First Nations and Inuit Youth Employment Strategy: Summer Work Experience Program: National Program Guidelines 2022 to 2023
COVID-19: Extended support for student work terms
As a COVID-19 response measure, the First Nations and Inuit Youth Employment Strategy will extend Summer Work Experience Program opportunities for First Nations and Inuit youth students until February 28, 2023.
Table of contents
1. Introduction
The First Nations and Inuit Summer Work Experience Program is 1 of 2 programs that Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) administers under the First Nations and Inuit Youth Employment Strategy.
These guidelines are effective as of April 1, 2022.
2. Objectives
The objectives of the program are:
- to help youth acquire skills by providing organizations with wage subsidies for their summer work experience
- to assist First Nations and Inuit secondary and post-secondary students prepare for the labour market by enabling them to obtain employment experience
- to help students acquire employability skills
- to support them in financing and furthering their education
- to provide students with career and labour market information and assistance in finding summer or short-term employment
These objectives are consistent with, and support, the overall objectives of the Government of Canada's Youth Employment and Skills Strategy Summer Work Experience Program.
3. Expected results
Key expected results of this program are to:
- increase awareness of the benefits of education
- enhance employability skills for participating First Nations and Inuit youth
4. Funding recipients
A funding recipient is an individual or entity that has met the eligibility criteria of the program and has signed a funding agreement with ISC to deliver an initiative program, service or activity.
5. Eligible recipients
Eligible recipients are:
- First Nations and Inuit communities
- governments and organizations
- not-for-profit associations
- private sector employers
Eligible recipients can enter into agreements with private sector and non-profit sector employers to access employment opportunities for youth.
6. Eligible participants
Eligible participants are:
- First Nations and Inuit secondary and post-secondary students aged 15 to 30 inclusive
- ordinarily resident on reserve or in recognized communities or on community lands
- legally entitled to work in Canada
- registered as full-time students during the preceding academic year and who intend to return to school on a full-time basis in the next academic year
7. Activities
The activities will support work experience opportunities for First Nations and Inuit secondary and post-secondary students, between May 1, 2022 and February 28, 2023.
8. Expenditures
8.1 Eligible expenditures
The recipient will determine the wage rate for participants. It must be at or above the applicable provincial or territorial minimum wage.
Eligible expenditures include:
- participant wages and mandatory employment-related costs including the gross employee share of CPP, QPP, EI, vacation pay, WCB/CSST (Quebec) and where applicable, health insurance premiums; wage costs per participant will meet or exceed the applicable minimum wage in the province or territory where the work placement occurs
- other necessary costs directly related to a work placement up to a maximum of $300 per participant, such as:
- a criminal record check
- required uniforms
- personal safety gear (for example, work boots, safety hats)
- actual cost for special equipment and facilities to accommodate the needs of a disabled individual up to a maximum of $3,000, if applicable
- administration costs that do not exceed 15% of the sub-total amount requested before administration costs. The program's data collection instrument will automatically calculate the amount. Eligible administration costs include (but are not limited to):
- office or general expenses
- materials
- supplies
- advertising
- communication and printing costs
- professional services
Further distribution of funds by ISC's funding recipients
When a funding recipient further transfers funds that were received under this program to a third party, the 15% allowed for administration costs must be divided between the parties, as agreed to between the parties.
The total administration costs retained by all parties must not exceed 15% of the sub-total amount requested before administration costs.
8.2 Ineligible expenditures
Ineligible expenditures include but are not limited to:
- infrastructure or equipment purchases (for example, computers and software)
- capital costs for construction of a building, other than small repairs or renovations to support the participation of persons with disabilities or the purchase of land or buildings
9. Proposal process
All funding for the First Nations and Inuit Youth Employment Strategy will be based on approved proposals. Proposals are selected on the basis of meeting program objectives.
Applicants must submit detailed proposals for the activities to be undertaken over the course of the agreement. Proposals must clearly state how the activities will further the objectives and expected results of this program.
Eligible proposals must:
- meet the program guidelines
- be gender-balanced
- outline the activities that support any or all of the above objectives
- demonstrate that the activities will provide assistance only to eligible participants
- provide an estimate of eligible costs including any share to be incurred by partners
- outline the results to be achieved
The placement must provide a minimum of 80 hours of work.
Submission of proposals
Only proposals submitted in the electronic proposal form issued by ISC will be considered for assessment. Refer to the proposal form and the attached instructions for application details. Incomplete proposals will be returned to applicants.
The information required in the proposal is available in the Reporting Guide. Recipients who have access to the ISC Services Portal can access the proposal form by opening a session on the portal. If you do not have access to the portal, contact your ISC regional office, or if you are a national recipient, contact education-education@sac-isc.gc.ca.
First Nations organizations in British Columbia must apply through the First Nations Education Steering Committee.
