ImpAct Internships

Create impactful work opportunities and contribute to Canada’s 2030 SDG Agenda!

Support Canada’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) effort! Create an SDG ambassador in your community by hiring students, recent grads, and youth disproportionally affected by COVID-19 for impactful work experience. You can get up to $10,000 towards their salary expenses.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development consists of 17 SDGs with a commitment to leave no one behind. Along with 192 United Nations Member States, Canada adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the UN General Assembly in September 2015. Youth in Canada can help you and your team advance meaningful SDG-aligned initiatives while they gain critical skills for the 21st century to build a better future.

Funded by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and the Government of Canada through CICan’s ImpAct initiative, these internships aim to advance meaningful SDG-aligned initiatives in our communities while providing Canadian youth critical skills for the 21st century.

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Applications are currently closed.

What you need to know

Funding

Up to $10,000 is available for up to 100% of an intern’s salary. Employers must establish an employment contract with interns and they must be paid following a regular payment cycle. Employers must cover the Mandatory Employer Related Costs (MERCs)

Priority given to internships supporting youth whose access to employment was disproportionally impacted by COVID-19 including:

  • Women
  • Youth who have not completed high school
  • Youth not in education, employment, or training for at least 6 months

Reimbursement will be dispersed midway and at the end of the internship when the required documentation, including intern paystubs, is submitted.

Application selection process

Here is what to expect when submitting your application:

  • Once the applications window is closed, the Career Launcher team will review all applications.
  • Employers will be notified of their application status approximately two weeks after the closing of the application.
  • Employers whose applications will be pre-approved for funding will have approximately six weeks to complete the remainder of the application process, including recruitment if required.

Internships will be selected for pre-approval based on:

  • Alignment with the YESS objectives which support the needs of all youth, especially youth facing barriers to develop skills, knowledge and networks through education, skills development and meaningful work experiences.
  • Creation of an employment opportunity for youth groups disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 as well as, visible minority youth, youth with disabilities and Indigenous youth.
  • Strength of the position and its alignment with the SDGs.

Eligible employers

Eligible employers must demonstrate that they are committed to meaningfully responding to up to three or more Canadian SDG ambitions identified in the 2030 National Strategy. They must also demonstrate their commitment to helping youth transition into the labour force and help them secure employment at the end of the internship.

Employers must have an established payroll system, be set up to receive payments by direct deposit, have a process for supervising and mentoring interns, and be a Canadian company or subsidiary in one of the following categories:

  • Post-secondary education institution
  • Indigenous organization or association
  • Small- or medium-sized enterprise (SME), less than 500 employees
  • Large corporation, more than 500 employees
  • Non-government organization (NGO)
  • Not-for-profit organization
  • Municipal or local government
  • Provincial or territorial government, institution, agency or Crown corporation

Eligible internships

Eligible internships are:

  • A minimum of 3 months (13 weeks) to a maximum of 6 months (26 weeks) ending by January 31, 2024
  • Full-time, a minimum of 30 hours per week
  • Explicitly advance SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and three other SDGs

Examples of activities that youth can do to help advance the SDGs:

  • Organize a youth-led food drive
  • Educate others on healthy food, diversity and inclusion, importance of vaccinations, protective hygiene practices for a specific demographic
  • Plan and implement an energy or water conservation or ‘buy local’ campaign
  • Develop a campaign for alternatives to single occupancy vehicles
  • Audit local cycling and pedestrian infrastructure
  • Organize healthy outdoor activities that reduce air pollution while increasing physical activity
  • Create and implement activities to reduce land and water pollution
  • Advocate for and plant trees in urban areas
  • Develop a business plan that offers sustainable products and services
  • Conduct research on ethical supply chains
  • Develop and implement branding strategies, digital marketing tools, and/or social media campaigns on sustainable agriculture

Eligible Interns

Eligible interns are:

  • Between the ages of 15-30 (inclusive) at the start of the internship
  • Canadian citizen, or permanent resident or a protected person as defined by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act *
  • Legally allowed to work according to the relevant provincial and Canadian legislation and regulations
  • Available to participate for a minimum 3 months (13 weeks) to a maximum of 6 months (26 weeks) in a full-time capacity

Cannot be:

  • Employees of the hiring employer prior to the start of their internship (does not apply to previous coop students or student interns, although this must be clearly indicated by the employer)

*Refugee protection must be conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Persons awaiting refugee status, as well as those who hold a temporary visitor visa, student visa or work visa, are ineligible to participate in a Youth Employment Strategy initiative.

Ready to get started?

Applications are currently closed.

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What are people saying about our programs?

Hear first-hand from the employers and job seekers who have benefitted from one of our programs.

View all testimonials
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I would highly recommend employers take part in this program. Youth are tapped into the SDGs and have the knowledge and technical skills that are very valuable to organizations to advance and raise awareness about the goals. There are many young people eager for meaningful work experience and this initiative is a great way for them to get a foot in the door.

Brittney Potvin
Northern Council for Global Cooperation (NCGC)


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