Co-operative Education Incentive
Department - Organization: NS Dept Labour, Skills and Immigration
Description: The Co-op Education Incentive (CO-OP) provides wage assistance to organizations that offer career-related work experiences for university and college cooperative students.
Deadline:
Apply between December 15th, 2024 and January 15th, 2025 for the Summer 2025 co-op term.
Apply between April 15th and May 15th, 2025 for the Fall 2025 co-op term.
Apply between August 15th and September 16th, 2025 for the Winter 2026 co-op term.
Contact: yepinfo@novascotia.ca
Website: Co-operative Education Incentive
Clean Foundation Workforce Development
Department - Organization: Clean Foundation
Description: Workforce Development offers several internship opportunities including. These programs offer significant wage subsidies for environmental-specific positions, they can also assist with recruitment, applicant screening, interviewing and onboarding.
- Science Horizons Internship Program: Up to 80 percent of an intern’s salary to a maximum of $25,000 for youth from employment equity groups. 50 percent to a maximum of $25,000 for qualified, job-ready youth; and barrier alleviation funds available for training, certifications, personal protective equipment, transportation, childcare/family care, remote work supports, adaptive technology, etc. Contact sciencehorizons@cleanfoundation.ca or visit the webpage. Employer applications open untill May 6, 2025, at 3:59 p.m (AST).
- Green Jobs Internship Program: Wage subsidy of up to $24,000 per intern hired who self-identifies as a woman or racialized youth, or up to $30,000 per intern hired who self-identifies as Indigenous, youth living with a disability, or youth living in a northern or remote community. Contact greenjobs@cleanfoundation.ca, or visit the webpage. Deadline March 28th, 2025
- Indigenous Wage Subsidy Initiative: The program connects Indigenous job seekers (age 15 and up) residing in Nova Scotia with qualifying positions in the clean economy in Nova Scotia. Employers can apply to be connected with an eligible employee. Employers can receive a subsidy covering up to 80 percent of the employee’s salary (up to $10,000, for a maximum period of eight months). Contact bsmith@cleanfoundation.ca, or visit the webpage. Continous intake.
- Clean Leadership Summer Internship Program: Helps grow the clean economy by matching employers with interns (age 15-30) for summer work placements. This includes a 60% wage subsidy. Added work capacity with 15-week and 9-week long internships. Access to Human Resources to help support intern recruitment, applicant screening, interviewing and onboarding. Occupational Health and Safety training and resources including supervising and mentoring support. Contact cleanleadership@cleanfoundation.ca, or visit the webpage. Closed January, 2025.
Example(s): New Glasgow hired an intern through the Science Horizons program with over a 75% wage subsidy for an 8-month contract.
Deadlines: See above.
Website: Workforce Development
Green Jobs Initiative
Department - Organization: The Canadian Parks and Recreation Association
Description: This program will provide direct financial support (via wage subsidies) to municipalities & non-profits, for jobs that focus on green career-related activities. The employee must be Between 15 and 30 years of age when employment begins (inclusive). Wage subsidies will be up to 50%, to a maximum of $5,062.00 for each youth.
Deadline: April 11th, 2025. 6:00 pm AT
Contact: Collen Decker, colleen@cpra.ca
Website: Green Jobs Initiative
Canada Retraining and Opportunities Initiative
Department - Organization: Employment and Social Development Canada
Description: The fund supports workforce planning and skills training in communities significantly impacted by a mass layoff. It provides funding for community-based projects that help workers develop the skills they need to transition to new jobs.
Deadline: continuous
Foreign Credential Recognition Program
Department - Organization: Employment and Social Development Canada
Description: Supports the labour market integration of skilled newcomers. Funding is available for activities that involve the following:
- research, analysis or testing of new approaches to reduce barriers for entry to practice
- improve career advancement of skilled newcomers in targeted occupations and sectors
- development, validation and implementation of tools and processes to enable regulatory authorities and other stakeholders to assess, support, and provide international credentials recognition, work experience, competencies, and knowledge of skilled newcomers
- development and implementation of Pan Canadian certification or licensure pathways that can enhance labour mobility
- development and implementation of gap training courses or programs for targeted occupations and sectors, and
- development and provision of alternative career pathways and employment support services for skilled newcomers
Deadline: Continous intake
Science Horizons Youth Internship Program
Department - Organization: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Description: The program provides wage subsidies to eligible employers across Canada to hire recent university, college and polytechnic graduates for 6 to 12-month internships in the environmental science, technology, engineering and mathematics sectors. Wage subsidies up to $25,000. Funding up to $5,000 for wrap-around services (skills development, certification and training, job accessibility, other supports)
Deadline: Four delivery organizations
Clean Foundation: Currently open
BioTalent Canada: reached capacity for the 2024-2025 year.
Colleges and Institutes Canada: Currently closed
ECO Canada: Currently closed
Website: Science Horizons
Science and Technology Internship Programme
Department - Organization: United Nations Association in Canada
Description: Municipalities can hire youth (15-30 years of age), with a wage subsidy of up to 75%. It should be a job with a strong tie to one of the natural resources sectors. Including but not limited to energy (clean energy, smart grid, energy storage, fuel switching, and energy efficiency). Earth sciences (environmental assessment, environmental protection, sustainable development, climate adaptation.
Employees must identify as one of the following: Indigenous, living in Nothern Territories, living in a remote community, living with a disability, women, and racialized youth.
