OTTAWA, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Telesat (NASDAQ and TSX: TSAT), one of the world’s largest and most innovative satellite operators, today announced the launch of its national Fellowship for Indigenous Youth program. The Fellowship will provide scholarships for Indigenous students to pursue their studies and advance their careers in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, plus gain meaningful, hands-on working experience during paid internship placements at Telesat.

Today, less than 2% of Indigenous Canadians work in STEM occupations. This program will help reduce barriers to education and provide impactful learning and career opportunities in the space sector. Telesat will award two Indigenous students with $5,000 scholarships, $15,000 stipends, and 8-month paid internships at one of Telesat’s cutting-edge teleport facilities in Alberta, Manitoba, Nunavut, Ontario, or Quebec.

“Increasing gender and cultural diversity leads to greater collaboration and innovation, and is key to Telesat’s long-term success and growth,” stated France Teasdale, Telesat’s Vice President of People and Human Resources. “Through this program, Fellowship awardees will learn invaluable technical skills in satellite, telecom and engineering, which can lead to sustained change for Indigenous youth and their communities across Canada.”

The Hon. Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, PrairiesCan and CanNor stated “Telesat’s new national Fellowship for Indigenous Youth program is an excellent example of the importance of increasing diversity across all sectors of our economy. Indigenous youth will gain the skills and experience necessary in STEM to advance in Canada’s space sector through this fellowship, and our government is a proud supporter of this initiative.”

Scholarship Partners Canada (SPC), a division of Universities Canada, will administer Telesat’s Fellowship for Indigenous Youth Program and select a committee of Canadian University representatives and an Indigenous-led application review committee. The candidate evaluation criteria will include academic performance, quality/relevance of a written essay, reference letters, relevance of academic and professional experience, and interview performance.

Scholarship applications are being accepted until 1:00 pm ET on March 30, 2023. For more information on the scholarship program, eligibility and application, visit https://www.telesat.com/indigenous-fellowship.

About Telesat

Backed by a legacy of engineering excellence, reliability and industry-leading customer service, Telesat (NASDAQ and TSX: TSAT) is one of the largest and most innovative global satellite operators. Telesat works collaboratively with its customers to deliver critical connectivity solutions that tackle the world’s most complex communications challenges, providing powerful advantages that improve their operations and drive profitable growth.

Continuously innovating to meet the connectivity demands of the future, Telesat Lightspeed, the company’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network, will be the first and only LEO network optimized to meet the rigorous requirements of telecom, government, maritime and aeronautical customers. Telesat Lightspeed will redefine global satellite connectivity with ubiquitous, affordable, high-capacity links with fibre-like speeds. For updates on Telesat, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, or visit www.telesat.com.

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This news release contains statements that are not based on historical fact, including financial outlook for 2022 and are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws. When used herein, statements which are not historical in nature, or which contain the words “will,” or similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements as a result of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements made in this press release are made only as of the date set forth at the beginning of this release. Telesat Corporation undertakes no obligation to update the information made in this release in the event facts or circumstances subsequently change after the date of this press release.

These forward-looking statements are based on Telesat Corporation’s current expectations and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond Telesat Corporation’s control, are difficult to predict, and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements. Known risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: inflation, risks associated with operating satellites and providing satellite services, including satellite construction or launch delays, launch failures, in-orbit failures or impaired satellite performance; the impact of COVID-19 on Telesat Corporation’s business and the economic environment; the ability to deploy successfully an advanced global LEO satellite constellation, and the timing of any such deployment; the availability of government and/or other funding for the LEO satellite constellation; the receipt of proceeds in relation to the re-allocation of C-band spectrum; volatility in exchange rates; the ability to expand Telesat Corporation’s existing satellite utilization; and risks associated with domestic and foreign government regulation. The foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Investors should review the other risk factors discussed in Telesat Corporation’s annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021, that was filed on March 18, 2022, and the Form 6-K reports filed for the first three, six and nine month periods of 2022, with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Canadian securities regulatory authorities at the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (“SEDAR”), and may be accessed on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and SEDAR’s website at www.sedar.com.