Liam Rosborough’s experience in the Associate GIS Professional Program
Looking to begin your geospatial career? Join recent member of Esri Canada’s Associate GIS Professional Program Liam Rosborough as he discusses his experience and insights from the program!
What is the Associate GIS Professional Program?
The Associate GIS Professional Program (AGPP) is an exciting opportunity for new graduates from GIS programs across Canada. The program is a full-time paid position, in which you rotate through various teams across Esri Canada while receiving in-depth training and mentorship. Associate GIS Analysts are provided with frequent opportunities to tackle exciting and impactful GIS projects, network with people from across the company and kick-start their careers at Esri Canada.
Associates generally begin working with the customer support teams, which allows for them to improve their technical knowledge of Esri products, problem solving and interpersonal skills. After a rotation with Customer Support, there are diverse opportunities for placements with teams such as the Community Map of Canada, Professional Services, Education & Research and more! The program is what you make of it, and can be catered towards various career aspirations.
2025 Associate cohort at Blue Mountain Resort for Esri Canada’s Inspire 2026 employee conference.
What drew you to GIS?
I was first introduced to GIS when trying to decide what I would like to study after high school. A family friend happened to work in GIS at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and invited me to do some field data collection and map the results. I went home that day and began researching geography programs at various universities around Ontario.
The next year, I began my undergraduate degree in geomatics and computing at the University of Waterloo, and was fortunate to gain co-op work experience with five different organizations during my time there. My work experiences further solidified my joy in working with GIS, and my understanding of how this skillset can be applied to so many different industries.
After graduation, I worked for a year before returning to school for a Master of Science in Geography at McGill University in Montréal, Quebec. It was at McGill where I learned of the AGPP, and I was immediately drawn to the flexibility and mentorship aspects of the program.
What did your time in the AGPP look like?
For the first four months of my AGPP experience, I was in Customer Support, where I was able to learn a great deal about Esri products I had never used before. Supporting our Esri Canada customers with their technical questions was extremely fulfilling and allowed me to build my problem-solving skills. Everyone involved with Customer Support was immensely welcoming, supportive and open to teaching new members of the team!
After that, I joined the Community Map of Canada team, where I learned about the back-end processes behind a product so many of us use daily without much thought. I spent four months with the Community Map of Canada team, and was able to assist with the maintenance and stewardship of the program, as well as a major update to their back-end processes.
This experience carried me through to the new year, where I moved to the Professional Services team. This rotation allowed me to support various consulting groups across the company and meet even more wonderful people across the country. I had the opportunity to work on several internal and external projects, including the Québec Professional Services team, the Assessment Services team and many others.
As I moved through the program, I learned so much about the various important projects being undertaken here at Esri Canada, as well as the amazing folks who are a part of it!
How did your transition from the program go?
After my rotation with the Professional Services team, a job opportunity arose with the Assessment Services team, which I had just collaborated with. I felt as though that position fit my career aspirations and would be a good place for me to learn and grow in my career. After discussing the opportunity with my manager and some mentors in the company, I decided to apply. I began my new position as a GIS analyst with the Assessment Services team in June 2026!
Esri Canada’s Assessment team at Blue Mountain for Esri Canada’s Inspire 2026 employee conference.
Do you have any advice for future Applicants to the AGPP?
I have three main pieces of advice for future applicants to the program:
- Be flexible – Esri Canada is a large company, with more opportunities and areas of expertise than you might think!
- Be ready to network and come out of your shell!
- Embrace change – Enter the program with some personal and career goals, but don’t be surprised if they change or evolve over time! You’ll learn lots about yourself and the organization throughout your time here.
Want to discover more about Esri Canada’s Associate GIS Professional Program? Read an overview of the program, explore career paths or apply now.