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Student Work Placement Program

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

Thinking of hiring a student? You may be eligible to receive up to $7,000 in wage subsidies! 

As part of the SWPP, funding opportunities are available for employers to hire students for the purposes of experiential learning. 

Information about the SWPP program:

  • Employers may be able to apply for funding before they finalize their selection of students to hire.

  • Net new hiring restrictions are in place. 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.

  • Small and medium sized employers (having fewer than 500 employees) and non-profit organizations will be able to use wage subsidies up-front when there is an operational cash flow need.

  • Students will be able to work from home.

If you have already been approved for SWPP funding and have made changes to a student’s work term, you will need to reach out to the applicable SWPP funding partner to notify them of these changes.

More information about the SWPP program is available from the Employment and Social Development Canada website, and you can find a list of all delivery partners and their contact information below.

Student Work Placement Program (SWPP)

  • SWPP wage subsidy

    Through the SWPP, organizations within Canada that offer full-time employment opportunities between 12 to 16 weeks for full-time Canadian post-secondary students can receive one of the following wage subsidies:

    • Up to 50 per cent of the wage cost for the placement (up to a maximum of $5,000 per placement) per student, OR
    • Up to 75 per cent (up to a maximum of $7,000 per placement) for under-represented students, including first-year students, women in STEM, Indigenous students, persons with disabilities and newcomers. International students are not eligible to participate in the program. 
  • How can I access this funding to hire students?
    There are various delivery partner organizations that help distribute this funding. You can apply for this funding through the SWPP delivery partners, listed below under SWPP delivery partner information.
  • General eligibility requirements
    • Employers can hire students in any program (Business, Engineering, and others).
    • Students must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or a person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for the duration of employment to qualify for funding from the SWPP.
    • Provincial and territorial governments are not eligible for SWPP funding.

SWPP delivery partner information