ECO Employment Programs
For over 20 years, we have been connecting environmental employers and skilled junior talent through wage and training funding programs to drive valuable on-the-job work experience and essential skills development.
Thanks to the support of our funders – Natural Resources Canada, Climate Change Canada, Social Development Canada, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada – we can offer you dollars to increase organization capacity and support your business participation in the green economy.
By helping your team with wage and training costs, we make hiring new talent more attractive.
Benefits for Employers:
- Increase work capacity
- Access talented youth with new ideas & skills
- Increase employee retention
- Reduce staff training costs
- Strengthen overall business operations
- Support the growth of new qualified environmental workers
Explore Each Funding Stream and Apply Online
Learn more about each of the available wage and training funding streams, your eligibility and get started with your application.
How it Works
- Take the Eligibility Quiz and complete the application to get approved by our team
- Find a Candidate for the approved position and have them apply
- Employer Hosts and Approved Candidate are linked and contracts get issued
- Send back contracts to our team and start the position!
- Complete reports, webinars and send pay stubs to receive your wage funding.
As an approved Host Employer, you are committed to the success of the placement, the candidate and the overall growth of qualified environmental workers in Canada. We look forward to working with your team to meet these objectives!
Science Horizons Youth Internship: Open
Eligible employers can receive up to 80% wage coverage up to $25,000 of a candidate’s salary for placement in a new full-time 6 to 12 month position.
Youth in Natural Resources: Waitlist
Eligible employers can receive 75% of the candidate’s wages covered up to a maximum of $18,000 for placements of up to 12 months.
Environmental Jobs Growth Program: Open
Eligible employers can receive up to $18,750 of a candidate's salary for placement in a new or vacant full or part-time 6 to 12-month position.
Apprenticeship Service
Program: Open
Employers can receive $5,000 When Hiring a First-Year Apprentice; or $10,000 When Hiring a Self-Identified Equity Deserving First-Year Apprentice.
Environmental Employability Pathways: Open
Eligible small and medium-sized businesses receive 50% wage coverage up to $12,000 of a participant’s salary for a placement in a new full or part-time position.
Digital Skills For Youth: Closed
Eligible employers of small to medium-sized businesses (< 500 staff) can receive 80% wage coverage up to $18,000 for a minimum 3 to 12 month full-time or part-time placement.
Environmental Foreign Talent Development Program: Open
Eligible employers can receive 75% wage coverage up to $15,000 of a participant’s
salary for full-time placements of 3 to 6 months.
Nature-Based Climate Solutions Program: Waitlist
Eligible employers can receive $4,500 wage subsidy for a 3-month placement full-time or part-time placement.
Student Work Placement
(Co-op): Open
Eligible employers can receive 50% wage coverage up to $5,000 of a student’s salary for a placement in a new full or part-time 6 to 16 week position with a minimum of 180 hours.
Learn More About Our Program
Student Testimonial
“I very much appreciate how easy the application and reporting processes are. Love the web platform.
Magnus led a team of Indigenous Forest brushing youth crew in the community of KI in Far North. He truly raised to this role and led by an example of good work ethic, kindness and problem solving.
He truly knocked the socks off for all of us at NorthWinds. We believe youth training is a moral obligation of professionals to keep a reliable pool of highly qualified experts.
Summer students help with seasonal workload increases. Working with youth is motivating for our staff.”
Thanks to our funders for making these programs possible:
