The New Brunswick-based non-profit Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI) will be able to offer IT and cybersecurity training for about 60 Indigenous students, thanks in part to a fresh round of support from the international Kyndryl Foundation.

The foundation’s latest grants have been announced and JEDI leadership have landed one of the rare awards for a second time, with this year’s commitment allowing for training and mentoring of students from 16 Indigenous communities seeking careers in the digital economy. According to the announcement this week: “subsets of participants will gain access to externally administered internships, full-time employment, cybersecurity competitions, and industry conferences.”

Citing a 2022 report of the non-profit Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC), promoters noted the need to support training in Canada, given one in six cybersecurity jobs at the time of that report were being left unfilled. Demand is only rising, as Denis Villeneuve, the cybersecurity and resilience practice leader at Kyndryl Canada, told Atlantic Business Magazine.

Villeneuve is also a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation. He said a major concern is, even though more people are needed to join the technology workforce, Indigenous youth can still face systemic barriers to employment.

“That’s why JEDI’s work is so important. It helps address these challenges by ensuring their students have access to the skills they’ll need to fully participate in the workforce, while creating practical, job-ready pathways into high-demand cybersecurity careers. And the impact is tangible,” he said, noting JEDI program graduates have taken up permanent roles with local and national employers alike.

Inquiring about past JEDI graduates, Atlantic Business Magazine was told about Robert Paul, who started with an interest in computer programming. He entered a computer skills training program, completed the work, including an internship. He’s working now with a Canadian bank, alongside a fellow JEDI graduate.

Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) and Peskotomuhkati (Passamaquoddy) people have found new careers or launched new business with the help of JEDI for more than 30 years, since the organization’s founding in 1995.

“When the startup I was working for contracted in 2019, I started looking at how my skills could fit into a new career path, and that’s when I came across JEDI’s cybersecurity program and joined,” said Dustyn Martin-Ross, in a comment provided to Atlantic Business Magazine.

Martin-Ross interned at a major consulting company, was hired into further consultancy work and moved up the ladder. Eventually, an opening came up and he returned to JEDI as an IT instructor.

“Without pivoting into IT and cybersecurity, I don’t know if I’d have the things I cherish most right now—a home, a career and a future,” he said.

Kyndryl used to be IBM’s global technology services division. It spun off from IBM in 2021. The current company supports cloud, cybersecurity services, networking, mainframe and other IT infrastructure services in Canada through subsidiary Kyndryl Canada.

The Kyndryl Foundation was established in 2023. Its grant program supports non-profit organizations around the world in providing cybersecurity and artificial intelligence development programs, particularly to underserved communities. JEDI is currently one of just 14 grant recipients across 13 different countries.

The exact value of the Kyndryl Foundation grant was not released.

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