Various funding and subsidy programs to assist in the hiring a co-op student are available. Qualified employers must apply independently through the organization contacts listed below.
Co-op/Internship Hiring
Co-op Education Incentive (Nova Scotia)
Funded by: Nova Scotia Labour and Advanced Education
The Co-op Education Incentive provides wage assistance to private sector, government-funded and non-profit organizations in Nova Scotia who offer career-related work experiences for co-op students.
Details
Employers can hire a co-op student for a work term of 12-16 weeks. You’ll receive a subsidy of $8.00 an hour ($9.50 if the student is a member of designated diversity group) for the wages you pay the student. 32 week terms are available in some education programs – please confirm with the Co-op Coordinator at the post-secondary institution.
Organizations within Canada that offer full-time and part-time opportunities for full-time and part-time Canadian post-secondary students (including remote-working opportunities) may be eligible to receive wage subsidies covering up to $5,000 toward the salary of every student hired through the program, and up to $7,000 for every student hired that is in their first year or is from an under-represented group (applicable to all wages earned until March 31, 2026).
Details
Who qualifies?
Employers:
Must be a registered business in Canada (provincial and territorial governments are not eligible)
May hire students in any program; however, students must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or have refugee status
Must be hiring for net new positions (i.e. enabling them to do more than they could without SWPP funding)
Are willing to provide a quality work-integrated learning experience
Are committed to paying the student for the role, and have the financial capacity to pay the student for the duration of the work term in full (the wage subsidy will be administered after receiving all supporting documentation at the end of the work term)
Are compliant with all federal and provincial human rights and labour legislation, regulations, and any other relevant standards including the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Employment Standards Act
Where legally required, are responsible for Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) or alternate workplace insurance coverage
Students:
Must be enrolled full-time at a post-secondary institution
Can be enrolled in any program
Are required to have Canadian citizenship or Permanent Resident or Refugee status and be legally entitled to work in Canada
How does it work?
The SWPP program is delivered by a group of employer delivery partners who work with businesses and post-secondary education institutions to coordinate wage subsidies. A limited number of funding opportunities exist each year and are allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please contact any of the most applicable partners to learn more about their available funding and application timelines.
Provides wage subsidies to assist not-for-profit, public sector and smaller private sector organizations with 50 or fewer employees across Canada.
Details
Eligible students must have been registered full-time students during the previous academic term with the intention of returning to their studies during the next academic year. Students must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents and legally entitled to work in Canada.
Not-for-profits may be eligible for 100% coverage of provincial / territorial adult minimum hourly wage. Public and private sector employers are eligible for up to 50% of the provincial / territorial minimum hourly wage.
Provides wage subsidies to Atlantic Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve organizational productivity and make advancements in manufacturing modernization by hiring Dalhousie co-op students from Engineering, Computer Science, and other related STEM disciplines.
Details
Emerging Now is intended to encourage and support Nova Scotia small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve productivity and make advancements in manufacturing modernization by hiring Dalhousie University co-op students from select programs, including Engineering, Computer Science, and other related STEM disciplines.
Eligible SMEs will receive the opportunity to hire Dalhousie students who will participate in organizational productivity improvement and modernization initiatives. Ideally, regional SMEs will employ Dalhousie co-op students for three work terms over a 12-month period to maximize the impact to their operations.
Program structure:
Up to 24 positions per year are expected
Approved companies are eligible to receive wage assistance up to 2/3rds total salary to a maximum of $20/hour (based on 40 hrs/wk to a maximum of 16 weeks for each work term)
Companies/firms must pay a minimum of $15.00/hour based on a 40-hour work week
To be eligible for funding, firms must:
Be involved in manufacturing/production of goods
Be based in Atlantic Canada
Be considered a small or medium-sized business
Be exporting, actively developing an export market, or be planning to export goods outside of Canada
Be recognized as a high or potential high growth company in manufacturing/production
Employ Dalhousie Co-op students who are in good academic standing and are eligible to participate in Dalhousie's Co-op program, from Engineering, Computer Science, and other related disciplines.
Subscribe to and uphold the responsibilities required by SITE Coop's Employer agreement
Companies/firms operating in the employer sectors of a) retail/wholesale; b) real-estate; c) government/government services and services of a personal or social nature are not eligible
Application instructions:
Applications will be accepted on myCareer (log-in required). If you do not already have a myCareer employer account, please select "employer registration" on the right-hand side of the myCareer home page.
Once logged-on, select "SITE Co-op/ARCH PLAN Co-op" in the left-hand navigation pane, and then select "Emerging Now" in the same navigation pane.
Energy Training Program
Funded by: Government of Nova Scotia
Hire a student or recent graduate for a summer work term in the energy sector and the Government of Nova Scotia will cover part of their wages.
The Energy Training Program helps postsecondary students and recent graduates get work experience in the energy sector with a hiring incentive for local businesses. Employers in the energy sector who hire a summer student or recent grad may be eligible to have 60% of their salary (up to $9.00 an hour)Employers receive up to 50% (up to $7.50 an hour). The deadline for applications is January 14, 2022.
