Sponsor

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Program

Youth Employment and Skills Program

For More Information

Please contact the regional office [1] nearest you or www.agr.gc.ca

Description

The Youth Employment and Skills Program provides a wage subsidy to employers who hire youth for agricultural jobs. 

 Examples of typical projects may include:

• farmers who wish to hire farm workers for planting and harvesting crops or managing livestock
• agricultural businesses, such as greenhouses, orchards, vineyards, vegetable producers who have labor needs
• small businesses who supply agricultural products or services
• food processors in need of labor

Eligibility

Eligible employers are agricultural related organizations such as farmers, food processors and agricultural related non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who can offer opportunities that will give youth:

• agriculture career-related work experiences and skills in Canada.

These organizations may be from:

• industry
• not-for-profit organizations
• provincial and municipal governments
• associations
• boards
• councils
• universities

Eligible employers are responsible for hiring and verifying the eligibility of participants for the Youth Employment and Skills activities.

To qualify, the employee must be:

• 30 years or younger when they started the internship
• unemployed or underemployed, a student, or a previous intern of any Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) program
• a Canadian citizen or permanent resident

Youth facing barriers includes:

• living with a disability
• being Indigenous
• living in a low income household [2]
• being a single parent
• residing in a remote location
• living with family care responsibilities
• coming out of, or have involvement with the justice system
• other barriers approved on a case by case basis

Note: Eligible applicants must be legal entities capable of entering into legally binding agreements

Funding Availability

The program offers support for 50% of wages to a maximum of $14,000.  Additionally, the program offers 100% of costs for relocation to a maximum of $5,000 if the employee must relocate for the position.

If approved, the following employers are eligible to receive 80% of total eligible costs, up to a maximum of $14,000:

• Indigenous individuals or organizations
• Employers who hire a youth facing barrier(s) (section 2.2 [3] of Applicant guide)

For youth facing barriers, an additional $5,000 is available to cover the costs of addressing these employment barriers.

Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis as long as funds are available.

Maximum Project Value

The Youth employment and Skills Program will contribute $9.2 million to projects that employ youth and youth facing barriers. Each project will be eligible to receive up to $14,000 in matching funds to employ one (1) intern.

Indirect Costs

Indirect costs rate is 40%

Project Duration

Projects must offer the employee meaningful agricultural work that must be completed by March 31, 2021.

Special Notes

Please refer to the Office of Research COVID 19 web-page [4] for directives related to research activities at the University of Guelph. 

How to Apply

Before applying, please read the Applicant guide [6] for detailed information on eligibility criteria, support and funding available, and the application process.

Complete the application form and required documents

To apply, complete the following forms:

• Project application form (PDF) [7] (required)
• Signature of Applicant Authorized Representative [8] (required)
• A copy of the organization's Certificates or Articles of Incorporation (required)

Hard copy forms are available at the Youth Employment and Skills Program regional office [9] nearest you.

Submit your completed application form and documents

To apply online, download, complete and submit the Project application form (PDF) [7].

Apply by email to aafc.yesp-pecj.aac@canada.ca [10]

Apply by mail or fax by submitting the completed Project Application Form and required attachments to the regional office [9] nearest you.