Assessment criteria
All proposals will be assessed by the following criteria:
- capability: the experience and capacity of the recipient, and identified project leader, where applicable to:
- manage the successful implementation of the activities in their proposal
- complete the proposed employment initiative in a timely manner
- comparability: the extent to which the proposed initiative is comparable with programs and services provided by provincial schools within the locality of the First Nations
- implementation activities: the extent to which the proposal aligns with eligible activities and meets program objectives. The assessment will consider timelines, cost-effectiveness and the degree to which the activities will result in expected outcomes
- project management: how the initiative or project will be managed, including project governance, management of project scope, human resources, risk management and project monitoring, control and reporting
- project costs: realistic assessment of estimated total costs and a justification of the level of funding required
- cooperation and partnerships: with other governments, employers, community-based organizations and interested organizations to encourage strategic partnerships, minimize overlap or duplication and operate in partnership with other related employment, entrepreneurship, economic development and social programs
Meeting these criteria does not guarantee funding from the First Nations and Inuit Summer Work Experience Program.
Review and approval of proposals
ISC regional or headquarters staff reviews and approves proposals. A written response is sent to applicants to confirm whether or not their proposal has been approved for funding.
To find out more about the 2022 to 2023 call for proposals and the application process, consult:
10. Funding
10.1 Maximum amount of funding
The maximum amount of funding given a funding recipient in a fiscal year is set out in the funding agreement signed by the funding recipient.
The initiative is nationally and regionally based and proposal-driven.
The non-profit sector is eligible to receive a contribution of up to 100% of the applicable wage, plus mandatory employment-related costs (MERC). The private sector is eligible to receive up to 50% of the applicable wage only.
All employers are eligible to apply for 100% of the wage when a participant with disabilities is hired. A maximum contribution of $3,000 per participant may be available, on an actual cost basis, for special equipment and facilities to accommodate the student's needs.
10.2 Funding approaches
Transfer payments to funding recipients of the First Nations and Inuit Youth Employment Strategy Summer Work Experience Program will be made using fixed contribution, however set contribution may be used if the recipient so wishes.
ISC officers can provide information on the eligibility requirements of these funding approaches and on the requirements related to the management of the funds.
The funding approach used to transfer funds to a recipient is identified in the recipient's signed funding agreement.
The following specific program directions for the management of transfer payments complement the directions provided in the recipient's signed funding agreement and are to be read in conjunction with the funding agreement.
Set contribution funding
Reallocation of funding:
- Reallocation of funds is not allowed with transfer payments made using set contribution
Fixed contribution funding
Reallocation of funding:
- During the fiscal year, recipients may reallocate a reasonable percentage of funds among the eligible activities and expenditures of their ISC-approved proposal for the FNIYES Summer Work Experience Program
- Recipients must obtain the approval from the ISC officer responsible for the program in their region before reallocating funds
Unexpended funding
Recipients may retain unexpended funding from a fiscal year, to expend in the 1 year period immediately following the fiscal year for which it was provided, on eligible activities and expenditures outlined in these guidelines.
11. Reporting requirements and monitoring and oversight activities
The reporting requirements for program and financial reports are listed in the recipient's funding agreement. Details on these requirements are available in the Reporting Guide. Recipients who have access to the ISC Services Portal can access the reporting forms by opening a session on the portal. If you do not have access to the portal, contact your ISC regional office, or if you are a national recipient, contact education-education@sac-isc.gc.ca.
All funding recipient reporting requirements are subject to monitoring and oversight activities to determine the accuracy of the information provided to ISC.
Reporting requirements include the overarching program report and the completion of a youth evaluation form for each participating youth. This requirement does not apply to activities related to career planning and promotion of science and technology.
The youth evaluation form is available through the Menu button on page one of the main report by clicking on View Instructions. The youth evaluation form must be reattached to the main report using the "Add Youth Evaluations" function.
12. Accountability
ISC is committed to providing assistance to recipients so they can effectively carry out the obligations set out in this document and funding agreement.
Funding recipients must deliver the programs in accordance with the provisions of their funding agreement and the program delivery requirements outlined in this document. They must ensure the necessary management controls are in place to manage funding and monitor activities.
Funding recipients are required to exercise due diligence when approving expenditures. They must ensure that such expenditures are in accordance with the eligible expenditures set out in this document.
13. Personal information
ISC's collection and use of personal information and other records for the purposes of targeted program reviews (for example, desk and on-site reviews) is limited to what is necessary to ensure delivery requirements are met.
ISC is responsible for all information and records in its possession. The confidentiality of the information is managed by ISC in accordance with the Privacy Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. P-21 and other related policies on privacy. Recipients are responsible for the protection of personal information as per provincial privacy statutes and regulations and the recipient's policies up to the point that the personal information is transferred to ISC.
14. Contact information
For further program information, visit the First Nations and Inuit Summer Work Experience Program page.
Contact your local ISC regional office.
You can also write to:
Education Branch
Indigenous Services Canada
10 Wellington St
Gatineau QC K1A 0H4
Email: education-education@sac-isc.gc.ca
For more information about education programs, consult the National program guidelines or through the View Instructions button on the first page of this program's data collection instrument.