Employers

Government of Canada’s Student Work Placement Program (SWPP)

You may be eligible to receive up to $7,500 in wage subsidies!

As part of the Government of Canada's Student Work Placement Program (SWPP), a variety of funding opportunities are available for employers to hire students for the purposes of experiential learning. This funding is being administered by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) through 17 delivery partners.

Important Updates: New changes to SWPP funding

The Government of Canada's Student Work Placement Program has announced changed to SWPP funding beginning April 1, 2022. These changes include:

  1. Net new hiring restrictions will be reintroduced. Net new refers to the growing number of students you hire each year and represents the number of work placement subsidies you are eligible for.
  2. Funding will cover up to 50% of student wages. Students hired from under-represented groups, including first-year students, women in STEM, indigenous students, persons with disabilities and newcomers, may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term. Learn more about these changes.
  3. Co-op students may continue to work from home, or in a hybrid work setting. NOTE: Some exceptions may apply if you will be engaging a student as an independent contractor.

SWPP scenario

If you hire a student to work 35 hours a week at $18.00/hour for 16 weeks, normally, your total cost for wages will be $10,080.

But with SWPP, your total cost would be $5,080 + statutory benefits (CPP, EI)!

Are you eligible to apply?

This guide provides you with a general assessment of eligibility.

If you meet the following requirements, you will likely be eligible for SWPP funding.

Employer eligibility assessment

The employer is:

  • A registered Canadian business or organization
  • Not a federal or provincial government organization
  • Financially capable to hire a student for a part- or full-time work term, pay them consistently and provide a meaningful work experience

Student eligibility assessment

The student is:

  • A Canadian Citizen, permanent resident or a protected person defined by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
  • Registered as a full-time student in a post-secondary institution program
  • Not an international student requiring (or on) a work permit
  • Not an immediate family member of the employer

Remember that final decisions lie with the SWPP funding partners. This is to provide employers with a guideline only

All SWPP delivery partner information

Amount:

Funding will cover up to 50% wage subsidy (up to a maximum of $5,000).

Students hired from under-represented groups may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:

Organizations in Canada looking to hire for roles related to biotechnology.

Click here for more information about terms, conditions, and eligibility

How to apply:

Through their website, download and fill out the "SWPP Employer Application Package"

NOTES:

  • Employers NEED to have a candidate before applying.
  • Employers must hire the student first. Once a candidate is identified they will apply for funding. However, the candidate can't start their co-op until approval has been granted. It can take up to 10 business days to process an application.

Application deadline:

Check their website

Contact:

Colleen
Email: chayes@biotalent.ca

General Inquiries

Email: info@biotalent.ca

Amount:

Funding will cover up to 50% wage subsidy (up to a maximum of $5,000).

Students hired from under-represented groups may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:

Organizations in Canada working in the agriculture industry for agriculture and non-agriculture students.

Click here for more information about terms, conditions and eligibility.

How to apply:

Complete and submit the employer application online: https://magnet.whoplusyou.com/lp/cahrc-ccrha

NOTES: Employers NEED to have a candidate before applying.

Application deadline:

Check their website

Contact:

Email: info@cahrc-ccrha.ca

Amount:

Funding will cover up to 50% wage subsidy (up to a maximum of $5,000).

Students hired from under-represented groups may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:

Organizations in Canada working in the aerospace and aviation industry (cannot be a research position in a school lab).

Click here for more information about terms, conditions and eligibility.

How to apply:

Complete and submit the employer application online: Employer Information Form - Student Work Integrated Learning Program

Don't have a candidate in mind? You can post your job on MyExperience Portal.

NOTES: Employers NEED to have a candidate before applying.

Application deadline:

Check their website

Contact:

Kethy S-K Sangaré
Phone: (613) 727-8272, ext. 261
Email: ksossokolle@avaerocouncil.ca

Amount:

Funding will cover up to 50% wage subsidy (up to a maximum of $5,000).

Students hired from under-represented groups may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:
  • Must be a member of the CMPA
  • Must be co-applying with a mentee candidate. The CMPA will, on a case-by-case basis, endeavor to pair mentor companies with suitable candidates. This does not guarantee that an application will be successful given the limited number of spots available
  • Must contribute a minimum of $1,950 toward the mentee stipend
  • A mentor applicant cannot be an employer or family member of the mentee with whom they are submitting a joint application

How to apply:

Complete and submit the employer application online: Student Work Placement Program application | CMPA

NOTES: Employers NEED to have a candidate before applying.

Application deadline:

Check their website

Contact:

Sarolta Csete
Phone: (613) 688-0952 ext. 338
Email: sarolta.csete@cmpa.ca

Amount:

Funding will cover up to 50% wage subsidy (up to a maximum of $5,000).

Students hired from under-represented groups may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:

Registered Canadian businesses, start-ups, and not-for-profits related to the tourism and hospitality sector. The position must be a work-integrated learning placement.

