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Employer’s Guide: Applying for funding from the Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages (YCWBOL) program

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Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages (YCWBOL) Objectives

Young Canada Works (YCW) is part of the Government of Canada's modernized Youth Skills and Employment Strategy (YESS), which aims to help young people, particularly those facing barriers to employment, to develop their skills along a continuum designed to help them prepare for employment. The YESS is a unique horizontal strategy, implemented by 12 federal departments and agencies, including Canadian Heritage. Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages (YCWBOL) helps young Canadians between the ages of 15 and 30 to gain employment experience and develop their professional skills, while strengthening their official-language abilities.

YCWBOL provides funding to employers to create short-term employment opportunities. Employers propose projects that support YCWBOL's objectives, which include:

  • Helping young Canadians gain practical work experience, develop their skills, improve their employability and learn about their career prospects;
  • Increasing the pool of skilled, qualified and diversified workers in the heritage, and arts and culture sectors, and provide opportunities to work in both official languages and
  • promoting awareness and appreciation of Canada's achievements and cultural heritage.

Two types of employment are offered to young participants under YCWBOL:

  • a job where the first official-language is used for the development of an official-language minority community (Francophone community outside Quebec or English-speaking community in Quebec); or
  • a job that provides an opportunity to practice second-language skills.

Your request for funding must therefore meet the objectives set out below:

For youth participants:

  • Enables youth participants to gain practical work experience and improve their second official language, or to use their first official language by working for an employer from an official language minority community, thus creating professional networks in that community.
  • Gives youth participants a better understanding and appreciation of Canada's official languages and cultural diversity.

For the official languages sector:

  • Helps employers provide services in both official languages across Canada.
  • Supports employers and host organizations in official-language minority communities and contributes to the development of these communities.

Application deadline

Your application must be submitted by February 3. Applications received after the deadline will be analyzed according to available funding.

Who can apply (eligibility)

To be eligible for funding, your organization must:

  • be a private, public, non-profit organization, or a municipality;
  • be incorporated;
  • engage in activities of national, provincial, territorial, municipal or community scope; and
  • carry out activities in both official languages.

Your organization is not eligible if it:

  • is a federal department, agency or Crown corporation;
  • is a provincial or territorial government department; or
  • is not stable and financially viable.

Meeting eligibility criteria does not guarantee funding.

Limits on government assistance

YCWBOL may pay up to 50% of the costs associated with hiring a youth participant in a public or private sector organization, and up to 70% in a not-for-profit organization.

YCWBOL will provide an accommodation allowance for youth who live more than 125 kilometers from their place of work and will pay for round-trip travel between the youth's residence and place of work in accordance with established policies.

Furthermore, if you are planning to hire an eligible youth with a disability, or a youth facing barriers to employment, expenses incurred to provide special accommodations or wrap-around supports in the workplace may be reimbursed, up to a maximum of $3,000 per participant. Please contact your funds redistribution organisation for more details.

Youth participant income and fringe benefits are taxable according to Canada Revenue Agency requirements. Income is generally insurable and pensionable and must be declared by youth participant.

For further information on financial assistance, please contact your funds redistribution organization.

How to apply

YCWBOL is implemented through various funds redistribution organizations. You must submit an online application via the YCW portal to the appropriate funds redistribution organization.

How funding applications are evaluated

Funding redistribution organizations are responsible for evaluating applications, approving projects for funding and administering funding.

Funding application evaluation criteria

  1. Overall project objectives
    • Meets Canadian Heritage objectives.
    • Meets Official Languages objectives.
    • Demonstrates the benefits for youth, institution, community, region, country.
  2. Project planning
    • Has a clear project description (objectives and measurable results).
    • Has a clear job description and a work plan that identifies tasks and deadlines.
  3. Skills development
    • Allow for the development of career-oriented skills and employability (concrete examples).
    • Ensures practical and rewarding work experience.
  4. Job parameters
    • Has a clearly defined candidate profile.
    • The salary is appropriate.
    • The proposed budget is credible.
  5. Recruitment
    • There is a planned and transparent selection and interview process
    • Measures for employment equity groups exist.
    • The job description is clearly stated.
  6. Guidance and supervision
    • Adequate guidance, supervision and coaching will be provided.
    • Professional support (training, tools, networks, etc.) will be provided.
  7. Official languages
    • Contributes to the support of official-language minority communities.
    • Contributes to linguistic duality.
  8. Specific criteria
    • Will be established by the fund redistribution organization according to region-specific needs and priorities.

Processing time

Acknowledgement of receipt of application

The redistributing organization will acknowledge receipt of your application form within five (5) business days of the application deadline.

Funding decisions

If your application is approved, you will receive an email confirmation and a preliminary offer from the fund redistribution organization within eight (8) weeks of the application deadline. If you accept the preliminary offer, you will then have online access to the list of candidates to start staffing your YCWBOL positions.

If your application is declined, you will receive written notification from the fund redistribution organization within eight (8) weeks of the application deadline.

All questions, including requests for feedback on your application, should be directed to the fund redistribution organization to which you applied.

