Riipen platform and resources were extremely useful. One student was not committed to working diligently while the other student had very good work ethics.

The program itself is very well designed and provides a great opportunity to connect with students. My only concern, based on my experience, is that there can sometimes be a lack of motivation and responsibility from the student side. Since the funding does not come directly from the employer, it may reduce accountability and effort compared to a regular paid position. Setting clearer guidelines and expectations for student responsibility and communication could make the experience even stronger.

Working with the Level UP July 2025 cohort was a strong, value producing experience. The team engaged quickly, clarified scope, and maintained steady communication. They delivered a clear gap analysis against our requirements, proposed practical solutions, and produced an MVP that aligned with the target outcomes. Highlights • Requirements and gap analysis that informed decision making • Thoughtful architecture recommendations for the web platform • Working MVP across front end and back end with clean handoff notes • Effective use of SQL including hierarchical and recursive queries • Comfort with Java services and the Progress database stack • Solid documentation including a runbook, deployment guide, and a concise presentation The students were dependable, responsive, and professional. We would gladly work with a Level UP team again.

Great program

Overall, it has been a positive experience, as half of the project for my Etsy store is almost complete. The student involved was reliable and trustworthy, and worked as diligently as I did to complete the work. Thank you!

Excellent program.

Overall, it was a great experience with the students!

LevelUp needs to stop changing "rules" and program requirements. Set your rules and guidelines, keep them for 12 months, then revisit/adjust if needed. The constant changes are discouraging and exhausting to keep up with.

If you find a student you are prepared to hire, this is a low risk way of testing them out.

Taanish Ahmed played a key role in enhancing the functionality and design of our website, particularly through his work on images and payment features. His contributions were reliable, effective, and added significant value to our project.

Thank you for the match-making with the two Thompson River University health-care students. They have been conscientious and contributed greatly to our 'Personal Health Index' project.

Riipen provides a great opportunity to hire student talent. It helps us accelerate the product development cycle, and we truly appreciate it.

It was helpful to have assistance for the marketing aspect of my business, including bringing in new ideas for social media.

SEEDA has found working with the Level UP Teams from the Riipen Level UP July 2025 Cohort to be an exceptionally positive and productive experience.

Our students were fantastic to work with this summer.

Jeremy was excellent and set up our webinar from scratch. Very proactive with figuring things out and great with taking leadership to get things done!

Unfortunately this project was left incomplete as the communication between myself and the student stopped for some unknown reason.

We were very happy with this program and the students we worked with on our project. We would recommend this program to other companies.

Ali was amazing to work with and highly recommended. He is a motivated person and a great problem solver. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a strong candidate!

Unfortunately the student I chose did not do any work.

The experience was OK and we're grateful for the opportunity. Overall, the applicants for our posted project were fewer in quantity and quality than last year, and the final result was less than what was provided last year. Nonetheless, it was acceptable.

Riipen freed up time for me to work ON my business instead of IN my business by allowing me to work with students who could complete tasks that were important to the business but taking up a lot of my time.

This year makes it 4 years that we have participated as an employer in the Riipen program. We support the program because it gives young Canadians a chance to explore their interests before they have to make serious career decisions. It gives smaller size employers a chance to tap into the creative energy and ideas that the upcoming generation of employees, inventors, creators, and business owners posses.

Seamless execution and responsive team

goiod

I was happy working with Abdulkarim. He showed reliability, willingness to learn, and contributed meaningfully to the tasks assigned. His positive attitude and adaptability made collaboration smooth. With continued experience, I believe he will add even greater value in future roles.

Arpan has shown strong initiative and passion in taking on tasks and projects.

It's been a good experience.

An easy to use platform with valuable students to assist you with your projects. I had a lovely experience. Thank you!

Great initiative. Our company identifies a good talent.