Employer guide — Young Canada Works (YCW) in Heritage Organizations

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Objectives of Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations (YCWHO)

The YCWHO program helps Canadian students to acquire, through summer jobs and short-term jobs (usually 6 to 16 weeks), the knowledge and skills needed to prepare for the heritage sector labour market, and to consider career choices in the heritage sector.

Youth facing barriers to employment are particularly targeted by YCW programs to help them develop their skills and enhance their employability. For example, additional financial assistance can be provided to employers to facilitate the participation of people with disabilities.

The specific objectives of YCWHO are:

For students:

For the heritage sector:

Application deadline

For the 2025-2026 funding cycle, the application deadline is January 17, 2025 at 11:59 pm (local time). Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered for evaluation.

Who can apply

To be eligible for funding, your organization must be:

Your organization is not eligible if it is:

For more information about the employer eligibility criteria, please consult the Evaluation criteria section below.

Eligibility

Delivery organizations are responsible for determining the eligibility of each applicant, their project and any project-related expenses.

Requests for funding typically exceed our available resources. If your organization is eligible, submitting an application is not a guarantee of funding nor is the percentage of funding requested.

Limits of government assistance

YCWHO generally contributes approximately 50% of total eligible employment costs (wages, benefits and other eligible expenditures), and may, if justified, contribute a higher percentage.

The maximum YCWHO contribution is in general $10,000 per job.

YCWHO is committed to strengthening diversity, equity and inclusion and encourages employers to consider hiring youth facing barriers to employment. For example, if you hire a person living with a disability, reasonable costs related to workplace accommodation may be reimbursed, up to a maximum of $3,000 per participant. For more information on additional financial support to help remove barriers to employment, please contact your delivery organization.

YCWHO may pay the cost of round-trip transportation between the student's permanent residence and the YCW workplace for students who live more than 125 km from the workplace, in accordance with program policies.

For more information on financial assistance, please contact your delivery organization.

How to apply

YCW programs are delivered through a variety of delivery organizations. You must apply online via the YCW portal to the delivery organization with a mandate closest to your organization's mandate or to that of the proposed project.

For any questions about the use of the YCW portal or for technical support, please contact us by email at coordonnateurjct-ycwcoordinator@pch.gc.ca.

How applications are evaluated

Delivery organizations are responsible for evaluating and approving applications and for administering funding.

Evaluation criteria

  1. General project goals
    • Heritage objectives
    • Benefits for student, institution, community, region, country
  2. Project planning
    • Project clearly defined (objectives and measurable outcomes)
    • Clear job description and work plan (tasks and timelines)
  3. Skill development
    • Development of career-related skills and employability (concrete examples)
    • Hands-on, rewarding work experience
  4. Job parameters
    • Candidate profile clearly defined
    • Appropriate salary
    • Credibility of proposed budget
  5. Recruitment
    • Transparent selection and interview process planned
    • Provisions for job equity groups
    • Job description provided
  6. Orientation and supervision
    • Adequate orientation, supervision and coaching
    • Professional support provided (training, tools, networks, etc.)
  7. Budget
    • Complete estimates and coherent justification
    • Employer’s cash and in-kind contribution
    • Other sources of funding
  8. Specific criteria (to be assessed by delivery organization)

During the application assessment process, funding priority may be given to employers whose eligible projects meet the following priorities:

For more information about the evaluation process, please contact the delivery organization to which you intend to apply.

Application processing time

Our goal is to issue an official notification of the funding decision within 10 weeks of the application deadline.

Funding decisions

If your application is approved, you will receive an email confirmation from your delivery organizations with a preliminary offer. If you accept the preliminary offer, you will then gain access to the online list of candidates in order to start recruitment for your YCW position(s).

If your application is refused, you will receive a written notification from the delivery organization.

All questions, including requests for feedback on your application, should be directed to the delivery organization to which you apply.

How funding is provided

Your selected delivery organization will evaluate your application. If your YCWHO application is approved:

Funding conditions

As a YCW employer, you must comply with the contractual terms and conditions of the program in which you are participating. Please contact your delivery organization for more details.

Note: If you cannot meet the terms and conditions of employment as set out in your contract, or these change, you must immediately contact your delivery organization to amend your contract.

Recruiting and hiring

Inclusive hiring is essential to creating a diverse workforce that is representative of the Canadian population. Employers are strongly encouraged to give priority to recruiting youth facing barriers as well as new participants to this program.

Did you know that if you hire a person with a disability, YCW can reimburse reasonable expenses associated with workplace accommodation? Contact your delivery organization as soon as your selected candidate is approved to inform them of any special accommodations that may facilitate the person's participation.

Small changes to your practices can lead to big results. Here are some tips that can help:

  1. Planning – Ask yourself how your hiring process could contribute to increasing the diversity and talent in your workforce. Take the time to identify barriers faced by members of different communities so you can use inclusive hiring practices from the start.
  2. Job posting – Post your job ad in an accessible format that is written concisely, in plain language, and uses inclusive terminology. Seek to reach and attract a diverse range of candidates by using social media and job posting platforms to further promote the opportunity to specific communities.
  3. Interviews – Ensure that the assessment effectively measures qualifications without bias. If possible, select interviewers who represent diversity and ensure an objective, merit-based assessment.

As a YCW employer, you must:

Eligible candidates

Any student you hire must:

Note: Given the increasing demand from youth for YCWHO jobs, employers are encouraged to give priority to recruiting new participants to the program. Employers whose preferred candidate has previously held a YCWHO position within their organization must provide a written justification to their delivery organization, explaining how the new position will enable the participant to further develop their skills and knowledge. A participant cannot be rehired more than three times by the same employer.

Training and supervision

As a YCW employer, you must:

Salary and benefits

As a YCW employer, you must:

Note: The Canada Revenue Agency considers the student's income and supplementary benefits taxable income. Earnings in most cases are pensionable and insurable and must be declared by the students.

Transportation arrangements

If transportation is required for the duties related to the job, you must:

Reporting and follow-up

As a YCW employer, you must:

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

We are 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 funding agreement.

Acknowledgement of financial assistance

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. Additional requirements may be included in your funding agreement.

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

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:

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.

Questions?

Contact your delivery organization for any questions or additional information.

OR, call the Government of Canada's Youth Information Line:

Toll free
1-800-935-5555
TTY
1-800-926-9105

For general questions or comments about the YCW program, contact the Young Canada Works Secretariat at:

Email
coordonnateurjct-ycwcoordinator@pch.gc.ca

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