Government of Canada’s Student Work Placement Program (SWPP)

Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) Wage Subsidy

Through the federal Student Work Placement Program (SWPP), organizations within Canada that offer full-time employment opportunities between 12-16 weeks for full-time Canadian post-secondary students can receive wage subsidies.

General eligibility requirements

  • Employers can hire students in any program (i.e.: Arts, Business, Science...etc.) However, students must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or a person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for the duration of employment to qualify for funding from SWPP
  • Provincial and territorial governments are NOT eligible for SWPP funding
  • Hires must be "Net New"

What is Net New?

"Net new" is determined by subtracting the number of students hired by an employer in the fiscal year prior to first participating in the SWP Program, from the number of students the employer is intending to hire in the current fiscal year, including those already hired. The baseline number attributed to an employer creating an incremental placement will be maintained throughout their participation in the SWP Program. For example, if the company hired three students in the fiscal year (April 1 to March 31) prior to applying for funding under the SWP Program, then the company must intend to hire four students in this fiscal year to qualify for a subsidy for the fourth student.
Please note - Western University does not administer the SWPP program. For questions about your eligibility or to follow-up about your application, please contact the applicable delivery partner below.

All SWPP Delivery Partner Information

Biotalent Canada

Amount: up to $7,000 per student

Eligibility:  Organizations in Canada looking to hire for roles related to biotechnology.

How to apply: Through their website, download and fill out the "SWPP Employer Application Package".

Employers NEED to have a candidate before applying.  Employers must hire the student first and once a candidate is identified they will apply for funding however the candidate cannot start their co-op until approval has been granted. It can take up to 10 business days to process an application.

Contact: 

Mary at 1-866-243-2472, ext. 222 or  mcarr@biotalent.ca

Colleen at 1-866-243-2472, ext. 221 or  chayes@biotalent.ca

Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council

Amount: Funding amount up to $7,000 per student

Eligibility:  Canadian employer related to agriculture can hire post-secondary students for work integrated learning experiences. From food growers to retailers, nursery and horticulture, ag-tech firms to universities and colleges, any organization supporting the dynamic agriculture industry is eligible to apply under this program.

How to apply:  Start your application process! For more information, click here.

Contact: 

Sarah Plouffe, (819) 654-3002 or sarah.plouffe@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

Canadian Council for Aerospace and Aviation

Amount: up to $7,000 per student

Eligibility:  Organizations in Canada working in the aerospace and aviation industry (cannot be a research position in a school lab).

How to apply: Complete and submit the employer application online:  Employer Information Form - Student Work Integrated Learning Program

Employers NEED to have a candidate before applying.

Contact:

Theresa Davis-Woodhouse

Phone: (613) 727-8272 ext. 247

Email:  tdaviswoodhouse@avaerocouncil.ca

Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC)

Amount: up to $7,000 per student

Eligibility: Cultural Sector Employers looking to hire students for meaningful work integrated learning experiences.

How to apply: Through their website.

Contact:

Sofia Downing at 613-581-2830 ext. 25

Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) of Canada - Co-op Program

Amount: up to $7,000 per student 

Eligibility: Organizations in Canada that are looking to hire students from science, technology, engineering, arts or mathematics (STEAM). Work terms must be at least 6 weeks long. Funding can be applied to part-time students as well as co-op students.

How to apply: Complete the form for "Host employers" on ECO Canada Wage Subsidy Program

NOTE: Employers NEED to have a candidate before applying. Funding needs to be approved before the student starts their placement.

Contact:  swilp@eco.ca

Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (WILWorks)

Amount: up to $7,000 per student 

Eligibility: Please see FAQ page

How to apply: Please see this link

Contact:  wgray@emccanada.org

Food Processing Skills Canada (SWPP)

Amount: up to $7,000

Eligibility:  Organizations in Canada looking to hire for roles in the food and beverage manufacturing industry.

How to apply: Through their website.

Contact: 

Cynthia Perry at 902-749-7151 or cperry@fpsc-ctac.com

Information and Communication Technology Council - WIL Digital Subsidy

Amount: up to $7,000 per student 

Eligibility: 

  • A registered business in Canada
  • Company must be in the following sectors: intelligent retail, fintech, advanced manufacturing, entertainment and gaming, connected transportation, e-health, cybersecurity, big data, or clean tech
  • Must offer a quality full-time position to a student
  • Must have insurance
  • Must be compliant with Human Rights and Labor legislation, regulations, and laws.
  • Must create a net new student position

How to apply:  Visit  ICTC's WIL Digital Program site  to create an account to apply.

NOTE:   Employers NEED to have a candidate before applying. Funding needs to be approved before the student starts their placement.

Contact:  wil_digital@ictc-ctic.ca

Magnet Student Work Placement (SWPP)

Amount: up to $7,000 per student 

Eligibility: Any registered Canadian business or non-profit organizations. 

Click here to see more info about terms, conditions and eligibility, and access their infographic for more details about the application process.

