Yesterday, the Government of Canada announced comprehensive supports of nearly $9 billion for post-secondary students and recent graduates. This plan will help provide support they need this summer, help them continue their studies in the fall, and help many get the experience they need to start their careers.
As part of Innovation, Science and Industry’s contribution, we have provided funding for Mitacs, DS4Y, CFS+, and BHER to help young Canadians find paid work placements and get the skills they need to start their careers.
We are helping young Canadians through:
- Creating 5,000 new internships through Mitacs for college and university students across Canada with small and medium-sized businesses. Funding of $40 million will also help develop partnerships with new industries, and offer internships to students in more areas of study.
- Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from academic institutions.
- Increasing funding to the Digital Skills for Youth Program (DS4Y) program by $40 million to help post-secondary graduates gain professional work experience.
- DS4Y provides wage subsidy opportunities to help connect young people with small and medium-sized businesses and not-for-profits.
- Providing $6.7 million for the Computers for Schools Plus (CFS+) program.
- The partnership-based program refurbishes donated surplus computers and electronic devices, and provides them to schools, libraries, not-for-profit organizations, Indigenous communities, and low-income Canadians. It also offers paid, practical work internships for young people, through which they can develop advanced digital skills as well as experience in project management, teamwork, and communications.
- Creating 5,000 to 10,000 more work-integrated learning opportunities through the Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER).
- The BHER will launch a national challenge for students to develop creative solutions in response to current and future sector needs as defined by Canadian industry. The national student challenge will help connect Canada’s small and medium-sized businesses with the next generation of talent in Canada.
