Student Work Placement Program

Best for: BC companies hiring Canadian students in STEM or business

Grant funding you could receive:

• Companies can get up to $5,000 for every student they hire through the program
• Companies can get up to $7,000 for every student they hire that is in their first year or is from an under-represented group including women in STEM, persons with disabilities, newcomers and Indigenous students

Basic information: The Student Work Placement Program gives post-secondary students in STEM and business programs across Canada paid work experience related to their field of study. Through the Student Work Placement program, employers can apply for wage subsidies to help them hire students in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) or business.

Can be stacked with our ISI grant program? Yes

Eligibility criteria:

• Student work placement activities can include, but is not limited to, mentorship programs co-op placements, practicums, applied research projects, and internships
• To participate in a student work placement, students must be registered in a post-secondary STEM or business program that includes work placements, be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or person with refugee protection, and be legally able to work in Canada
• Companies must apply for wage subsidies through one of the Employer Delivery Partners: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/student-work-placements-wage-subsidies.html

B.C. Employer Training Grant (ETG)

Best for: BC private and non-profit companies who’d like to provide training to current or future employees.

This program is designed to assist employers in providing skills training to new or current employees that will develop skills and certification, upgrade skills needed due to automation and enhance productivity.

Grant funding available:

Up to 80% of eligible training costs, up to a maximum of $10,000 per participant. The employer contributes the rest.

Can be stacked with our ISI grant program? No, it’s not a wage subsidy program

Eligibility criteria:

• BC private and non-profit companies are eligible if currently operating in BC with a current BC Business Licence for at least one year, have Business BCeID Account, and have a job available in BC for the participant at the end of training
• Participants must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or have Canadian refugee status. Participants who are immediate family members of the employer are not eligible.
• Participants must be at least 15 years old and employed by the supporting employer (applicant to the Grant), or unemployed and seeking skills training to obtain a job with the supporting employer
• The participant must be a current or future employee that fits in one of the following categories: low skilled, currently working in low-skilled occupations, apprentices, unemployed
• Training must be relevant to the current operational needs of the business, the current job of the participant or the available job for which training is required.
• Training to obtain the following skills and/or certificates is eligible: Accredited essential skills, Technical skills, Soft skills, Management skills, Business skills. Training must be provided in BC, with the exception of highly technical training that is not available in BC.

Career-Launcher Internship program

Best for: BC private and non-profit companies hiring a skilled grads. They must be a Canadian, recent post-secondary graduate, working for 6-12 months in a full-time position within clean tech, natural resources, or digital tech.

Grant funding you could receive:

• Clean teach: employers can hire an intern for 6-12 months in a full-time position related to the use or development of clean tech, and get up to 70% of the intern’s salary, to a maximum of $15,000
• Natural Resources: employers can hire an intern for 6-12 months in a green full-time job within a natural resource sector, and get up to 50% of the intern’s salary, to a maximum of $15,000
• Digital tech: employers can hire a digital technology intern for 6-12 months in a full-time position, and CICan will contribute up to 50% of the intern’s salary, to a maximum of $12,000.
• An extra $3,000 is available for intern training during the internship or as an additional salary contribution (the total salary contribution is still capped at 50% of the intern’s salary) for interns who are members of an Indigenous group or persons with disabilities. CICan’s total contribution is a maximum of $15,000.

Basic details: Career-Launcher Internships facilitate the transition of highly-skilled postsecondary grads to a rapidly changing labour market. This program is funded by the Government of Canada as part of the Youth Employment Strategy.

Can be stacked with our ISI grant program? No

Eligibility criteria:

• Employers must have an established payroll system and a process for supervising and mentoring interns, and be a Canadian company or subsidiary in one of the following categories: post-secondary education institution, aboriginal organization or association, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) (less than 500 employees), large corporation (more than 500 employees), NGO, non-profit organization, municipal or local government, provincial or territorial government, institution, agency or Crown Corporation
• Clean tech: Positions that qualify for a subsidy are 6-12 months in duration (minimum of 30 hrs per week) in a STEM field
• Natural Resources: Positions that qualify for a subsidy are 6-12 months in duration (minimum of 30 hrs per week), meaningful work experiences in the natural resource sectors in a STEM field
• Digital tech: Full-time positions that are 6-12 months in duration (minimum of 30 hrs per week) within a digital field (coding and programming, digital media and design, information technology, data processing and management, artificial intelligence, etc.)
• Qualified interns are Canadian citizens, permanent residents or have Canadian refugee status, recent post-secondary graduates no more than 30 years of age at the start of the internship, not receiving employment insurance during their internship, available to work for at least six months