Deadline: Continuous intake
Contact: lauren.bennett@unac.org (Atlantic Canada) or cgc-stip@unac.org
Trail Engineering Assistance Grant Program
Department - Organization: NS Dept of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage
Description: The grant is designed to provide trail builders and managers with a source of funding to help them hire engineering expertise when it is required. Hiring engineers when building, maintaining, and supporting multi-use trails and non-motorized single-use to help ensure Nova Scotia’s trails are both safe for trail users and environmentally sound. Applicants are encouraged to contribute to the overall cost of the initiative. The contribution level required depends on the need and the ability of the applicant to contribute.
Example(s): Inspection and assessment of existing trail structures. Components of planning requiring an engineer (i.e. site plan for a bridge). Design of trail components which must be engineered to a specific standard. Rehabilitation plans. Other occasions when it is appropriate to seek the advice of a professional engineer.
Deadline: Continuous intake as of April 1st, 2024.
Contact: cchtrailgrants@novascotia.ca or your regional CCTH manager.
Website: Engineering Assistance Grant Program
Mitacs Municipal Support
Department - Organization: Mitacs
Description: They offer funding (non repayable grants) and connect municipalities with post-secondary researchers for innovative projects — from affordable housing, green initiatives, transit, infrastructure, climate change — and more — to tackle your most difficult challenges and create vibrant and healthy communities.
- Non-repayable funding from $6,000 to multi-million.
- A custom-built research and innovation team to roadmap your project.
- Scalable, multidisciplinary projects in all areas.
- Academic/research team to give you the specialized knowledge and skills that you need.
- Works with you to resolve the major challenges that Canadian municipalities face
Example(s): The Pontiac Regional Municipal explored how to solve labour shortages via a pilot project with UQO for the resettlement and support of foreign workers and immigrant families in agricultural areas.
Deadline: Continuous intake
Contact: Form on the webpage
Website: Mitacs Municipal Support
Public Policy and Governance Internship Program
Department - Organization: Public Policy and Governance Program, St. Francis Xavier University
Description: The Public Policy and Governance program offers students an interdisciplinary education to understand how societies solve difficult economic, social, and political problems. Municipalities can offer students paid or volunteer opportunities. The placements are for a minimum of either week between late April and early September. Municipalities will benefit from interns with relevant knowledge and core skills from three years of education in public policy, public administration, economics, and statistics. Organizations taking on an intern should treat the student as a short-term contract employee in accordance with relevant policies.
Example(s): The County of Antigonish had a student who researched policy and program options, contributed to public communications materials, participated in emergency management exercises, drafted MOUs and RFPs, presented a summary of the province’s Road Trails Act to the Municipal Council, provided feedback on their Council Orientation Guide, and assisted with the development of their Housing Accelerator Fund application.
Deadline: Continuous
contact: Peter Kikkert, Coordinator, Public Policy and Governance Program, pkikkert@stfx.ca
Youth Employment and Skills Strategy Programs
Department - Organization: Employment and Social Development Canada
Description: The Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) is a horizontal Government of Canada initiative led by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and delivered in partnership with 11 federal departments, agencies, and Crown Corporations. Together, these 12 partners deliver funding programs to help Canadian youth (15-30) develop the skills and gain the experience they need to successfully transition into the labour market.
Municipalities can often use the subsidies to hire employees 30 and under. Use the Search the available programs using the link below:
Currently Closed, Next Intake TBD:
Canada Service Corps
Department - Organization: Employment and Social Development Canada
Description: Municipalities provide volunteer opportunities for youth (ages 12 to 30) to create meaningful change in communities across the country, to gain life skills and experience, and to support lasting civic engagement. propose projects that benefit their community. Funding is available for innovative ideas that engage young people and involve them directly in meaningful service opportunities.
Deadline: Closed December 19th, 2023
Contact: NA-GCOS-SELSC-GD@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Website: Canada Service Corps (CSC)
Sustainable Jobs Stream - Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy - Union Training and Innovation Program
Department - Organization: Employment and Social Development Canada
Description: Municipalities are eligible if they partnership with a union representing workers in the Red Seal trade. This funding opportunity aims to support a series of projects that will develop and deliver green training for journeypersons and apprentices in Red Seal trades that are key to reducing Canada's emissions. Up to $10,000,000 per project.
Deadline: Closed September 5th, 2024
Website: Sustainable Jobs Stream
Canada Summer Jobs Wage Subsidy
Department - Organization: Employment and Social Development Canada
Description: Helps employers create summer job opportunities that provide valuable full-time work experiences for youth between the ages of 15 and 30.
Deadline: December 19th, 2024.
Contact: NA-GCOS-SELSC-GD@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Website: Canada Summer Jobs Wage Subsidy
Young Canada Works
Department - Organization: Canadian Council of Archives
Description: The program provides funding to employers to create jobs for students and internships for graduates in libraries and archives. These programs help youth acquire skills in the heritage, arts and cultural sector, as well as develop their second language. Eligibility: be a Non-profit organization under municipal government, that has distinct objectives, programs and budget related to heritage.
Deadline: Closed January 17th, 2025.
Contact: ycw_jct@archivescanada.ca
Website: Young Canada Works
If you can't find a grant that suits your municipality's needs, please reach out. Similarly, if your municipality is applying to any of the listed opportunities, I am readily available to provide assistance throughout the application process.
Lucy MacLeod,
Fund Navigator
lmacleod@nsfm.ca
