Apply for Young Canada Works summer jobs and internships: the two student job streams and the graduate internship stream, the candidate account steps, the separate employer funding route, and the age, duration, and travel figures Canadian Heritage publishes.
Applies in: CA
Young Canada Works (YCW) is a Canadian Heritage program that funds jobs and internships for young Canadians. It is not an employer. Funding flows to delivery organizations, which offer grants to employers, and employers hire the candidates. That structure shapes everything in this guide: the candidate route and the employer route are separate, they have different deadlines, and they use different pages. The candidate route is the same across the streams: create an account, build a profile, search for jobs, and express interest. The employer route differs by stream and runs through delivery organizations. This guide covers both routes, keeps them separate, and states each stream's terms only as the Canadian Heritage pages for that stream state them.
Young Canada Works has two student job streams and one graduate internship stream covered in this guide. Pick by your status at the start of employment, not by the job title that catches your eye. Each posted job belongs to one stream, and the stream sets the age rule, the duration, and the forms.
Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations (YCWHO): summer jobs for students. This is an employment program for students that offers the chance to improve skills while gaining practical knowledge in the heritage field. Full-time positions generally last from 6 to 16 weeks, and students may work full-time or part-time. The student page states the program may reimburse transportation and en route accommodation costs for participants who must relocate more than 125 kilometres from their permanent residence to the job site, and to contact the delivery organization for details.
Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages (YCWBOL): summer jobs for students. This is a short-term job program for students that offers work experience using a first or second official language in an official language minority community, plus a geographic exchange and a network in official language minority communities. Positions last from 6 to 16 weeks. The student page states the program can pay one round trip between the student's permanent residence and workplace for students travelling more than 125 kilometres, and can offer an allowance for housing costs where the participant must pay rent.
Young Canada Works at Building Careers in Heritage (YCWBCH): internships for graduates. This is an internship program for unemployed or underemployed college or university graduates that helps them move from college or university to the workplace and begin a career in the heritage, arts, and cultural sectors. Internships in Canada cover heritage fields related to museums, archives, libraries, or heritage sites (built heritage), conservation science, and arts and cultural fields, and generally last between 4 to 12 consecutive months, full-time or part-time. International museology internships last a minimum of 6 consecutive months, full-time at 30 to 40 hours per week. The graduate page states that for internships in Canada outside the intern's home province, the program will cover transportation costs between the intern's residence and the job site, and for international internships it will cover transportation and partial accommodation costs as set out in the contract between the employer and the participant.
Canadian Heritage states on each stream page that it is committed to strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion in youth employment, and that youth belonging to equity-deserving groups are highly encouraged to apply. Priority rules differ by stream and are stated in section 2 below.
The three streams share a core status rule and differ on age, student or graduate status, and priority. Check the rule for your stream on its own page. Do not assume the rule from one stream applies to another: the both-official-languages stream starts at age 15, the other two at age 16, and only the both-official-languages stream requires a return to studies.
For the heritage student stream, the student page states a student may be eligible if they are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada (non-Canadians holding temporary work visas or awaiting permanent resident status are not eligible), are legally entitled to work in Canada and hold a valid social insurance number, are between 16 and 30 years of age inclusively at the start of employment, and are a high school, college, CEGEP, or university student. Priority will be given to students who have not previously participated in the heritage student employment program.
For the both-official-languages student stream, the student page states a student may be eligible if they are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada, are legally entitled to work in Canada, will be between 15 and 30 years of age at the start of employment, are willing to commit to the full duration of the work assignment, will not have another full-time job of over 30 hours a week during the assignment, have been a high school, college, CEGEP, or university student in the semester preceding the assignment, intend to return to studies during or after the assignment, and have a working knowledge of both English and French.
For the graduate internship stream, the graduate page states an individual may be eligible if they are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada, are legally entitled to work in Canada and hold a valid social insurance number, are between 16 and 30 years of age inclusively at the start of employment, and are a college or university graduate holding a certificate, bachelor's, master's, or doctorate. Priority will be given to graduates who have not previously participated in Young Canada Works internship programs and who are unemployed or underemployed.
If you have taken part before, the frequently asked questions page states the position plainly: for jobs, you may participate again, but priority will be given to new candidates; for internships, priority will be given to candidates who have not previously participated in internship programs, but if you previously took part in a job program, you may apply to the internship programs. You can also work in a different city, province, or territory from your permanent residence: search the postings from across Canada in your account and filter by city, province, or territory.
The candidate steps are identical across the three streams, as each stream page states them. There is no deadline for individuals to apply, but Canadian Heritage recommends creating an account and submitting your candidacy before the summer.
