The TECHNATION Career Ready Program

Developing the next generation of tech talent

As part of the Government of Canada’s Student Work Placement Program (SWPP), TECHNATION’s wage subsidy program, Career Ready supports businesses by financing their decision to hire a student for a work-term placement. This in turn creates a rewarding opportunity for the student to apply their learning in real-world settings and puts them on a path to a bright career.

The program provides 50% (to a maximum of $5000.00) of a student’s pay in wage subsidies to employers.

An increased subsidy of 70% (to a maximum of $7000.00) is awarded to employers hiring students from under-represented groups:

Women studying Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths (STEM), or business
Indigenous students
Visible minorities
Recent immigrants (within 5 years)
Persons with disabilities
Students in their first year of study, or
Students on their first work-term (relevant to their field of study)

Apply for our Wage Subsidy

Program Updates

Summer 2021 Program – Launches February 8th

Winter 2021 Program – Limited / no funding remaining

COVID-19 provisions ending as of April 30, 2021:

$7500 subsidy model
Net new requirement
Post-secondary institutions may apply as employers

COVID-19 provisions which are now permanent:

Flexible start/end placement dates
Remote working environment

FAQs

Am I eligible?

We accept applications from registered Canadian businesses and non-profits who can provide a meaningful, tech-focused work placement opportunity to a student. Check out our employer resources to learn more. Large financial sector employers are no longer eligible.

Students must be registered in an accredited post-secondary institution and must work in a role that is tech immersive – although they aren’t required to be studying something in tech! Check out our student resources to learn more. Unfortunately, we can’t award this subsidy to international students at this time.

How much will it cost?

Hourly salary is up to the employer; the table below uses $16 per hour as an example.

How long do I hire for?

Work terms typically last 12 – 16 weeks during one of three placement periods:

Winter (January – April)
Summer (May – August)
Fall (September – December)

Students can be employed full-time or part-time hours, and you can apply in consecutive placement periods! Students must be employed as a fixed term employee and cannot be hired as a freelancer/consultant.

What roles are eligible?

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

Program Coordinators are available if you have any questions regarding eligible roles – check in this us by email.

How do I apply, and how long does it take?

We proudly offer a quick and easy 3 stage process at our online application portal. The first stage, applying, will take about 10-12 minutes to complete. You’ll receive your approval notification within just 5 – 10 business days. There are two simple follow-up stages. Click here to start your application today!

When are the deadlines?

We accept applications on a rolling basis and will update our site and applicants if funding becomes limited. Applications must be submitted before or during the placement period. For example, applications for Fall 2020 won’t be considered if received in January 2021.

Additional resources

Visit our employer/student pages for helpful resources like program guides and comprehensive application toolkits.

Contact

All general inquiries can be sent to careerready@technationcanada.ca.

This project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Student Work Placement Program