Details
Who can apply
This program is available to businesses with up to 500 employees operating in Nova Scotia. Businesses must have a direct connection to the energy sector.
Employers must provide work experience that’s directly related to the student’s field of study. Work term positions must pay at least the legal minimum wage, plus 4% vacation pay.
Larger local companies may be considered for the program if funding levels allow. Before you apply, read the application package to make sure your business is eligible.
If you have questions about the program or the application, contact the Nova Scotia Department of Energy and Mines at energytraining@novascotia.ca and 902-424-5447.
Industrial Research Assistance Program
Funded by: National Research Council Canada
IRAP supports small and medium-sized enterprises in the development of technologies by cost-sharing approved research and development projects.
Details
Employers should be incorporated Canadian small-medium sized enterprises with no more than 500 employees.
The project should deal with research related to science and technology with the goal to enhance your company's innovative capability.
Students must be Canadian citizens, landed immigrant or hold a valid work permit and enrolled in a full-time program.
Availability: ongoing
Application deadline: projects must be individually proposed to NRC IRAP
Provides an opportunity to recent graduates in natural science and engineering to gain relevant and meaningful work experiences within their field of studies.
SKILL helps registered non-profits, charities and social enterprises offer summer jobs to post-secondary students.
Details
Eligible employers can hire students for terms of 8-14 weeks in the summer. You’ll receive a subsidy of $9.10 per hour ($10.10 if the student is a member of designated diversity group) for the wages you pay to your student employees. Students must work at least 240 hours during their work term. The program will reimburse up to 525 hours.
Availability: Apply between 15 December 2022 and 31 January 2023.
Other hiring: graduate, research and innovation projects
Energy Training Program
Funded by: Government of Nova Scotia
Hire a student or recent graduate for a summer work term in the energy sector and the Government of Nova Scotia will cover part of their wages.
The Energy Training Program helps postsecondary students and recent graduates get work experience in the energy sector with a hiring incentive for local businesses. Employers receive up to 50% (up to $7.50 an hour) of the student or graduate’s wages for a 12 to 17-week work term.
Details
Who can apply
This program is available to businesses with up to 500 employees operating in Nova Scotia. Businesses must have a direct connection to the energy sector.
Employers must provide work experience that’s directly related to the student’s field of study. Work term positions must pay at least the legal minimum wage, plus 4% vacation pay.
Larger local companies may be considered for the program if funding levels allow. Before you apply, read the application package to make sure your business is eligible.
If you have questions about the program or the application, contact the Nova Scotia Department of Energy and Mines at energytraining@novascotia.ca and 902-424-5447.
Graduate to Opportunity
Funded by: Labour and Advanced Education, Government of Nova Scotia
Provides salary contributions to offset the cost of hiring a recent graduate and assists post-secondary graduates find career opportunities in Nova Scotia.
Details
GTO Grow
GTO Grow is for Nova Scotia employers looking to hire a recent graduate into a new, permanent, full-time position that pays at least $37,500 a year.
Employers receive 25% of the first year's salary and 12.5% of the second year's salary.
Employers can be from any sector and hire graduates for jobs related to their field of study.
You can apply for the subsidy if you fall into any of these categories:
a small business with fewer than 100 employees
a start-up company incorporated within 2 years of the application date
a social enterprise, non-profit organization or registered charity with recognized standing
GTO Innovate
GTO Innovate is for Nova Scotia businesses looking to hire a recent masters or PhD grad for an innovation-focused job that pays at least $60,000 a year.
Eligible employers receive 30% of the first year's salary and 15% of the second year's salary.
At least half of the new graduate's time must be spent on innovation-based activities like:
applied research
product and service development
market analysis for new complex products or activity
improvement of product quality, customer services and business efficiencies
process development or improvement
technical feasibility studies and pilots for product launches or market entry
For GTO Innovate, you must operate a for-profit business that has no more than 200 full-time employees.
Additional subsidy
Both GTO Grow and GTO Innovate provide an additional 10% in subsidy in year 1 if the employer hires a graduate that self-identifies as Mi'kmaq or Indigenous, African Nova Scotian, a visible minority, a person with a disability, member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, a woman in an occupation where they are under-represented or an international student.
Mitacs connects companies and not-for profit organizations with academic researchers for innovative research projects, supporting collaborations with all academic disciplines and sectors, and providing matching funding to help organizations leverage their research budgets and hire College, Master, PhD, and Post-Doc interns.
Details
Connect with Marie Hogan mhogan@mitacs.ca to learn more about current funding opportunities.
Scientific Research and Experimental Development Program
Funded by: Canada Revenue Agency
Offers tax deductions for current and capital expenditures as well as investment tax credits.
Details
Canadian businesses conducting research and development in the areas experimental development, applied research, basic research and support work may qualify.
Deadline: At least three (3) weeks prior to the start of the work term.
