Tax credits, government funding and programs
Co-operative Education Tax Credit (CETC)
If you are an employer in Ontario and would like to provide valuable work experience, you may qualify for a significant tax break – from 25 to 30 per cent of eligible expenses up to a maximum of $3,000 for each four-month work term a student completes.
- Many of Conestoga’s co-operative education programs qualify for the Government of Ontario’s Co-operative Education Tax Credit
- The CETC is a refundable tax credit for employers equal to 25 per cent (30 per cent for businesses with payrolls less than $400,000) of the salaries and wages paid to eligible post-secondary students in a qualifying co-op work term of at least 10 consecutive weeks. A maximum tax credit of $3,000 is available per student per four-month qualifying work term
- Letters confirming eligible co-op student employment are emailed at the end of each co-op term (September, May or January) to the email address provided in the Work Term Agreement
For additional details, please see Co-operative Education Tax Credit./p>
Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) federal government funding
Funded by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), SWPP provides wage subsidies for student work experiences through 2023 for post-secondary students in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and business programs.
April 1 update: The program has been approved for continuation until 2024:
- Organizations within Canada that offer full-time employment opportunities between 12-16 weeks for full-time post-secondary students can receive wage subsidies:
- Approved funding covering up to 50% of student wages. Hiring students from under-represented groups, may qualify for wage subsidies of up to 70%. Determination is on a case-by-case basis by SWPP delivery partners
- Approved funding covering up to 50% of student wages. Hiring students from under-represented groups, may qualify for wage subsidies of up to 70%. Determination is on a case-by-case basis by SWPP delivery partners
- SWPP partners have developed a pre-approval checklist so you can find out if you're eligible for funding before going through the hiring process
Final decisions are determined by SWPP delivery partners.
Industry partners
The program is being delivered through industry partners, and each partner is running the program a little differently. Key information on each partner is listed below.
| SWPP Delivery Partner | Eligibility/who can apply |
|---|---|
| Bio Talent Canada | STEAM and business programs Employers within the biotechnology industry or employers in any industry that are hiring for a job role with a biotechnology focus. |
| Canadian Council for Aviation and Aerospace (CCAA) | STEAM and Business programs Organizations in Canada in the aerospace and aviation industry (can’t be a research position in a school lab). Employers - small and medium sized. |
| Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) | Agricultural businesses targeting students in both agriculture-related programs and disciplines not related to agriculture. |
| Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) | Companies engaged in the development, production and distribution of English-language content for TV, feature film and digital media channels. |
| Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council | Tourism-related organizations - work placements with formal learning and applied experiences for students seeking careers in the visitor economy. |
| Cultural Human Resources Council | Organizations in the Canadian cultural sector, focusing on relevant needed skill sets in the sector, including technology and business. |
| Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC) | The employer must be in an electricity-related industry e.g. generation, transmission, distribution, support services including: R&D, business dev., energy efficiency, energy storage, electrical vehicle integration and smart cities. |
| Environmental Careers Organization of Canada (ECO Canada) | STEAM and Business programs. Organizations in Canada working in the environmental sector. |
| Food Processing Skills Canada | Food and beverage manufacturing and related sectors delivering student work placements in the food and beverage manufacturing sector. |
| Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC) | Manufacturing and related sectors - (e.g. North American Industry Classification - NAICS codes 31-33). |
| Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) | STEAM and Business programs. Emerging technology and digital sector e.g. focused on fintech, intelligent retail and advanced manufacturing, also, entertainment, gaming, e-health, connected transportation, big data, green technology. |
| Magnet Student Work Placement Program | For employers not represented by any of the other SWPP partners below. The program is expected to generate up to 20,000 paid student work placements yearly across Canada by 2021-22. |
| Mining Industry Human Resources Canada (MIHRC) | STEAM and Business programs. Companies must be involved in the mining or mineral exploration sector or a post-secondary institution or a not for profit organisation. It is possible for students to work on a faculty led research project which is in partnership with aiming related business. |
| Ontario Chamber of Commerce | Any industry sector. Some restrictions apply. For registered Canadian businesses and non-profit organizations. |
| Technation (formerly ITAC) | Business and technology or technology capacity. There has to be an element of technology in the role. |
| Trucking Human Resources Canada | Organizations in the truck transportation and logistics sector. |
| Venture for Canada | Wage subsidies to Atlantic, British Columbia and the Prairies Canadian organizations (business or non-profits) from any industry, who have fewer than 500 employees. |
Apprentice & journeyperson incentives
A complete list of incentives for Apprentices and Journeypersons can be found on the School of Trades & Apprenticeship website.
Employment Ontario employment services placements
Training incentives may be available for eligible employers committed to providing work-related training and development that prepares individuals to perform the full responsibilities of the job. Training incentives are designed to offset some of the employers' cost of training and encourage employers to retain the participant after the placement ends.
For more information, contact the Community Career Centre.
Additional government programs
For provincial incentive programs in Ontario, see the
Government of Ontario website.
Learn about the funding opportunities (grants and contributions) offered by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), the Labour Program and Service Canada by browsing the
Government of Canada ESDC website.
For a full list of Federal Government Employment Resources for employers hiring young workers visit the
Government of Canada Services for Youth website.
Benefits of hiring co-op students
Conestoga Co-op students:
- are cost-effective, temporary employees for peak periods of activity, seasonal variations in workload or short-term projects,
- give you the opportunity to explore new employment positions without extensive investment or long-range commitment,
- raise your organization’s profile with students and graduates as an employer of choice,
- add bright, motivated, fresh talent to your organization,
- allow you to evaluate candidates before consideration for permanent employment; the work/study approach to education assists employers in recruiting mature, experienced graduates,
- allow you to familiarize prospective full-time employees with your organization, decreasing orientation and training when hiring graduates,
- give your rising stars a chance to supervise and develop their people management skills, and
- contribute to the enhanced education and training of Ontario’s future skilled workers.