Government Investing $3 million for Co-op Students Work Placements

Minister of Immigration, Skills and Labour Gerry Byrne announced $3 million in funding to help post-secondary students secure work terms.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, co-op students are experiencing difficulty securing the work placements they need to complete their programs – including over 300 of Memorial University’s engineering students.

Funded through the Workforce Development Agreement, the one-time wage subsidy will cover up to 75 per cent of a co-op student’s hourly wage up to a maximum of $8,000 per student work term. Employers of any size will be eligible for the wage subsidy.

Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic will administer the subsidy through existing co-operative placement assistance programs. Assistance may also be available to support work term placements of students at private training institutions.

Employers and students seeking more information are encouraged to contact co-op placement offices at Memorial University, College of the North Atlantic and respective private training institutions.