Canadian Mobility and Aerospace Institute

What Canadian Mobility and Aerospace Institute does

The Canadian Mobility and Aerospace Institute (CMAI/IMACA) is a pan-Canadian non-profit organization founded in 2018 and headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, that develops and operates work-integrated learning (WIL) programs for Canada's aerospace and rail mobility sectors. The organization addresses workforce succession challenges by connecting post-secondary students (CEGEP, college, undergraduate, and doctoral levels) with employers through structured internship, mini-internship (80 hours), and micro-internship (2-7 hours) formats, complemented by immersive industry events (AéroConnecte), industry scholarships (including the $3,000 Horizon Rail scholarship), and a formal Railway Certification launched in 2025. CMAI serves three primary constituencies: large mobility enterprises (Bell Textron, Bombardier, CAE, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Siemens Energy, Alstom, AtkinsRéalis, etc.), SMEs in mobility-adjacent industries, and 32 universities and 89 CEGEPs/colleges spanning all 11 Canadian provinces and territories.

Its core technology asset is Placement SPOT, a digital platform developed by member companies that aggregates internship postings, candidate application management, and customized student-industry matching activities. The platform supports meaningful engagement scale, with 1,125 internships posted in the past year generating 48,831 applications from 9,388 candidates, alongside 413 mini-internships and 31 micro-internships (477 participants). CMAI's business model is primarily non-commercial: it generates revenue through tiered annual membership fees ranging from CAD $49/year (non-profits, associations, very small enterprises) to CAD $500/year (large enterprises with 500+ employees), supplemented by an $8.5M CAD Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) portfolio managed over six years. Free membership tiers are also offered to participants of the AéroConnecte and Competencies Forum events. The organization is lean, with 1-10 employees, and operates under a board governance structure dominated by founding enterprise members.

Name

Canadian Mobility and Aerospace Institute

Legal name

Canadian Mobility and Aerospace Institute

Website

https://www.cmai-imaca.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Canadian Mobility and Aerospace Institute (CMAI/IMACA) is a Montreal-based non-profit that operates Placement SPOT, a pan-Canadian work-integrated learning platform connecting post-secondary students with aerospace and rail employers across 32 universities, 89 CEGEPs, and 11 provinces and territories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobility Industry Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Flight Training (611512)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Emerging Aviation Maintenance (UAS/Drone, eVTOL & Advanced Air Mobility) (EDAOAFAO)

Keywords

• Work-integrated learning
• Mobility workforce development
• Internship placement services
• Aerospace skills training
• Rail industry talent

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Laurent

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: CMAI generates revenue through tiered annual membership fees from organizations ranging from Very Small Enterprises and Non-Profits ($49/year) to Large Enterprises ($500/year), with validity periods ranging from 1 to 5 years depending on membership type.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Canadian Mobility and Aerospace Institute (CMAI/IMACA) is a Canadian non-profit that develops and delivers work-integrated learning (WIL) programs connecting post-secondary students with employers in the aerospace and rail mobility sectors. Its core services include internships, mini-internships (80 hours), micro-internships (2-7 hours), industry events such as AéroConnecte and the Competencies Forum, and the Horizon Rail program featuring a $3,000 scholarship, all coordinated through its Placement SPOT member platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AéroConnecte: An immersive event connecting students, industry professionals, and educational institutions in the aerospace world, promoting technical and professional careers.
• Horizon Rail Program
• Competencies Forum
• Placement SPOT
• Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Program

