Not quite yet, you’ll need to have a student in mind first. However, you can complete the first task in the process to receive a pre-approval!

• Reach out to the co-op or career services department at post-secondary institutions in your region; they are happy to make new connections with industry professionals and can help match you with student talent.
• Use traditional recruitment methods to attract students, i.e. post a co-op/internship position on your favourite job board(s).

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, as well as post-secondary institutions and municipalities.

Students must be registered in an accredited Canadian 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.

Net New refers to growing the number of students you hire each year and represents the number of work placement subsidies you are eligible for. See the Net New section in the FAQ and/or Program Guides.

Net new is determined by subtracting the number of students your company is intending to hire (forecast) in the current fiscal year, including those already hired, from the number of students hired by your company in a fiscal year prior to first participating in this program (baseline).

For example, if your company hired 3 students in the fiscal year (April 1 to March 31) prior to applying for funding, 3 is your baseline. Then, your company must intend to hire at least 4 students in your forecast of hires within that fiscal year to qualify for 1 subsidy to support the increase.

Forecast – baseline = net new student placements eligible for wage subsidy

We recommend creating an application in the portal to take advantage of the online Net New calculator.

You can either hire or provide a conditional offer to a student. If you choose to hire someone before your organization is approved, you are accepting the risk that funding may not be granted.

If you’re unsure if the position is tech-immersive to qualify, send us a copy of the job description for the role you are going to request subsidy for. The first three bullet points (core activities of the role) should demonstrate a clear connection to the use of technology. We’re happy to provide a soft approval!

Contact Us

• Provide the student with meaningful employment related to their field of study
• Hire and treat the student as you would any other employee – students on work term are not independent contractors;
• Provide the student with a letter of offer/contract specifying employment conditions, start and end dates, wages, hours and the reporting supervisor’s name
• Provide accurate, informative job descriptions to stimulate student interest and skills
• Provide an orientation to familiarize the student(s) with their work environment, job responsibilities, organization’s policies/procedures etc.
• Discuss and approve the student’s learning objectives/training plan at the beginning of the work-term
• Provide direct supervision and training to the students
• Complete the required tasks in the application portal, as described by the application toolkit and task description/summaries

If you recently hired a new employee, you may still be eligible for funding. Check that you and your intern meet all the eligibility criteria. If so, we recommend beginning an application. The employer must always initiate and manage the application.

Employers can submit up to five applications, however, we reserve the right to limit or waitlist your request.

There are only 3 external documents needed through the application process. A proof of first payment upload is needed in the second stage of our application process and a void cheque, and proof of final gross student earnings document(s) are needed in the third and final stage of the application process.

Throughout the rest of the application, you will simply fill out information about your business, the student, and the position. Our online portal will guide you through the entire process easily.

In the application portal, you will be provided with several documents to sign and complete, including:

• Privacy Agreement
• Placement Agreement
• Student Learning Plan
• Direct Deposit Application Form (requires void cheque)
• Proof of salary (gross earnings)

An employer must also build a standard Employer Profile, which comprises of basic contact information and a description of your company on our online application portal.

We require official proof of (gross) salary payment to your student twice – once at the beginning of the subsidy period to which you’re applying, to demonstrate the student is being paid, and once at the end to demonstrate the gross, cumulative pay. This is how a program coordinator will determine the amount of subsidy you will be awarded. These proofs of payments are uploaded within the application portal.

If your intern is paid by cheque or e-transfer, we require copies of all cheque stubs issued to your student and payment remittance/records of the funds leaving your accounts to corroborate the amounts.

We will subsidize the intern’s wage in addition to any mandatory employee-related contributions (such as CPP and EI) up to the maximum amount. Please be sure your documentation shows these breakdowns. Note: Excel sheets are not an acceptable form of salary verification, but they can support your claim.

We begin issuing subsidies after the placement period ends; once the students have been fully paid for the term. After receiving all the required documentation in the portal, we will review the application once more and verify the subsidy award within 5 – 10 business days. Once you receive this confirmation, we will require 5 – 10 business days to process your payment. In brief, a payment may take 10 – 20 business days from the time we receive all of the finalized information.

Yes! Many of our students stay on for a consecutive term, and you are welcome to apply again for multiple consecutive subsidies for the same student. Students are still subject to the eligibility requirements (must still be enrolled/returning to studies).