In the November 4, 2025 federal budget, the Government of Canada made significant commitments to multi-year strategic investments in work-integrated learning (WIL) as part of its broader strategy to address youth unemployment and prepare the workforce for future challenges. With a commitment of over $1.5 billion to youth employment and WIL initiatives, the funding will provide for more opportunities to connect students to meaningful work and career development. The funding includes:

• Student Work Placement Program (SWPP): $635 million over three years to support 55,000 student placements annually.
• Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS): $308 million over two years to help youth transition into careers.
• Canada Summer Jobs Program: $594.7 million over two years to create 100,000 youth jobs.
• Youth Climate Corps: $40 million to train youth in climate resilience and emergency response.
• Innovative Work-Integrated Learning (I-WIL): Continued support for platforms enabling paid project-based learning.

What This Means for Southeast Alberta Businesses

These programs offer: 

• Subsidized student placements to support your workforce needs.
• Access to skilled youth talent trained in sustainability, tech, and trades.
• Support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to engage in work-integrated learning.
• Opportunities to participate in climate resilience and innovation projects.

Find out more about why work-integrated learning is important:

https://www.southeastalbertachamber.ca/resources/work-integrated-learning/