Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) is sponsored by Federal Government of Canada. This program provides wage subsidies to employers across Canada for hiring post-secondary students.

Magnet Student Work Placement Program Canadian employers — Boost your team with student talent! Access up to $5,000 in funding through the Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) Applications are now open for Summer 2026. If you are planning to hire an eligible student between May 1 and August 31, 2026, apply today.

Funding is first-come, first-served About the Student Work Placement Program The Government of Canada’s Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) provides employers with funding support when they hire post-secondary students for paid work placements approved by the student’s post-secondary institution. As a SWPP delivery partner, Magnet has supported 40,000+ placements .

According to a recent survey of SWPP Employers : Each student hire creates $401 in additional value each month for their employer 79% of employers stated they would consider hiring the student for future employment Since 2017, SWPP has supported 249,000+ student opportunities across Canada, helping employers reduce costs, innovate, and build future-ready workforces.

Up to 50% of wages to a maximum of $5000 — to provide students with meaningful WIL opportunities Apply now to access funding Hire & Apply all in one place Post once, reach 125+ campus job boards. Target students by region, school, or program. Complete your SWPP application in the same platform.

Fully bilingual with step-by-step support.

Canadian private sector Employers or not-for-profit Employers Willing to provide a quality work-integrated learning experience aligned with the post-secondary education program of the participating student Committed to paying the student for the role, and have the financial capacity to pay the student for the duration of the placement in full (the wage subsidy will be administered after receiving all supporting documentation at the end of the placement) Compliant with all federal and provincial human rights and labour legislation, regulations, and any other relevant standards including the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Employment Standards Act Where legally required, responsible for Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) or alternate workplace insurance coverage Ineligible Employers include (but are not limited to): Members of the House of Commons and the Senate Organizations that engage in partisan political activities Federal, Provincial, Territorial and Municipal Government Post-Secondary Institutions (PSIs) Financial sector employers with 500 or more employees Non-secular institutions* Please note that this list may not be comprehensive, placement eligibility is determined through the application process.

*Secular WIL opportunities in Non-secular institutions may be eligible, please reach out to swpp@magnetnetwork. ca for clarification.

Registered as a domestic student at a Canadian Post-Secondary Education (PSE) institution; Enrolled and has started in their academic program before commencing a Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) placement; Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or persons to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act Legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations.

International students are not eligible. Undertaking a placement that is recognized as work-integrated learning in connection with a course, degree, certificate, diploma, or other recognized program offered by the institution. The placement can be required or optional, for credit or not for credit.

In a full or part-time program from any program of study Not an immediate family member of the employer Eligible Placements must… Meet requirements of a Net NEW placement as defined by Employment and Social Development Canada (“ESDC”). Please note that only medium and large businesses will be required to demonstrate incremental ( Net NEW) opportunities; previously this rule applied to all enterprises.

Be aligned with the post-secondary education program of the participating student. It can include co-op placements, internships, field placements, or applied projects to solve problems for employers. Trades and apprenticeships are not considered Work-Integrated Learning, neither are clinical hours in healthcare nor articling hours for lawyers.

Be a full-time or part-time position Sub contracts/ contractor positions are not eligible Not be filled by a business owner or an existing employee Combination with other public programs Partial provincial, territorial and municipal funds are permitted to be combined with SWPP, but only funds from non-governmental sources are eligible for subsidy.

For example, a position paid with 60% provincial grant funding is only eligible for a subsidy calculated on the remaining 40% of the funds paid by the employer. Employers are responsible for following provincial tax credit guidelines where stacking with provincial tax credits will occur (employers are encouraged to consult their tax professional). Combination with federal funding programs is not eligible.

This may include, but is not limited to, an award/grant from other federal funding programs, Canada Summer Jobs, Student Work Placement Program administered through another delivery partner (full list available here ), etc. Applications are now open for Summer 2026. If you are planning to hire an eligible student between May 1 and August 31, 2026, apply today.

Please note that applications will be reviewed on a first come, first served basis. Magnet will notify you if your application has progressed to the next stage of review. The Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) is designed to fund incremental, or net new, work-integrated learning opportunities.

Only organizations with 100+ employees are required to demonstrate net new eligibility. Magnet has created a net new calculator to help organizations determine if their placements are eligible based on the net new requirement. When answering the questions below, please only include post-secondary students who have been paid by your organization, regardless of any funding received (e.g. grants, tax credits, etc.).

Do not include high school students or unpaid/volunteer positions. Please note that the current Net New Calculator applies only to the 2026–2027 fiscal year. What is the size of your organization?

-- Select organization size -- Have you accessed SWPP funds in a previous fiscal year (prior to the current fiscal year)? This includes any of the delivery partners that offer this program. -- Please select Yes or No -- When did you first participate in the SWPP?

-- Select your first participation period -- April 1, 2017 - March 31, 2018 April 1, 2018 - March 31, 2019 April 1, 2019 - March 31, 2020 April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2021 April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2022 April 1, 2022 - March 31, 2023 April 1, 2023 - March 31, 2024 April 1, 2024 - March 31, 2025 April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2026 How many students did you hire previously?

-- Select number of students -- Please specify the exact number of students you hired: How many students are you projected to hire during this year (April 1, 2026 - March 31, 2027)? -- Select projected number of students -- Please specify the exact number of students you plan to hire: Based on your answers this is how many placements you can apply for funding: Join a live support session for a walk-through of hiring and funding tools.

Access self-serve guides, eligibility checklists, and a net-new calculator.

Thursday March 26, 12pm ET - Click to register Wednesday April 1, 1pm ET - Click to register Thursday April 16, 12pm ET - Click to register Tuesday April 28, 1pm ET - Click to register Thursday May 14, 11 am ET - Click to register Wednesday June 3, 12pm ET - Click to register Jeudi 9 avril à 12h00 HE - cliquez ici pour vous inscrire Jeudi 23 avril à 12h00 HE - cliquez ici pour vous inscrire Mercredi 13 mai à 13h00 HE - cliquez ici pour vous inscrire Mardi 9 juin à 12h00 HE - cliquez ici pour vous inscrire Frequently Asked Questions What is Work-Integrated Learning (WIL)?

Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) refers to a continuum of paid learning opportunities ranging from structured work experience to instances where the employer engages with the post-secondary education institution. All work-integrated learning must be aligned with the post-secondary education program of the participating student.

It can include co-op placements, internships, field placements, or applied projects to solve problems for employers. For the purposes of the program, trades and apprenticeships, clinical hours in healthcare, and articling hours for lawyers are not considered WIL.

Eligible WIL opportunities may include: Community Service Learning Applied Research Projects For more information on the definitions of the different WIL types, please refer to the CEWIL website Please note that placements must be recognized as WIL by an appropriate representative at the student’s post-secondary institution in order to qualify for the subsidy.

No, funding is not guaranteed and is generally : Dependent on available program funds Subject to meeting eligibility criteria Conditional on the timely submission of all required documents What happens after I submit my application? Your application will be reviewed, and we will notify you of the next steps within two weeks, depending on the volume of applications received.