TheBulletin.ca Journal of Downtown Toronto
Are you a small business owner or running a not-for-profit? Do you need some extra boots on the ground during the summer of 2017 – Canada’s 150th anniversary year?
Why not join thousands of other employers and hire a summer student with the help of funding from the Government of Canada.
The Government of Canada is now accepting applications from employers. Until Jan. 20, employers across the country can apply for federal government funding to hire young Canadians for next summer, with students starting their jobs as early as April 2017.
Public-sector employers and small businesses, with 50 or fewer employees, can receive up to 50 percent of the minimum hourly wage. Not-for-profit employers can receive up to 100 percent, as well as employment-related costs.
The Government recognizes Canada’s youth are leaders today and an important and influential voice within our society. They deserve every opportunity to succeed. As an employer in the CSJ program, you will be boosting your local economy by adding jobs, and providing these young people with the tangible experience they need to start their careers. Hiring a student brings new life, energy and ideas into an organization.
Eric St-Jean, Program Facilitator at Roots to Harvest, recently shared his experience with the CSJ program: “With Canada Summer Jobs grants, we can hire students who can work the land in the summer time. Here at Roots to Harvest, we are caring for plants and animals in our space. So students get to learn that sense of responsibility, and they also get the opportunity to work with a variety of community partners. Part of the job is being a leader, being a mentor. We really want to connect with youth. We really want to be in a mentoring role for them and be able to provide them with some skills beyond gardening.”
Providing good quality jobs doesn’t just help our small businesses and not-for-profit organizations. It also supports our local priorities and community development.
Canada Summer Jobs 2017 will focus on applications which complement five national priorities, including support for:
- employers involved in the welcoming and settlement of immigrants (including Syrian refugees) in Canada;
- employers that hire Indigenous people;
- employers in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sectors;
- employers involved in activities celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation; and
- small businesses working to become more innovative, competitive and successful, in recognition of their key contribution to the creation of new jobs.
In the past, funding from CSJ has gone to projects that vary in diversity from camp counselling for kids with medical, physical and cognitive conditions, to library-sponsored reading programs.
Applying is easy. Employers can submit their application online at Canada.ca/Canada-summer-jobs from now until January 20, 2017.
The Canada Summer Jobs program has funded thousands of employers and created hundreds of thousands of student jobs. Summer 2017 is your chance to help your small business, public sector or not-for-profit organization thrive by employing energetic and enthusiastic young Canadians, while giving them a chance to get work experience that helps them prepare for their own career.
