Hiring Incentives

Ontario Co-operative Education Tax Credit

Ontario Co-operative Education Tax Credit offers up to $3,000 of a tax credit to qualifying employers for each four-month work term.

Click here to learn more about the Ontario Co-operative Education Tax Credit. 

*NOTE: Please be advised that Co-operative Education Tax Credit Letters are sent to employers at the end of each completed work term.

Student Work Placement Program (SWPP)

The Government of Canada has a variety of funding opportunities as part of the Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) administered by Employment and Social Development Canada, which will be extended to 2024. Through SWPP, employers can apply for wage subsidies of up to $7,000 to hire students.

Industry Partners Administering the SWPP Program

• Biotalent Canada Student Work Placement Program
• Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC)
• Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC)
• Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC)
• Environmental Careers Organization of Canada
• Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC)
• Food Processing Skills Canada (FPSC)
• Information and Communication Technology Council (ICTC)
• Magnet Student Work Placement Program
• Talent Opportunities Program
• TECHNATION Career Ready Program
• Tourism HR Canada
• Trucking HR Canada
• Venture for Canada VFC

Other Funding Programs

• Career Ready Fund: Auto Stream Program, Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association (APMA)
• Career-Ready with CTMA: Expanding Opportunities
• Mitacs Accelerate

Additional Resources for Hiring Students or Alumni

Funding

• Canada Summer Jobs
  Provides funding to not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers and small businesses to create summer job opportunities for students who are returning to school in the fall. Not-for-profit employers can receive up to 100% of the minimum hourly wage, and public and private-sector employers up to 50%.
• Guelph Arts Apprenticeship Program (GAAP)
  Designed to provide funding to an employer within the Guelph or Wellington County area that hires a graduate from a College of Arts Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Arts and Science program within a few months of graduation.
• National Research Council of Canada, Industrial Research Assistance Program
  Helps fund internships for university graduates between 6-12 months in length. The program is targeted towards small and medium-sized businesses working on technologically innovative products and processes and covers 50% of costs – up to $15,000 towards the first 12 months of a new hire under 30 years of age.
• Science and Technology Internship Program — Green Jobs
  Provides funding to eligible employers across Canada to hire, train, and mentor youth in the natural resources sector, including in energy, forestry, mining, earth science, and clean technology. Up to 75% in wage subsidies are available for employers.
• Young Canada Works
  Contributes 50-75% of students’ summer job wages and employment costs for positions that are either bilingual or focus on fostering Canadian culture and heritage.
• Eastern Ontario Development Fund
• Mitacs (national, not-for-profit research organization) 
• Northern Scientific Training Grants Program 
• Rural Economic Development Program

Tax Credits

• Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) Tax Incentives
  Generally, a Canadian-controlled private corporation (CCPC) can earn an investment tax credit (ITC) of 35% up to the first $3 million of qualified expenditures for SR&ED carried out in Canada, and 20% on any excess amount. Other Canadian corporations, proprietorships, partnerships, and trusts can earn an ITC of 20% of qualified expenditures for SR&ED carried out in Canada.
• Ontario Innovation Tax Credit
• Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit