Canada Summer Jobs 2010 - Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Canada Summer Jobs?

Canada Summer Jobs is a Government of Canada initiative that provides funding to help employers create summer job opportunities for students. It is designed to focus on local priorities, while achieving tangible results for both students and their communities.

2. What are the objectives of Canada Summer Jobs?

Canada Summer Jobs has three main objectives:

1. Providing work experiences for students;
2. Supporting organizations, including those that provide important community services; and
3. Recognizing that local circumstances, community needs and priorities vary widely.

3. Who can apply for Canada Summer Jobs 2010?

Canadian not-for-profit organizations, public sector employers, and small businesses with 50 or fewer employees can apply for funding through Canada Summer Jobs.

4. When can I apply?

The application period for Canada Summer Jobs 2010 is closed. The deadline for applications was February 26, 2010. Applications received or postmarked after the deadline will not be assessed.

5. How will applications be assessed?

Applications will first be reviewed to ensure that they meet the basic eligibility requirements. They will then be assessed, on a constituency-by-constituency basis, using the following criteria:

• Service to local communities;
• Jobs that support local priorities;
• Jobs that provide career-related experience or early work experience;
• A salary that contributes to the student’s income;
• An employer who provides supervision and mentoring;
• Project activities that are directed toward members of, and support the vitality of, an official language minority community; and
• An employer who intends to hire priority students (students with disabilities, Aboriginal students, and students who are members of visible minority groups).

6. When will employers be notified of the decision regarding their application?

Employers will be notified in May 2010.

7. Who is responsible for hiring students?

Employers are responsible for hiring.

Service Canada Centres for Youth (SCCYs) provide a variety of services to employers, free of charge, to help them advertise summer work opportunities, and to help youth looking and applying for jobs in their communities. These centres are located in communities across Canada, and are generally open to the public from May to August.

8. What are the local priorities and where can employers find them?

The assessment of applications will be carried out on a constituency-by-constituency basis, ensuring that local priorities are reflected in the assessment.

Examples of local priorities may include:

• special events (sport, cultural or other event of local, provincial/territorial, national or international scale);
• location (such as rural or remote areas or areas of high unemployment); and
• sector (such as not-for-profit, tourism, agriculture)

The lists of local priorities used in assessing applications are available on our website, by calling 1-800-935-5555, and at any Service Canada Centre.

9. How much funding are employers eligible to receive?

Not-for-profit employers are eligible for up to 100 percent of the provincial/territorial minimum hourly wage and mandatory employment-related costs. Public sector employers and small businesses with 50 or fewer employees are eligible for up to 50 percent of the provincial/territorial minimum hourly wage.

10. Which students are eligible to participate in Canada Summer Jobs?

Eligible students:

• Are between 15 and 30 years of age;
• Have been registered as a full-time student in the previous academic year and intend to return to school on a full-time basis in the next academic year;
• Are Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or have official refugee protection status under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (foreign students are not eligible); and
• Are legally entitled to work in Canada, according to relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations.

11. What is the Summer Work Experience program?

The Summer Work Experience program comprises initiatives aimed at providing secondary and post-secondary students with summer employment opportunities and is part of the Youth Employment Strategy. The Youth Employment Strategy, which includes programs such as Skills Link and Career Focus, aims to help young people, particularly those facing barriers to employment, get the information, skills and work experience they need to make a successful transition to the workplace.

This broad range of youth employment initiatives is offered in partnership by 11 federal departments.

To learn more about youth employment opportunities:

• Call 1-800-935-5555

• Click on www.youth.gc.ca

• Visit your local Service Canada Centre 

12. How is Canada’s Economic Action Plan supporting Canada Summer Jobs?

Canada’s Economic Action Plan increased funding for Canada Summer Jobs by $10 million in 2009 and is again providing an additional $10 million in 2010 for Canada Summer Jobs, to help create the best educated, most skilled and most flexible workforce in the world.

13. How else is the Government helping students?

Providing initiatives such as Canada Summer Jobs is only one way the federal government is helping students. Canada’s Economic Action Plan introduced several youth-specific initiatives, including:

• A $15 million grant to the YMCA and YWCA that is being used to create up to 1,000 youth internships;
• A $2,000 Apprenticeship Completion Grant that will be available to apprentices who successfully complete an apprenticeship program in a Red Seal trade. This represents an investment of $40 million per year;
• An additional $87.5 million over three years to temporarily expand the Canada Graduate Scholarships program; and
• An additional $20 million over two years to enhance student employment in the federal public service.