Backgrounder: Student Work Placement Program

Backgrounder

Student Work Placement Program

The Student Work Placement Program provides students in post-secondary education with more quality         work-integrated learning opportunities and improved partnerships between employers and post-secondary education (PSE) institutions.

Work-integrated learning can take many forms. For thousands of Canadian college, university and polytechnic students, formal co-op programs help to bring together academic learning and applied work experience. These work placements can also include internships, mentorship programs or applied research projects. What is common among them all, and what is so valuable, is the connection—between a student who needs relevant work experience and an employer looking to benefit from the talent, new ideas and hard work that young people can bring to the workplace.

Partnerships

Agreements are in place with employer partners, including recognized industry associations and organizations that represent the interests of businesses in key sectors of the economy.

These partners are responsible for establishing partnerships with employers and PSE institutions and provide eligible employers with wage subsidies of up to 50 percent of the wage cost for the placement (up to a maximum of $5,000 per placement). Additionally, a 70-percent wage subsidy is available (up to a maximum of $7,000 per placement) for first-year students and under-represented groups, such as women in STEM, Indigenous students, people with disabilities and newcomers.

Employers, including small and medium-sized enterprises and PSE institutions, are working together to help students become job-ready and develop the full complement of skills employers are seeking.

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