If you are selected, the employer hires you, not Young Canada Works. You will complete online documents over the job or internship, as each stream page states: a Candidate Eligibility Form started by the employer, which must be completed before you are hired, to confirm your eligibility; a Staffing Report started by the employer, to confirm the job or internship details during your first week; and an Evaluation Questionnaire at the end, to give feedback on the program. The both-official-languages stream adds an End of Work Term Report, completed on the student's last day of work. Instructions for all documents are inside your Young Canada Works account. Direct questions about these obligations to the employer.
Two practical points from the frequently asked questions page matter before you accept a position. Students and interns cannot receive Employment Insurance benefits while employed under Young Canada Works. And if you need paper copies of your forms or reports, or you need to quit a job or internship, talk to your employer: your employer contacts the delivery organization for paper copies and must inform the delivery organization of your departure, and you complete the remainder of your reporting obligations.
Employers follow a separate route with its own deadline, and the route runs through delivery organizations, not through the candidate account. The frequently asked questions page states the structure: Young Canada Works provides funding to delivery organizations, which in turn offer grants to employers, and positions are posted on the Young Canada Works website only after evaluation and approval.
For Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages, the employer guide states the full employer process. The organization must be a private, public, or non-profit organization, or a municipality; be incorporated; engage in activities of national, provincial, territorial, municipal, or community scope; and carry out activities in both official languages. Federal departments, agencies, and Crown corporations, provincial and territorial government departments, and organizations that are not stable and financially viable are not eligible. Meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee funding.
The same employer guide states the funding share: Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages may pay up to 50 percent of the costs of hiring a youth participant in a public or private sector organization, and up to 70 percent in a not-for-profit organization. It will provide an accommodation allowance for youth who live more than 125 kilometres from their place of work and pay for round-trip travel between the youth's residence and place of work under established policies. Where an employer hires an eligible youth with a disability or facing barriers to employment, expenses for special accommodations or wrap-around supports may be reimbursed up to a maximum of $3,000 per participant.
The employer deadline for that stream is February 3: the employer guide states applications must be submitted by February 3, and applications received after the deadline will be analyzed according to available funding. The redistribution organization acknowledges receipt within five business days of the application deadline, and funding decisions, approved or declined, arrive within eight weeks of the deadline. An approved employer receives an email confirmation and a preliminary offer, and, on acceptance, gains online access to the candidate list to staff the positions. Employers apply online through the Young Canada Works portal to the appropriate funds redistribution organization, and the redistribution organization evaluates the application, approves projects, and administers funding. Evaluation criteria include project objectives, planning, skills development, job parameters, recruitment, guidance and supervision, official languages, and region-specific criteria set by the redistribution organization.
For the heritage streams, employers apply through the delivery organization for their field. The graduate internship employer route names delivery organizations by field: the Fédération des milieux documentaires for Canadian Francophone libraries and documentation centres, the Canadian Council of Archives for Canadian archives and related organizations or Canadian libraries operating in English, the Canadian Museums Association for Canadian museums and related organizations, and the National Trust for Canada for Canadian built heritage sites and related organizations, with conservation science applications going to the Canadian Museums Association. Apply through the Young Canada Works portal to the delivery organization for your field, and read that organization's deadline and criteria: the heritage employer deadlines are set by the delivery organizations, not by a single national date, and this guide states no single heritage employer deadline. As an employer, you must provide each employee with a job description, orientation, and a work plan with specific objectives, provide training related to job duties, pay wages and benefits on time under provincial or territorial labour law at industry standards for the region, pay participants from your payroll with regulatory deductions at source, keep records of contributions and expenditures, complete all online reports on the portal, and publicly acknowledge the Government of Canada funding in English and French in communications materials and promotional activities.
Keep the reporting current from the first week. The employer starts the Candidate Eligibility Form before hiring and the Staffing Report during the first week; the participant completes the Evaluation Questionnaire at the end, and, for the both-official-languages stream, the employer completes the End-of-Work Report within 30 days of the end of employment. For transportation refunds, apply through your employer or delivery organization: the frequently asked questions page states that applications for transportation cost refunds are made through the employer or delivery organization, and the stream pages state the 125-kilometre threshold and the housing allowance rules quoted in section 1.
For questions about a specific job, contact the appropriate delivery organization. For general questions, the stream pages give the Young Canada Works Secretariat, Department of Canadian Heritage, 15 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec J8X 4B3, telephone 1-800-935-5555 toll-free, TTY 1-800-926-9105 toll-free, with agents available Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The frequently asked questions page gives the program email address for general questions, technical support, and suggestions. For a T4, speak to the employer; for a Record of Employment, contact Service Canada.