BC Tech Co-op Grants Program

Best for: BC private and non-profit companies under 100 employees hiring co-op students

Grant funding you could receive:

Each employer is eligible to receive a maximum of four grants each per fiscal year valued at $2,700 (a total value of $10,800), to recruit and train between one to four distinct co-op students. The employer must pay the remainder of the student’s salary during the co-op term.

Can be stacked with our ISI grant program? No

Basic details: With demand for tech sector jobs on the rise, the BC Tech Grants Program helps small technology companies access top talent while giving students exposure to BC’s growing technology sector.

Eligibility criteria:

• BC-based business with less than 100 employees on payroll, a tech company hiring for any role or a non-tech company, organization, or non-profit hiring for a tech role
• The student must be a first-term co-op placement for a post-secondary program conducted in BC or the company must be employing their first co-op student in at least the last five years (new co-op employer)

Youth Employment Program (NRC IRAP)

Best for: Canadian small or medium-sized incorporated and for-profit businesses hiring interns (Canadian, post-secondary graduate, between 15 to 30 years of age)

Grant funding you could receive:

50% of the costs of the first 12 months of employment, up to $15,000

Basic details: The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) delivers the program under the federal government’s Youth Employment Strategy, which aims to help young Canadians get career information, develop skills, find good jobs, and stay employed.

Can be stacked with our ISI grant program? No

Eligibility criteria:

• The business must be a small or medium-sized business (500 or fewer full-time equivalents), incorporated and for-profit, willing to partner with NRC IRAP
• The candidate’s internship must last a minimum of six months and a maximum of 12 months, and the candidate must be 15 to 30 years of age at the start of the internship, a post-secondary graduate, a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada or person granted refugee status in Canada, a first-time participant in a Youth Employment Strategy work experience program targeted at post-secondary graduates

Clean Leadership Program

Best for: Canadian businesses and institutions hiring full-time interns who are Canadian, STEM post-secondary graduates, and under 30 years of age

Grant funding you could receive:

Up to $15,000 per intern ( 50% of the total cost of each internship)

Basic details: The Clean Leadership Program’s professional internship stream (6 to 12 months), funded through Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Science Horizons Program, provides a wage subsidy of 50% (to a maximum of $15,000) to help employers anywhere in Canada hire the talent they need and help increase the supply of highly qualified professionals in the environmental sector. The ideal end goal of the program is for the intern to be hired on full-time or decide to return to academia to further their studies in the STEM field.

Can be stacked with our ISI grant program? No

Eligibility criteria:

• In-house employment opportunities in environmental STEM fields
• Provide a full-time internship with a required duration between 6-12 months
• Offering the opportunity of a full-time, permanent position (37.5-40 hours per week) at the end of the internship
• Planning to hire a new employee (the intern cannot be an existing employee OR have any previous working history with the organization)
• Establish and maintain a process for supervising and mentoring an intern
• Participate in a minimum of two internship check-ins (via phone or, when possible, in-person) and a final survey
• Contribute as at least 50% of the total cost of each internship

Eligible companies/organizations include:

• Individuals, for-profit organizations, provincial and territorial, municipal and local governments including institutions, agencies and Crown Corporations
• Post-secondary institutions, organizations, including but not limited to non-government organizations, including non-profit organizations
• Canadian owned, a Canadian subsidiary, Municipal Government Department, or Provincial Government Department

Qualified interns are:

• Graduates from a post-secondary program in a STEM field
• No more than 30 years of age at the start of the internship
• Canadian citizens, permanent residents or persons granted refugee status in Canada
• Available to work for at least six months
• Not currently employed as a paid employee at the host organization
• Legally allowed to work in Canada
• Not receiving employment insurance during their internship
• Unemployed or underemployed
• Not a family member of the host organization’s directors or senior officers