How to apply: 

  • Ensure your organization meets all terms and conditions stated above
  • Complete an Employer Application Form and submit it along with information about your candidate and the job description
  • Your student will also be asked to fill out the applicable part of the form

Magnet will review your application and let you know the decision within 2 - 4 weeks

Contact: swpp@magnet.today

Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MIHR) - Gearing Up

Amount: up to $7,000 per student 

Eligibility: organizations in Canada (small and large companies/post-secondary institutions/non-profit organizations) working in the mining or mineral exploration sectors are encouraged to apply.

How to apply: Please see this link

Contact: gearingup@mihr.ca  

Technation

Amount: up to $7,000 per student

Eligibility: We support any tech-immersive roles across many different disciplines and functions, and you don’t need to be a tech company to promote tech skills development. Some common examples include:

Marketing: market research, industry analysis, digital marketing, branding, design, communications

Strategy: consulting, analysts, business development

Data & tech: data analysis, AI / machine learning, software development, IT support

How to apply: Please see this link

Contact:  careerready@technationcanada.ca 

Talent Opportunities Program (Ontario Chamber of Commerce)

Amount: 50% of the wages to a maximum of $5000 for each ‘net new’ placement or 70% of the wages to a maximum of $7000 for each ‘net new’ placement for the following under-represented groups: Indigenous People, person with disabilities, newcome to Canada, first year student, visible minority and/or women in STEM.

Eligibility: The Talent Opportunities Program (TOP) is an initiative of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce designed to help employers located anywhere in Canada hire college and university students on WIL placements. You must be a registered Canadian business or not-for-profit organization located anywhere in Canada. You must be committed to paying the student in full for the duration of the placement. Wage subsidy will be administered after receiving all supporting information and documents, including pay stubs, at the end of the placement term.

How to apply: Please use this link

Contact:  top@occ.ca 

Tourism HR Canada

Amount: up to $7,000 per student

Eligibility: Organizations in Canada looking to hire for roles in all facets of the visitor economy including: accommodations, food and beverage services, culinary, recreation, entertainment, culture, events, transportation, travel services and more.

How to apply: Visit Tourism HR Canada's website to learn more. Placements are posted on the Propel online portal, hosted by Magnet. Click here to create an account or sign in.

Contact: propel@tourismhr.ca 

Trucking Human Resources Canada

Amount: up to $7,000 per student

Eligibility: Organizations looking to hire for roles in Canadian truck transportation and logistics industry.

How to apply: Click here to learn more.

Contact: theteam@truckinghr.com 

Venture for Canada - Internship Program

Amount: up to $7,000 per student

Eligibility: Employers must: be a small to medium sized business, start-up, social enterprise, nonprofit, or charity (1-500 employees) and have their business located in Atlantic Canada, British Columbia and the Prairies

All industries welcome! Employers can be from a wide range of industries from agriculture to robotics and anything in between!

How to apply: To join this program and access this funding, complete the application form on the Venture for Canada website.

Contact: gina@@ventureforcanada.ca

Definitions of Under-represented Groups of Students (SWPP and Innovative WIL Program)

Read more

  • Indigenous Students – refers to students who reported identifying with at least one Aboriginal group, that is, First Nations, Métis or Inuit, and/or those who reported being a Treaty Indian or a Registered Indian as defined by the Indian Act of Canada, and/or those who reported they were members of an Indian band or First Nation.
  • Newcomers to Canada – refers to immigrants who immigrated within the last five years.
  • Students with disabilities – refers to an individual who has a difficulty or impairment due to a long-term condition or health problem and/or experiences a limitation in their daily activities.
  • Visible minorities – refers to whether a person belongs to a visible minority group as defined by the Employment Equity Act and, if so, the visible minority group to which the person belongs. The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as "persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour". The visible minority population consists mainly of the following groups: South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, Latin American, Arab, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean and Japanese.
  • Women in STEM – refers to a woman registered and studying in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The following definitions are applicable to students who participate in the Innovative-WIL Program

  • Rural and Remote – refers to students living in areas beyond a Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA).  These areas have a total population of less than 100,000. According to Statistics Canada, a CMA is formed by one or more adjacent municipalities centred on a population centre (known as the core).
    • A CMA must have a total population of at least 100,000 of which 50,000 or more must live in the core. We have attached a list of all CMAs by province, there is at least one CMA in every province with the exception of Prince Edward Island, as such we have decided to consider all areas of Prince Edward Island as rural/remote. 
  • Official Language Minority Communities: The Government of Canada specifies, as appropriate, which language, English or French, is the minority language and the second language. (OLMC) generally consist of Francophones outside Quebec and Anglophones in Quebec.
    • These communities are often represented by national and regional organizations, such as the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne, the Quebec Community Groups Network and the Fédération culturelle canadienne-française

Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/values-ethics/official-languages/public-services/support-official-language-minority-communities.html

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