Does your small business need to hire? If you’re interested in hiring and training youth to work for your business in the near future, you may be eligible for funding through one of the following two programs.

Get Youth Working Program

BC’s Get Youth Working program has just been extended for another year, to March 31, 2014.

The Get Youth Working program offers employers a $2,800 incentive to hire eligible youth between the ages of 15–29 to help offset hiring costs. Employers can apply for this funding for up to three new employees, and may receive an additional $1,000 to purchase training for newly hired youth.

To qualify for funding through the program, employers must be in business for a minimum of one year, be in good standing with WorkSafe BC and must employ the new hire for a minimum of three months and 30 hours per week. Employers must also apply and be approved for the funding before the new hire starts working.

How to Apply

Employer applications for the extended program are now available on the Get Youth Working website.

High Demand Youth Internship Program

The High Demand Youth Internship Program seeks to match up employers with post-secondary graduates 30 years old or younger. The goal is to help qualified interns develop transferable skills needed to be successful through a full-time paid internship in the private sector.

Employers are required to hire interns for a minimum of $16 per hour and in turn will be subsidized $8 per hour by the federal government. Employers will need to meet several other qualifications in order to eligible for the program.

This program is administered by the YMCA on behalf of the federal government, and currently has 35 internship/employer spots available for 40 week internships starting May 27, 2013, and 94 internship/employer spots available for the 26 week internship starting September 3, 2013.

How to Apply

Applications for the High Demand Youth Internship Program will open on April 29, 2013 online at www.ymcaimpact.ca.