Amount: 50% of the provincial minimum per hour wage per each summer student

 

Goal of the program

CSJ is a program under the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, which aims to provide flexible and holistic services to help all young Canadians develop the skills and gain paid work experience to successfully transition into the labour market.

The CSJ program objectives align with the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy and are as follows:

  • provide quality work experiences for youth
  • respond to national and local priorities to improve access to the labour market for youth who face unique barriers
  • provide opportunities for youth to develop and improve their skills

The program provides wage subsidies to employers from not-for-profit organizations and the public sector, as well as private sector organizations with 50 or fewer full-time employees, to create quality summer work experiences for young people aged 15 to 30 years.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Be a for-profit company;
  • Employ 50 or less full-time equivalent employees;
  • To be eligible, students must:
    • be between 15 and 30 years of age at the start of the employment;
    • have been registered as full-time students in the previous academic year and intend to return to school on a full-time basis in the next academic year;
    • be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; and,
    • be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations.

Eligibility Timeline

November 21, 2023 to January 10, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

Review Timeline

Service Canada will begin to inform applicants of the status of their application starting in April, 2024 and will continue into the summer months. All eligibility and funding decisions will be confirmed in writing.

 

Cost Covered

  • Wages

Eligible expenses for job placements

Your application should demonstrate the quality of your proposed job placement(s) through:

  • Youth investment – by paying youth above the minimum wage in your province or territory, or by committing to retain the youth as an employee beyond the period of the CSJ Agreement
  • Supervision – by demonstrating how you will support the youth during their work placement through observing, evaluating, and providing feedback on job performance
  • Mentoring – by demonstrating how your guidance will support the professional and career-development of the youth
  • Skills development – by providing opportunities for youth to develop the skills needed for employment
  • Health and safety practices – by demonstrating that you have implemented measures to ensure that your work environment is safe
    • Employers are responsible for staying informed of provincial guidance on essential services and municipal, provincial and federal public health information, and following all necessary local health guidance
  • Work environment policies and practices – by demonstrating that you have implemented measures to provide a work environment free of harassment and discrimination, including non-discriminatory hiring practices.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be assessed for quality against the following criteria:

  1. Objective 1: Provide quality work experiences for youth
  2. Objective 2: Provide youth with opportunity to develop and improve their skills
  3. Objective 3: Respond to national and local priorities to improve access to the labour market for youth who face unique barriers

How to start my application?

Start by verifying your eligibility through our eligibility check form.