OTTAWA, Feb. 22, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Telesat (NASDAQ and TSX: TSAT), one of the world’s largest and most innovative satellite operators, today announced applications are now being accepted for its third annual National Women in STEM scholarship program. Through this program, Telesat will be awarding $5,000 scholarships to eight full-time undergraduate students pursuing studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Building on the success of the undergraduate university scholarship program over the past two years, Telesat is expanding eligibility to a wider pool of candidates to include applicants enrolled in accredited technical college programs.

Today, women account for less than 24% of students pursuing STEM programs in Canada – according to Statistics Canada – despite increasing demand for STEM professionals in the labour market. Telesat’s scholarship program aims to inspire, prepare and enable more women to join these important, high-paying, and fast-growing fields.

“Having more women in STEM drives innovation, advances gender equality and creates a stronger economy for all Canadians,” said Hon. Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth. “Telesat’s scholarship program will equip the next generation of leaders with the support they need to thrive in their studies.”

“Increasing diversity in our workforce is paramount to increasing innovation and improving decision-making, employee retention, and work satisfaction,” said France Teasdale, Vice President of People and a graduate of Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal, QC, with a BSc degree in mechanical engineering. “I’m proud to work for an industry leader like Telesat, which puts words into action and invests to help to close the gender gap in STEM.”

Scholarship applications are being accepted until 1:00 p.m. ET on March 27, 2023. Telesat intends for this program to reflect Canada’s broad diversity and we strongly encourage Indigenous, visible minority students, and students with disabilities to apply. Scholarship Partners Canada (SPC), a division of Universities Canada, administers the scholarship program on behalf of Telesat.

For more information on the scholarship program and eligibility, and to view the impressive 2022 scholarship winners, visit https://www.telesat.com/scholarships.

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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Forward-Looking Statements Safe Harbor

This news release contains statements that are not based on historical fact 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.