PEI employers who hire students during summer may qualify for the employee wage subsidy offered through two separate student employment programs:

• Jobs for Youth Program through Employment Development Agency (EDA) supports students working 8-12 weeks during summer and returning to school.
• Post-Secondary Student Program through Skills PEI supports students working 12-14 weeks during summer and entering or returning to full-time post-secondary studies.
  • In some cases, post-secondary positions may be funded for 8-18 weeks depending on needs of the employer and the student.
  • Priority will be given to employers able to demonstrate they will provide post-secondary students with a valuable experiential learning opportunity related to the student’s field of study (e.g. Pathways to Apprenticeship, Health-related occupations).

How do I apply for the summer student employment program?

The 2022 List of Approved Employers will be available online in May.

• Employees: Students seeking summer employment are invited to apply directly to the employer for any position that interests them and create or update their job seeker account at WorkPEI.  Many positions, including those approved under provincial student employment programs are posted to the WorkPEI employment website. For more post-secondary program information, call 1-877-491-4766 during office hours or visit SkillsPEI.
• Employers: A PEI registered business, non-profit organization, or government agency may apply to one or both programs using the online forms below or complete the Jobs for Youth PDF.  Employer applications will be received until April 15th.

What is the amount of wage subsidy offered?

Positions approved for wage assistance will be funded or reimbursed as follows:

Non Profit Sector: Employers will determine the student wage rate based on the requirements of the position but must provide a minimum of $13.70/hr.

• Jobs for Youth: Each approved position will be funded at 100% of the Provincial minimum wage rate plus 4% vacation pay for up to 40 hours per week. Approved non-profit projects, at the time of startup will be provided with 80 percent of the approved wage assistance for each position with 20 percent of the total amount being withheld until the completion of the project.
• Post-secondary Student: Employers will be reimbursed 100% of the approved hourly wage, including vacation pay to a maximum of 40 hours per week, for the total weeks approved.

Private Sector: Employers will determine the student wage rate based on the requirements of the position but must provide a minimum of $13.70/hr.

• Jobs for Youth: Each approved position will be funded at 50% of the Provincial minimum wage rate + 4% vacation pay for up to 40 hours per week. A minimum of 35 work hours must be provided to a position in any single week.
• Post-Secondary Student: Employers will be reimbursed 50% of the approved hourly wage, including vacation pay to a maximum of 40 hours per week, for the total weeks approved.

Public Sector:

• Jobs for Youth: Each approved position will be funded 100% of the Provincial minimum wage rate + 5.7% vacation pay for an average 37.5 hours per week. All project proposals must have signature of the sponsoring department or agency’s deputy head or their designate.
• Post-Secondary Student: Public Sector employers will follow the student wage rates determined by the Province and follow a three-step range depending on the student’s year of study. This information will be finalized prior to approval.

For all sectors, employers are responsible for the employer’s share of employee benefits such as: EI, CPP, Workers Compensation premiums, and the cost of materials, supplies, rentals, travel, telephone and so on. The project summary and payroll records must be submitted within 30 days of the project’s completion. Any unused portion of any payment must be repaid to the funding agency, Employment Development Agency or Skills PEI.

What do I need to complete the employer application?

Depending on the program, you may be asked to provide employer and project information as follows:

Employer/Business:

• Business name and contact details, including a primary and alternate contact person
• PEI Corporate Registry number
• Business HST number
• CRA payroll number
• Worker’s Compensation Number
• Organization type, i.e. private, non-profit or public
• Date of business established
• Business activity, i.e. major product or service
•  Number of employees
• Preferred language of service, English or French
• Legal signing officers for binding legal agreements and payment claims (name and title)
• Disclosure of previous provincial and/or federal government agreements
• Disclosure of any default amount owing to a government department or agency

Project/Position:

• Project or activity description
• Position title
• Job activities/duties
• Objectives to be achieved
• Education and skills required
• Duration including start and end date and total weeks
• Rate of pay (hourly)
• Mentorship plan
• Supervisor name and contact details
• Name and contact for person responsible for payroll/timesheet, if different from supervisor
• Completed PEI Government payee/ vendor registration form