Products and services

• CMAI Annual Membership Tiered annual membership offered to enterprises, non-profits, and associations, providing access to the Placement SPOT platform and CMAI's WIL network; priced from $49/year (Non-Profit/Association/VSE) to $500/year (Large Enterprise), with free tiers for participants in the Competencies Forum and AéroConnecte events.
• Placement SPOT Platform Central digital platform developed by member companies that aggregates work-integrated learning activities, enabling employers to post internships, mini-internships, and micro-internships, manage candidate applications, and coordinate customized student-industry matching across Canada's mobility sectors.
• Full-Time Internships (Stage) Full-time work-integrated learning placements allowing post-secondary students to gain professional experience over periods of typically at least four months, coordinated through Placement SPOT for Canadian aerospace and rail mobility-sector employers.
• Mini-Internships (Mini-WILs) Approximately 80-hour work-integrated learning format placing students directly in a work environment to complete a specific project for the host employer; designed as a lighter-weight alternative to full-time internships for mobility-sector organizations.
• Micro-Internships (Micro-WILs) Short-format work-integrated learning activities lasting 2-7 hours that pair 50-150 students per activity with industry experts for an immersive exposure in their field; coordinated through Placement SPOT.
• Horizon Rail Program Pan-Canadian program bringing together key players in Canada's rail sector to connect industry, students, and universities; includes the Horizon Rail Bursary Program (with a $3,000 scholarship) and micro-WILs for rail-sector students, formally launched in September 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,125 internships posted in the past year with 48,831 applications from 9,388 candidates
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Bell Textron Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018One of five founding companies that established CMAI in 2018. Bell Textron Canada currently holds the Board Chair position. instrumental in the organization's initial success and continues as a trusted partner eight years later.
• BombardiercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Founding member company that helped launch CMAI. Continues to participate in governance with representation on the Board of Directors (Sandra Fanone). Works on aerospace projects related to propulsion and manufacturing.
• CAEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Founding member of CMAI with current Board representation as Vice-Chair (Patricia Gilbert). Contributes to simulation and aerospace training-related initiatives.
• Pratt & Whitney CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Founding member company represented on the Board (Conrad Pyman). Provides expertise in propulsion and contributes to aerospace skills development programs.
• Siemens EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Founding member that helped establish CMAI to address aerospace sector needs. Maintains relationship of trust with the organization.
• AlstomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRail sector leader collaborating with CMAI on railway engineering programs. Vincent-Pierre Giroux represents Alstom as Treasurer on the Board of Directors. Contributed to developing Ontario Tech University's Railway Engineering specialization.
• AtkinsRéaliscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRail sector partner with Board representation (Laurence Lebel). Contributed industry leadership to the development of Canada's first English-language Railway Engineering specialization.
• HatchmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRail sector partner contributing engineering expertise to CMAI's rail industry initiatives and student participation in rail system design projects.
• TRACCSmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRail sector partner with whom CMAI has built strong ties through rail sector initiatives. Key collaborator in workforce development for the rail industry.
• AECOMmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRail sector partner contributing expertise in sustainable mobility and modern infrastructure to CMAI's rail programs.
• WSPmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRail sector partner involved in transportation network optimization and infrastructure projects for student engagement.
• Ontario Tech UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner that launched Canada's first English-language Railway Engineering specialization in September 2025, developed with industry leadership from Alstom and AtkinsRéalis. Hosts the Competencies Forum 2026.
• Polytechnique MontréalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the Horizon Rail program, participating in networking events and supporting applied research in rail engineering.
• Concordia UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner supporting applied research and skills development for cutting-edge mobility industries.
• University of AlbertamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner collaborating on skills development initiatives for Canada's mobility sectors.
• La CitémajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner supporting applied research and workforce development in mobility sectors.
• Bell Textron CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAerospace partner holding the Board Chair position (Chantal Boucher). Engaged in propulsion projects and next-generation workforce development.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Magnet (Toronto Region Immigration Employment Council): Ontario-focused workforce intermediary operating a matching platform and employment programs. Comparable as a sector-spanning workforce-tech intermediary serving employers and job seekers, though broader than mobility and regionally scoped.
• Aéro Montréal: Québec aerospace cluster organization driving cluster competitiveness, R&D, and talent development. Highly comparable to CMAI's aerospace focus, but regionally scoped to Québec and not running paid WIL/internship platforms at CMAI's national scale.

Emerging players

• Skills Canada: National not-for-profit promoting skilled trades and technical careers through competitions and awareness campaigns. Comparable as a non-profit workforce-promotion entity serving Canadian students, though focused on awareness rather than WIL placement programs.
• NGen (Next Generation Manufacturing Canada): Industry-led non-profit supercluster advancing advanced manufacturing workforce and technology adoption. Comparable as a federally-backed industry intermediary on skills development and training, but with a manufacturing-and-tech broader lens rather than mobility-only focus.
• WestJet / Aerospace & Aviation Industry Skills Table equivalent initiatives: Sector-specific Canadian skills/workforce initiatives emerging around aerospace employers. Conceptually comparable to CMAI's WIL platform approach, though few formal peers match CMAI's pan-Canadian both-sector (aerospace + rail) positioning.

Direct peers

• Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC): Canada's national trade association for the aerospace sector. Like CMAI, AIAC convenes industry and serves as the collective voice on workforce, supply chain, and policy — directly comparable as a sector-level intermediary, though broader in mandate and lacking WIL delivery.
• Polytechnics Canada: National association of leading Canadian polytechnics and applied-research institutions. Comparable as a member-driven non-profit bridging post-secondary institutions with industry/government on applied skills, though focused on institutional advocacy rather than direct WIL placement.

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME): Canada's largest industrial trade association covering manufacturing across many verticals including aerospace and rail. Comparable as an industry-federal convener on workforce, but with a much broader mandate and less specialization in WIL delivery for mobility sub-sectors.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cmai-imaca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Canadian Mobility and Aerospace Institute