UPDATED as of July 20, 2020.

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) joined CEWIL on Monday, April 6 to announce some temporary flexibility measures for Federal SWPP funding, to be delivered through existing SWPP partners. These measures are expected to be in place until March 2021. Additional measures were revealed in May and July.

That’s why we recommend that you contact the SWPP partners directly to best understand the most current measure and how they apply to your situation.

SWPP immediate flexibility measures that will be introduced:

  1. Dates/Duration: Start date and total duration time can be worked out between the schools and employers to guide the placement period. ESDC mentioned May, June or July start dates. Schools and employers can guide the duration.
  2. Work from home: Students are allowed to work from home as they are still working/learning, and employers will need to continue ensuring quality from a safe location and interaction with peers and supervisors. Check out our COVID-19 Toolkit for workplaces and students.
  3.  SMEs (less than 500 employees) and non-profits: As they have more difficulty with having liquidity or cash upfront, SWPP partners will give 75% of the subsidy at the beginning of the placement, to offset the wages. Typically, this funding isn’t provided until the end of the placement.
  4. Eligibility for funding: there will be a new pre-approval process with SWPP partners, to shorten the timeframe for approvals. A checklist will identify eligible employers quickly. Additional steps will still be required at a later point in the semester.
  5. NEW** Increased wage subsidies (not officially confirmed): Typically, employers could receive $5,000 or $7,000 in wage subsidies. That has now changed to 75% in wage subsidies, to a maximum of $7,500 per student.
  6. NEW** “Net new” hire restrictions have been removed (not officially confirmed): SWPP usually requires that only “net new” positions be funded. This restriction has now been lifted so that all students can be considered for funding, not just new roles or more students than previous years.
  7. Post-secondary institutions: PSIs can apply to be a SWPP employer as long as they create a quality work placement.
  8. NEW** Healthcare sector now eligible to receive funding: This new funding is for 3,000 co-op students working in healthcare sectors or roles, up to March 2021. Available through Magnet and BioTalent Canada.

All sectors and areas of disciplines are eligible, including applied research positions.

Contact the SWPP delivery partners directly for more details and to apply. The full list is available on the Where to get funding page on the ACE-WIL website and also on the CEWIL website. Keep in mind, these SWPP partners may not have had a chance to update their websites yet.

Originally published on April 6, 2020. Updated on June 1, 2020 and July 20, 2020.