The Bridgeable Designership
The Designership Program
The Bridgeable Designership is one of Canada’s only service design internship programs. It gives us the opportunity to both teach and learn from bright minds and to work on projects with real social impact.
The 2020 Summer Designership application process is now open.
We are currently hiring for these roles:
- Summer Intern – 3 positions
Applications close at 11:59 pm ET on Monday, January 20, 2020.
NOTICE: We’re experiencing a technical glitch relating to file sizes. While the maximum file size noted in the job postings is 10 MB, you will receive an error message if your application is over 6 MB, and it will not upload properly. In this situation, please try compressing the file before submitting. If you are still having trouble after compressing the file, please send your application directly to Info@bridgeable.com, noting the role you’re applying for in the email subject line. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Real Projects, Real Impact
The Designership is a paid, full-time internship at Bridgeable’s office in Toronto, Ontario. If selected, you’ll be part of a multidisciplinary team dedicated to working on a project with real social impact—under the direction of an experienced member of Bridgeable’s leadership team. The internship starts in May and finishes in late August.
The three-stage application process
consists of the following:
1. Application submission:
We’ll review your materials and put together a long list of qualified applicants.
2. Video interview:
If you’ve made the long list, we’ll contact you to film a very short (10–15 minute) video interview. After the long list interviews are complete, we’ll put together a short list of qualified candidates.
3. In-person presentation:
Selected candidates will be sent a mock assignment and asked to present their response to a panel of 4 to 5 Bridgeable team members. Following your brief 10-minute presentation, we’ll ask questions about your response and questions designed to get to know you better.
Can I apply?
You don’t need to be a trained designer, and there aren’t specific tools that you need to be familiar with. Instead, we look for people who are tenacious, self-directed, and thoughtful in how they frame problems and arrive at solutions. We love to be blown away by an amazing application coming from an unexpected background. You must be eligible to work in Canada.
Will I be paid?
You’ll be paid a weekly salary based on your education level and experience. We also offer a small travel stipend to those relocating to Toronto for the summer.
What will I learn?
Guided by a team of experienced Bridgeable team members (aka Bridgers), the summer kicks off with an intensive service design boot camp where you’ll learn about:
- Design research (including interviews, ethnography, and literature review)
- Co-design
- Service design
- Systems thinking
- Prototyping
- Project management
- Managing client relationships
What will it feel like?
The Designership is a lot of hard work, but it’s definitely fun, definitely exciting, and a whole lot cooler than most other internships (at least, that’s what we think). Here are a few of our favourite things about Bridgeable:
- We’re passionate about our craft and love helping each other level up.
- We share our work early and often (get ready to iterate!).
- We offer monthly improv classes to help you become a better facilitator and presenter.
- We have lots of free healthy snacks (hope you enjoy yogurt as much as we do).
Past Projects
work
Reimagining the home care experience for older adults in Ontario
2018: SE Health
work
Unlocking shared mobility in the GTHA
2017: MaRS
work
Helping low-to-moderate-income credit union members spend less and save more
2017: Credit Human
work
Enabling the successful launch of an innovative hypertension prevention program
2016: Heart and Stroke Foundation
work
Prototyping citizen-centric access to electronic health records
2015: MaRS
work
Helping low-income families take advantage of RESP support programs
2014: Prosper Canada
work
Moving from great food to a great experience
2013: Foodshare
Application Tips
Design your application for readability. Even if you’re not a designer, think about how you can make it easy and pleasant for us to read your application.
- Follow the application instructions carefully. If you don’t submit all four components, we won’t consider your application.
- Tell your story. Hearing your genuine voice is a great way for us to know if you’re a fit or not.
- Pay attention to the details. An application with no typos or errors suggests an attention to detail that you’ll bring to your work as well.
- In your resume, focus on relevant experience and try to give us a sense of your skill set.
- Write a cover letter that’s focused and gives us a clear sense of who you are and why you want to work with us. This will go a long way.
- In your mission statement distill your approach to the world into a single, clear statement. This is a crucial piece of the application.
- Don’t forget to include a portfolio in your application.
The Designership helped me to translate my academic training as a researcher into a service design context and set me up for success in my early career. I got to work on a challenging and interesting real-world problem with very involved support and mentorship from senior Bridgeable Staff.
Tim MacLeod
Designership 2016
During the Designership, I spent 16 weeks learning the ins and outs of service design by working on a fast-paced real-world project in the public transit sector. I developed and strengthened my skills in design research, synthesis, and prototyping, and collaborated with a brilliant team of fellow interns who quickly became my good friends.
Danielle Sheahan
Designership 2017