Click here for more information about terms, conditions, and eligibility.

How to apply:

Complete and submit the employer application online: Tourism HR Canada (whoplusyou.com)

NOTES: Employers NEED to have a candidate before applying.

Application deadline:

Check their website

Contact:


Email: propel@tourismhr.ca

Amount:

Funding will cover up to 50% wage subsidy (up to a maximum of $5,000).

Students hired from under-represented groups may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:

Organizations in Canada within the cultural sector, both for-profit and non-for-profit. This includes:

  • live performing arts
  • writing and publishing
  • visuals, arts and crafts
  • film, television and broadcasting
  • digital media
  • music and sound recording
  • heritage
  • cultural management
  • export marketing

Federal, provincial, municipal and territorial governments are not eligible.

How to apply:

On their website, fill out the "CHRC Student Work Placement Program Employer Request Intake Form"

Their information package also has some helpful details.

Application deadline:

Check their website

Contact:

Email: info@culturalhrc.ca

Amount:

 Electricity Human Resources Canada’s (EHRC) Empowering Futures Program is Canada’s student work placement initiative for the electricity industry, providing financial incentives of up to $7,000 to employers who create new Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunities.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:
  • Firms whose primary activity is the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity.
  • Sector support including renewables, in any of the following areas: R & D, business development, energy efficiency.
  • Firms engaged in manufacturing of equipment and the provision of services necessary to generation, transmission, or distribution.
  • Post-Secondary institutions are no longer eligible to receive funding.

Learn more about the terms, conditions and the employer and participant eligibility criteria.

How to apply:

To qualify for the program, the company must be Canadian owned or a Canadian subsidiary.

  1. Ensure your organization meets all terms and conditions stated above;
  2. Create an organization account on EHRC’s platform Funding for Futures
  3. Complete the EHRC Employer Application Form
  4. Have your participant complete the EHRC’s Participant Eligibility Form, which is automatically generated once your Employer Application is complete.

NOTES:

  • Employers DO NOT need to have a participant before applying. However, full approval cannot be granted before EHRC receives the completed Participant Eligibility Form

Application deadline:

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the funding is exhausted.

Contact:

Phone: (613) 235-5540

Email: info@ehrc.ca

Amount:

Funding will cover up to 50% wage subsidy (up to a maximum of $5,000).

Students hired from under-represented groups may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:

Organizations in Canada that are looking to hire students from science, technology, engineering, arts or mathematics (STEAM). Work terms must be at least 6 weeks long. Funding can be applied to part-time students as well as co-op students.

Click here for more information about terms, conditions and eligibility.

How to apply:

Complete the form for "Host employers" on ECO Canada Wage Subsidy Program page.

NOTES:

  • Employers NEED to have a candidate before applying.
  • Funding needs to be approved before the student starts their placement.

Application deadline:

Check their website

Contact:

coop@eco.ca

Overview:

EMC, a preferred partner with the Government of Canada, delivers the Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) wage subsidy to the Canadian Manufacturing industry.

Amount:

Funding will cover up to 50% wage subsidy (up to a maximum of $5,000).

Students hired from under-represented groups may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:

Work placements should be relevant to manufacturing and related sectors.

How to apply:

Click here for more details on how to apply.

Application deadline:

Check their website

Contact:

Wendy Gray, Senior Project Coordinator
Phone: 519-377-5709
Email: wgray@emccanada.org

Amount:

Funding will cover up to 50% wage subsidy (up to a maximum of $5,000).

Students hired from under-represented groups may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:

Work placements should be relevant to food and beverage manufacturing and related sectors.

How to apply:

Click here for more details on how to apply.

Application deadline:

Check their website

Contact:

Jennifer Brown, Project Manager
Email: jbrown@fpsc-ctac.com

Tiffany Gelvez, Project Specialist
Email: tgelvez@fpsc-ctac.com

Amount:

Funding will cover up to 50% wage subsidy (up to a maximum of $5,000).

Students hired from under-represented groups may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:

Eligibility requirements include:

  • A registered business in Canada
  • Company must be in the following sectors: intelligent retail, fintech, advanced manufacturing, entertainment and gaming, connected transportation, e-health, cybersecurity, big data, or clean tech
  • Must offer a quality full-time position to a student
  • Must have insurance
  • Must be compliant with Human Rights and Labor legislation, regulations, and laws
  • Must create a net new student position

How to apply:

Visit ICTC's WIL Digital Program site to create an account to apply.

NOTES:

  • Employers NEED to have a candidate before applying.
  • Funding needs to be approved before the student starts their placement.

Application deadline:

Check their website

Contact:

wil_digital@ictc-ctic.ca

Amount:

Funding will cover up to 50% wage subsidy (up to a maximum of $5,000).

Students hired from under-represented groups may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:

Any registered Canadian business or non-profit organizations. Municipal governments are not eligible for funding.

Click here for more information about terms, conditions and eligibility.

