto, ON
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive admission
Dates: Summer program: July 6th – July 31st. biweekly events from October to February
Application Deadline: March 29th
Eligibility: Canadian students currently in Grades 10 and 11 who identify as Black and are interested in careers in STEM

Blueprint Program – University of Toronto is a year-long engineering program for Black high school students interested in science, technology, and engineering pathways. You’ll take university-level courses such as mechatronics and engineering in healthcare, while learning the engineering design process through hands-on labs and team projects. Courses are led by graduate students, with undergraduate mentors providing academic guidance, mentorship, and community support.

After the summer experience, you remain engaged through year-long programming. Throughout the program, you build technical skills, design thinking abilities, and a strong peer network while gaining insight into what engineering study at the university level looks like.

Why it stands out: Blueprint combines rigorous engineering coursework with long-term mentorship and community-building, offering sustained exposure to university engineering while centering the experiences of Black students in STEM.

15. Nokia Future Tech Summer Internship

Location: Ottawa, ON
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend of C$18/hr (~ $13)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; around 25 students per summer
Dates: July 6th – August 21st
Application Deadline: February 16th
Eligibility: High school students entering grade 12 | Expected average of 75% in Grade 11 | Registered in at least two Grade 12 courses from this list: Physics, Chemistry, Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, Computer Science, Biology, Earth and Space Science, Computer Engineering Technology, Manufacturing Engineering Technology | Legal eligibility to work in Canada

The Nokia Future Tech Summer Internship is a paid, 7–8 week program that gives high school students hands-on exposure to real-world technology and engineering work. You’ll work alongside Nokia engineering teams on active telecom and networking projects, contributing to tasks like signal analysis, network simulation, and software debugging.

You will gain experience using industry tools such as MATLAB, NS-3, and agile platforms like Jira while learning how large-scale tech products are developed and tested. Throughout the program, you’ll be supported by a dedicated Nokia Future Tech Mentor and participate in Lunch & Learn sessions that introduce different career paths in tech. 

Why it stands out: This program offers paid, industry-level engineering experience at a global technology company, giving you early exposure to 5G, networking, and real telecom innovation, well beyond a typical high school internship.

Beyond Coding: Building Future-Ready Skills

Technology education today extends far beyond learning syntax or tools. It focuses on adaptability, problem-solving, and understanding how innovation shapes industries and societies globally.

The tech summer programs in Canada for high school students highlighted here reflect this shift, blending technical foundations with collaboration, design thinking, and real-world application.

Through hands-on projects and mentorship, you gain confidence navigating complex challenges, communicating ideas clearly, and applying knowledge in unfamiliar, fast-evolving contexts that mirror modern workplaces.

To explore how education continues to evolve, visit our Educational Innovation blogs for insights on emerging trends, teaching approaches, and the future of learning globally.