Some figures are deliberately not stated in this guide, because they could not be verified on a current official Canadian Heritage page. Do not rely on any figure below unless you confirm it on the current program page first. Wage rates, salary ranges, and weekly hour counts beyond the stated durations were not stated, because no candidate page publishes a wage figure; the both-official-languages employer guide states only that wages must meet industry standards in the region and be commensurate with training and experience. A single employer application deadline for the heritage streams was not stated, because the heritage employer deadlines are set by the delivery organizations and no official page confirms one national date; the February 3 date stated in this guide applies to the Both Official Languages employer guide only. The funding share for the heritage streams was not stated, because the 50 percent and 70 percent figures come from the Both Official Languages employer guide and no official heritage employer page confirms the same shares. A separate graduate stream page for Building Careers in English and French, and its separate eligibility terms, were not stated, because no such page could be verified; international internships are described here only as the graduate page describes them, under Building Careers in Heritage. The year attached to the February 3 employer deadline was not stated, because the employer guide page states the day and month without a year; confirm the current cycle's deadline with the funds redistribution organization before applying. If any of these figures is needed, verify it on the current stream or employer guide page before using it.
No. Young Canada Works provides funding to delivery organizations, which in turn offer grants to employers that offer jobs and internships to eligible candidates. Approved positions are posted on the Young Canada Works website. It is the employer's responsibility to hire for a funded position. Employers approved for funding can search the candidate list and contact candidates to hold an interview. You must create a candidate account to take part: you cannot apply directly to Young Canada Works with a resume.
If you are a high school, college, CEGEP, or university student, the two job streams fit: Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations, for heritage field jobs lasting generally 6 to 16 weeks, and Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages, for short-term jobs lasting 6 to 16 weeks where you use your first or second official language in an official language minority community. If you are a college or university graduate who is unemployed or underemployed, the internship stream fits: Young Canada Works at Building Careers in Heritage, with internships in Canada generally lasting 4 to 12 consecutive months and international museology internships lasting a minimum of 6 consecutive months. The graduate stream gives priority to graduates who have not previously taken part in a Young Canada Works internship program.
For the heritage student stream, you must be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada, be legally entitled to work in Canada with a valid social insurance number, be between 16 and 30 years of age inclusively at the start of employment, and be a high school, college, CEGEP, or university student. For the both-official-languages student stream, the age range is 15 to 30 at the start of employment, and you must also have been a student in the semester preceding the work assignment, intend to return to studies during or after the assignment, have a working knowledge of both English and French, commit to the full assignment, and not hold another full-time job of over 30 hours a week during the assignment. For the graduate internship stream, you must be between 16 and 30 inclusively at the start of employment and be a college or university graduate holding a certificate, bachelor's, master's, or doctorate. Non-Canadians holding temporary work visas or awaiting permanent resident status are not eligible for any of the three streams.
There is no deadline for individuals to apply to any of the three streams. Canadian Heritage recommends that you create an account and submit your candidacy before the summer. That is a recommendation, not a cutoff: the candidate pages state no deadline. The employer side is different. Employers apply for funding by a deadline set for their stream: for Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages, the employer guide states applications must be submitted by February 3, with late applications analyzed according to available funding. Do not confuse the employer funding deadline with the candidate deadline. If an employer tells you a candidate deadline exists, check the candidate page for your stream.
For travel, the heritage student stream and the both-official-languages stream may reimburse transportation costs for participants who must relocate more than 125 kilometres from their permanent residence to the job site, and the both-official-languages stream can also offer an allowance for housing costs where the participant must pay rent. For internships in Canada outside the province where the intern resides, the Building Careers in Heritage stream will cover transportation costs between the intern's residence and the job site, and for international internships it will cover transportation and part of accommodation costs abroad. Applications for transportation refunds go through your employer or delivery organization. For Employment Insurance, the answer is no: students and interns cannot receive Employment Insurance benefits while employed under Young Canada Works.
Employers do not hire through the candidate account. They apply for funding through a funds redistribution organization, also called a delivery organization, by submitting an online application through the Young Canada Works portal to the appropriate organization. For Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages, the employer guide states the organization must be a private, public, non-profit organization, or municipality, be incorporated, engage in activities of national, provincial, territorial, municipal, or community scope, and carry out activities in both official languages. The same guide states Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages may pay up to 50 percent of the costs of hiring a youth participant in a public or private sector organization, and up to 70 percent in a not-for-profit organization, with up to $3,000 per participant for special accommodation or wrap-around support costs for a youth with a disability or facing barriers to employment. Meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee funding. For the heritage streams, employers apply through the delivery organization for their field, such as the Canadian Museums Association for museums, and the delivery organization evaluates the application.