How to apply:
  1. Ensure your organization meets all terms and conditions stated above
  2. Complete an Employer Application Form and submit it along with information about your candidate and the job description
  3. Your student will also be asked to fill out their portion of the application form
  4. Magnet will review your application and reply within 2-4 weeks

NOTES:

  • Employers MUST have a candidate before applying.
  • Funding will be administered after receiving the final pay stub at the end of the placement.

Application deadline:

Check their website

Contact:

swpp@magnet.today

Amount:

Funding will cover up to 50% wage subsidy (up to a maximum of $5,000).

Students hired from under-represented groups may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:

Organizations in Canada (small and large companies/post-secondary institutions/non-profit organizations) working in the mining or mineral exploration sectors are encouraged to apply.

How to apply:

Organizations must fill out and submit the Gearing Up Application Form to gearingup@mihr.ca. Applicants will know within 10 days if their organization has been approved. Once approved, your organization will:

  1. Find a candidate
  2. Notify MiHR of your candidate and they will email the necessary documents for funding.

More information can be found on the Gearing Up applicant guide or on their Gearing Up Program page.

NOTES: Employers DO NOT need to have a candidate before applying.

Application deadline:

Check their website

Contact:

Priya
Phone: (613) 270-9696 ext. 63

Amount:

Funding will cover up to 50% wage subsidy (up to a maximum of $5,000).

Students hired from under-represented groups may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:

Eligibility requirements include:

  • A registered, Canadian business or non-profit.
  • Not a federal, provincial, territorial or municipal government.
  • Committed to paying the student for the role for the duration of the placement in full (subsidy administered after receiving final pay stub).
  • Must be compliant with Human Rights and Labor legislation, regulations, and laws
  • Covered by WCB or alternate workplace insurance
  • Only submitting applications for paid placements that are not subsidized by the federal government under another funding program.

How to apply:

Click here for more details on how to apply.

Application deadline:

Check their website

Contact:

top@occ.ca

Amount:

Funding will cover up to 50% wage subsidy (up to a maximum of $5,000).

Students hired from under-represented groups may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:

Registered Canadian businesses and non-profits who can provide a meaningful, tech-focused work placement opportunity to a student.

Students must work in a role that is tech immersive - although they are not required to be studying something in tech. International students are not eligible for funding.

Large financial sector employers and municipal governments are no longer eligible for funding.

How to apply:

Complete the online Employer Eligibility Assessment and submit it with the necessary documentation.

To access the application portal, please visit Technation's website.

NOTES:

  • Employers NEED to have a candidate before applying. Only applicants that are able to submit information about the job and the student will be considered.

Application deadline:

Check their website

Contact:

careerready@technationcanada.ca

Amount:

Funding will cover up to 50% wage subsidy (up to a maximum of $5,000).

Students hired from under-represented groups may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:
  • Organizations within the truck transportation and logistics industry.
  • The placement must be in the trucking or logistics sector or fulfilling a trucking and logistics job function.
  • International and high school students are not eligible.

Click here for more information about terms, conditions and eligibility.

How to apply:

Visit the Trucking HR Canada website and click "Start your application today".

Application deadline:

Check their website

Contact:

Email: theteam@truckinghr.com

Amount:

Up to $7,000 is specifically available for under-represented groups including women in STEM, Indigenous students, newcomers, and persons with disabilities, as well as first-year students.

Eligibility/Who Can Apply:

Employers must:

  1. be a small to medium-sized business, start-up, social enterprise, nonprofit, or charity (1-500 employees)
  2. have their business located in Atlantic Canada, British Columbia and the Prairies

All industries welcome!

Employers can be from a wide range of industries from agriculture to robotics and anything in between.

How to apply:

To join this program and access this funding, complete the application form on the Venture for Canada website.

NOTES: Employers DO NOT need to have a candidate before applying.

Application deadline:

Check their website

Contact:

Click here to send an email to Venture for Canada.

Frequently asked questions

We've taken questions that we know our employers are asking and have consulted with our experts to provide some helpful answers.

No limit is set, however since funding is limited, SWPP partners reserve the right to limit your intake.

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.

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 – 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

No, the program is only open to students with Canadian citizenship, permanent residents, or refugees with the right to work in Canada.

Yes. Provided that the student meets all the eligibility criteria, the student can work remotely.

Yes.

NOTE: You may stack provincial funding with SWPP funding but not other forms of federal funding.

For example: if you’ve already received NSERC funding for your co-op student, you will not be eligible for SWPP funding.

You may stack provincial funding with SWPP funding but not other forms of federal funding.

For example: if you’ve already received NSERC funding for your co-op student, you will not be eligible for SWPP funding.

You cannot stack SWPP funding with other forms of federal funds. If a student’s wage is partially funded by federal funds, the remaining wage is not eligible for SWPP funding.

SWPP cannot be calculated on a portion of a student’s wage when some of that wage is federally funded.