Summer Funding

Hiring a student for the summer can be affordable!

Here are job grants, incentives, wage subsidies and other funding opportunities specific to it.

Canada Summer Jobs has been administered by the federal government for many years now to help young people find meaningful work by providing wage subsidies (75 – 100% Wage Coverage) to employers. 

Employer eligibility and funding:

To be eligible to receive subsidies to hire, your organization must be a:

  • not-for-profit organization (eligible for wage subsidies up to 100% of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage)
  • public-sector organization (eligible for wage subsidies up to 75% of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage)
  • small businesses with less than 50 full-time employees (eligible for wage subsidies up to 75% of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage)

Student eligibility:

To be eligible to receive subsidies to hire, your organization must hire a youth:

  • between the ages of 15 – 30
  • that is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person to who refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for the duration of employment
  • with a valid Social Insurance Number at the start of employment and be legally entitled to work in Canada

How to apply:

For more information on eligibility and to complete an application, please visit the Government of Canada website.

Application deadline:

Annually in early February

Young Canada Works (YCW) is another program that's available to all organizations across Canada.

Employer eligibility and funding:

An employer may be eligible for funding if it is:

  • an incorporated, non-profit organization in Canada with a heritage mandate such as a museum, archives, a library, or an organization managing a heritage site/built heritage;
  • an educational or cultural institution that has distinct objectives, programs and a budget related to heritage;
  • a non-profit organization under a provincial, territorial, regional or municipal government, that has distinct objectives, programs and a budget related to heritage;
  • a professional heritage service organization;
  • an Indigenous regional government or governing body (band or tribal council) and/or Indigenous organization with a mandate to preserve and support Indigenous heritage (First Nations, Inuit and Métis); and
  • stable and financially healthy.

An employer is not eligible if it is:

  • a federal department, federal agency or Crown corporation;
  • a provincial or territorial government department;
  • for-profit; or
  • a non-profit organization with a heritage mandate in support of a federal entity, that is also operationally dependent on the federal entity by virtue of its administrative and/or contractual relationship.

Maximum funding per position (for all employers) is between 25% - 75% of employment costs up to a maximum of $8,000 per job

Student eligibility:

A student is eligible if they:

  • are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada (non-Canadians holding temporary work visas or awaiting permanent status are not eligible);
  • are legally entitled to work in Canada;
  • will be between 16 and 30 years of age at the start of employment;
  • are willing to commit to the full duration of the work assignment;
  • will not have another full-time job (over 30 hours a week) while employed with the program;
  • have been a full-time student (as defined by their educational institution) in the semester preceding the YCW assignment; and
  • intend to return to full-time studies in the semester following the YCW assignment.

How to apply:

For more information on eligibility and to complete an application, please visit this website. 

Application deadline:

Annually in mid-January

Young Canada Works (YCW) is another program that's available to all organizations across Canada (Up to $8000 per student).

Employer eligibility and funding:

An employer may be eligible for funding if it is:

  • a private, public, non-profit organization, or a municipality;
  • incorporated;
  • involved in national, provincial, territorial, municipal or community activities;
  • willing to hire young people from other regions of Canada;
  • conducting activities in both official languages; and
  • stable and financially healthy.

An employer is not eligible if it is:

  • a federal department, federal agency or Crown Corporation; or
  • a provincial or territorial government department.

Maximum funding per position (for all employers) is between 25% - 75% of employment costs up to a maximum of $8,000 per job

Student eligibility:

A student is eligible if they:

  • are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada (non-Canadians holding temporary work visas or awaiting permanent status are not eligible);
  • are legally entitled to work in Canada;
  • will be between 16 and 30 years of age at the start of employment;
  • are willing to commit to the full duration of the work assignment;
  • will not have another full-time job (over 30 hours a week) while employed with the program;
  • have been a full-time student (as defined by their educational institution) in the semester preceding the YCW assignment; and
  • intend to return to full-time studies in the semester following the YCW assignment.

How to apply:

For more information on eligibility and to complete an application, please visit this website.

Application deadline:

Annually in early February

(Applications submitted after this date will be dealt with on a first come first serve basis and based on the availability of funds.)

Green Spaces is a wage matching funding opportunity. They provide employers with wage subsidies (50% Cost and Wage Subsidy) to enable them to hire youth interested in the Green Economy.