How will you receive your funding

You will receive payments from the fund redistribution organization with which you have signed a contract. Payments will be made once the redistributing organization has received and accepted the required documents, as stipulated in the contract.

Funding conditions

As a YCWBOL employer, you must comply with the contractual terms and conditions established by the program. Please contact your funding redistribution organization for details.

Recruitment and hiring

As a partner in the Government of Canada's modernized Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS), which aims to help young people, particularly those facing barriers to employment, develop their skills along a continuum to help them prepare for employment, YCWBOLO is committed to strengthening diversity and inclusion. Inclusive hiring is essential to creating a diverse workforce representative of the Canadian population.

Employers are strongly encouraged to give priority to hiring young people facing barriers. Remember, if you hire a youth living with a disability, or facing barriers to employment, YCWBOL can reimburse reasonable expenses associated with special accommodations or wrap-around supports in the workplace up to a maximum of $3,000 per participant. Contact your funds redistribution organization as soon as your chosen candidate is approved to inform them of any special accommodations that may facilitate that person's participation in the program.

Small changes to your hiring practices can produce big results. Here are a few key points that can help:

Planning - Ask yourself how your hiring process could help increase the diversity of profiles and talents in your workforce. Take the time to identify the barriers faced by members of different communities, so you can integrate inclusive hiring practices from the outset.

Job posting - Post your job ad in an accessible format that is written in clear language, concisely and with inclusive terminology. Seek to reach and attract a diverse range of candidates by using social media and job boards to further promote the opportunity to specific communities.

Interviewing - Ensure that the interview effectively measures qualifications without bias. If possible, choose interviewers who represent diversity, and ensure that the assessment is objective and based on merit.

Eligible candidates

Any candidate you hire must:

  • be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada, or have been granted refugee status in Canada (non-Canadian youth or graduates on temporary work permits or awaiting permanent resident status are not eligible);
  • be legally entitled to work in Canada (have a valid social insurance number);
  • be between the ages of 15 and 30 inclusively at the time of employment; and
  • be registered in the YCW online candidate database.

Training and supervision

As a YCWBOL employer, you must:

  • provide each employee with a job description, orientation and a work plan containing specific objectives; and
  • provide training related to job duties.

Salary and benefits

As a YCWBOL employer, you must:

  • pay wages and benefits in a timely manner in accordance with provincial or territorial labour laws and regulations. Your employees' wages must meet industry standards in the region where they work and be commensurate with their level of training and experience. YCWBOL's contributions are calculated based on the actual wages paid to employees; and
  • pay participants from your organization's payroll and make regulatory deductions at source.

Travel arrangements

If transportation is required for work-related tasks, you must:

  • provide sufficient insurance coverage to enable your YCWBOL employee to drive a vehicle for work-related purposes; and
  • cover the transportation costs of an employee who uses duly authorized public transportation.

Reporting and follow-up

As a YCWBOL employer, you must:

  • keep a record of contributions and expenditures in cash and in kind;
  • ensure that all online reports on the YCW portal are completed;
    • Candidate Eligibility Form to be completed by the employer prior to hiring the candidate
    • Staffing Report to be completed by the employer and required during the first week of employment
    • Evaluation Questionnaire to be completed by employer and youth participant
    • End-of-Work Report to be completed by the employer within 30 days of the end of employment
  • provide any additional information or documentation that may be requested by your funds redistribution organization (such as payroll supporting documents);

Workplace well-being

The Government of Canada is strongly committed to promoting healthy workplaces where harassment, abuse and discrimination are not tolerated. Organizations that receive funding from Canadian Heritage must take measures to create a workplace free from harassment, abuse and discrimination.

Official languages requirements

The Government of Canada is committed to taking positive measures to enhance the vitality of official language minority communities and to promote the use of English and French in Canadian society. If you receive funding, you agree to comply with the official languages requirements set out in your application and in your contract.

Acknowledgement of funding

If you receive funding, you must publicly acknowledge, in English and in French, the financial support received from the Government of Canada in all communications materials and promotional activities related to the funded project. Additional requirements may be included in your contract.

For additional information, please refer to the Guide on the public acknowledgement of financial support - Canadian Heritage.

Access to information requests

We are subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. The information you submit in your application may be disclosed in accordance with these acts.

Disclosure of information

By submitting your funding application, you authorize us to disclose any information submitted with this application within the Government of Canada or to outside entities for the following purposes:

  • to reach a decision;
  • to evaluate the results of the project; and
  • to promote transparency, accountability and citizen engagement.

Audits of recipients and evaluation of the program

We reserve the right to audit your accounts and records to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of your funding agreement. We also conduct periodic program evaluations, during which you may be required to present documentation.

You must keep any records, documents or other information that may be required to perform the audit or the evaluation for five years. Demonstrated failure to maintain such records may result in the repayment of amounts previously received.

Any questions?

Contact your fund redistribution organization for any questions or additional information.

or

Call the Government of Canada's Youth Information Line:

Telephone
1-800-935-5555 (toll-free)
TTY
1-800-926-9105 (for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired)

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