Talent Opportunities Program
Are you an employer hiring post-secondary students on work placements? If so, you may be eligible for a wage subsidy of up to $7,000 per student!
Click here to apply for the Talent Opportunities Program.
The Talent Opportunities Program (TOP) is an initiative of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce designed to help employers located anywhere in Canada hire college and university students on work placements. Employers hiring eligible students may receive a wage subsidy up to up to 50% of the wages (to a maximum of $5,000) for each net new placement or 70% of the wages (to a maximum of $7,000) for each net new placement for the following under-represented groups: Indigenous people, person with disabilities, newcomer, first year student, visible minority and/or women in STEM.
The Government of Canada announced in Budget 2021 an additional $239.8 million for the Student Work Placement (SWP) Program to increase the number of SWP funded placements, from the planned 20,000 to 40,000, as well as extend the following temporary COVID-related flexibilities for another year in 2021-2022:
Increase the wage subsidy to up to 75% (from up to 50% for general placements and up to 70% for placements targeting under-represented students).
Continue to apply the removal of net new placement criteria – waiving of the eligibility criteria requiring employers to exceed the number of placements offered in the past year under the program.
Recognizing that the pandemic has changed the way businesses operate, and as a result, post-secondary institutions (universities, colleges and polytechnics) can continue to be the employer of record to offer meaningful placements to students. Please note this measure will be in place until July 31, 2022.
Employers must be a registered Canadian business or not-for-profit organization, may be located anywhere in Canada, and may operate in any industry sector. Remote work is allowed. Some restrictions apply. Please see the Program Guidelines for full details.
Students hired on work placements must be registered at a recognized Canadian college or university, be enrolled in a program or course where a work placement is part of their study plan, and be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or persons to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Please refer to the Program Guidelines for more information about the program and the application process. Please review the Program Guidelines prior to starting an application.
TOP is a program delivered by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce with funding from the Government of Canada’s Student Work Placement Program.
For EMPLOYERS
If you are an employer and you meet the criteria for a wage subsidy, you are eligible to apply for this program.
Looking for a student to hire? Get in touch with your local post-secondary institutions and advertise your position.
For STUDENTS
If you are a post-secondary student interested in gaining paid work experience related to your field of study, connect with your school to see if placements are available. If you are already on a work placement, let your employer know that they may be eligible for a wage subsidy from TOP.
For POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS
If you are a post-secondary institution, contact us to learn how you can apply for students hired by your organization, and how we can partner to help employers hiring your students on eligible work placements access TOP wage subsidies.