Employer eligibility and funding:

To be eligible to receive subsidies to hire, your organization must be a:

  • not-for-profit organizations
  • private-sector companies
  • municipal governments, provincial and territorial governments, institutions, agencies, and Crown Corporations
  • indigenous organizations (including band councils, tribal councils, and self-government entities);
  • post-secondary institutions or research labs

UNA-Canada offers a wage subsidy (approximately 50%) for the duration of your Green Spaces participant’s employment at your organization.

Student eligibility:

All students interested must apply by completing an application on the Green Spaces webpage. To be eligible to receive subsidies to hire, your organization must hire a student that is:

  • registered as a full-time student in the previous academic year and intend to return to school full-time in the upcoming academic year
  • between the ages of 15 and 30 (inclusive) at the time of intake/selection
  • Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or persons who have been granted refugee status in Canada;
  • be legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations

How to apply:

For more information on eligibility, please visit the Green Spaces website.

If you are interested in hiring a Green Spaces participant, please contact a Regional Co-ordinator closest to you.

Maggie Hall

Maggie.Hall@unac.org

Vancouver

Kylie Campbell

Kylie.Campbell@unac.org

Whitehorse & Territories

Lisa Robenberg

Lisa.Rosenberg@unac.org

Calgary

Pamela Bryan

Pamela.Bryan@unac.org

Edmonton

Liesl Mulholland

Liesl.Mulholland@unac.org

Halifax & Atlantic Provinces

Estela Ulloa

Estela.Ulloa@unac.org

Toronto

Megan Elliott

greencorps@unac.org

Ottawa

Oula Hajjar

Oula.Hajjar@unac.org

Montreal

Tamara-Jeanne Dubé

Tamara-Jeanne.Dube@unac.org

Quebec City

Abdal Qeshta

Abdal.Qeshta@unac.org

Winnipeg

Tzigane Ludwig

Tzigane.Ludwig@unac.org

Saskatoon

Application deadline:

No deadline to apply (but there is limited funding)

2 cycles of funding throughout the year. The work placement must be between:

  • Fall/Winter: September – March
  • Summer: May – August 

BioAlberta's Work-Integrated Learning Industry Voucher that's available to all organizations across Canada (Up to $5000 per student).

Employer eligibility and funding:

 If you think WIL can help you move a project or product forward, and you are willing to provide a student with practical work in a field related to their studies within Alberta’s life sciences eco-system, please contact Jamie Anderson-Reid at jamie@bioalberta.com for details on how to apply. 

Student eligibility:

A student is eligible if they:

  • are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada (non-Canadians holding temporary work visas or awaiting permanent status are not eligible);
  • are legally entitled to work in Canada;
  • will be between 16 and 30 years of age at the start of employment;
  • are willing to commit to the full duration of the work assignment;
  • will not have another full-time job (over 30 hours a week) while employed with the program;
  • have been a full-time student (as defined by their educational institution) in the semester preceding the YCW assignment; and
  • intend to return to full-time studies in the semester following the YCW assignment.

How to apply:

please contact Jamie Anderson-Reid at jamie@bioalberta.com for details on how to apply.

Application deadline:

Annually in mid April

(Applications submitted after this date will be dealt with on a first come first serve basis and based on the availability of funds.)

University of Lethbridge Humanities and Social Sciences Program that's available to all organizations across Canada (Up to $5000 per student).

Employer eligibility and funding:

An employer may be eligible for funding if it is:

  • a private, public, non-profit organization, or a municipality;
  • incorporated;
  • involved in national, provincial, territorial, municipal or community activities;
  • willing to hire young people from other regions of Canada;
  • conducting activities in both official languages; and
  • stable and financially healthy.

An employer is not eligible if it is:

  • a federal department, federal agency or Crown Corporation; or
  • a provincial or territorial government department.

Maximum funding per position (for all employers) is between 25% - 50% of employment costs up to a maximum of $5,000 per job

Student eligibility:

A student is eligible if they:

  • University of Lethbridge student whose majors are in the Humanities and Social Sciences
  • are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada (non-Canadians holding temporary work visas or awaiting permanent status are not eligible);
  • are legally entitled to work in Canada;
  • will be between 16 and 30 years of age at the start of employment;
  • are willing to commit to the full duration of the work assignment;
  • will not have another full-time job (over 30 hours a week) while employed with the program;
  • have been a full-time student (as defined by their educational institution) in the semester preceding the YCW assignment; and
  • intend to return to full-time studies in the semester following the YCW assignment.

How to apply:

For more information on eligibility and to complete an application, please contact coop@uleth.ca

Application deadline:

Annually in February

(Applications submitted after this date will be dealt with on a first come first serve basis and based on the availability of funds.)