GATINEAU, QC, March 21, 2025 /CNW/ - Canada needs more workers in every sector to help drive growth and support the resilience the times necessitate. On-the-job training is the simplest and quickest way to do that. By helping more post-secondary students develop career skills, we're giving them a running start to future employment.
That is why Minister of Jobs and Families, Steven MacKinnon, today announced an additional 40,000 work-integrated learning opportunities across Canada through the Student Work Placement Program (SWPP).
Approved organizations receive funding to offer work placements and innovative work-integrated learning opportunities – both in-person and virtual – to post-secondary students across Canada.
By funding work-integrated learning opportunities through the SWPP, the Government of Canada supports students in developing work-related skills and experience to complement the technical knowledge they obtain through their formal studies – supporting them in their transition from school to employment. These opportunities can include work placements (such as co-ops and internships) and innovative-work integrated learning opportunities (such as hackathons and micro-internships).
Quote
"Hands-on work experience gives post-secondary students the training and confidence they need to transition into today's labour market. The Student Work Placement Program is an integral part of that work. That is why we're investing more than $200 million in 2025-2026 to help as many students enter the workforce sooner."
– Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Jobs and Families
Quick facts
- The SWPP supported over 57,000 work-integrated learning opportunities in 2023–24 alone.
- In Budget 2024, the Government committed $207.6 million to the SWPP for 2025-26 to help young Canadians gain the skills, education, and work experience necessary to get good-paying jobs in important and growing fields.
- Since 2017, the SWPP has supported over 249,000 opportunities for students in all fields of study to build their networks with employers, develop skills needed on-the-job, and improve their transition from school to work—43% of which have been for students in under-represented groups.
- The SWPP has supported students from over 380 (87%) post-secondary institutions across Canada.
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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
Contacts: For media inquiries, please contact: John Fragos, Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Jobs and Families, [email protected]; Media Relations Office: Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
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