Employer Application Instructions

Due to the overwhelming demand for SWPP funding, there is no guarantee that all applications will be approved, and at this time, priority is being given to Bioscience employers. Healthcare organizations that overlap with the bio-economy may be considered for funding.

Thank you for your interest in BioTalent Canada’s Student Work Placement Program (SWPP). For your organization to qualify for funding, you must complete and submit one (1) application per participant – as per Employment and Social Development Canada’s (ESDC) program guidelines.

Program Details

  • Placements must start on or after April 1, of the year to which you are applying.
  • Applications must be submitted before the end date of the placement or the deadline provided by BioTalent Canada, whichever date is first.
  • The student placement being funded must be over and above (i.e. net new) your organization’s baseline number of students previously hired. This baseline number is on file with BioTalent Canada, or it will be requested if this is your organization’s first application for SWPP funding.
  • Post-secondary institutions (universities, colleges, and polytechnics) cannot be the employer of record to offer placements to students.
  • The wage subsidy will cover 50% up to a maximum of $5,000 and 70% up to a maximum of $7,000 for hiring a student from an under-represented group such as:
      • 1st year student (the first time attending a post-secondary institution)
      • Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
      • Indigenous students
      • Persons with disabilities
      • Newcomers to Canada within the last five years
      • Visible minority
  • All wage subsidy participants will receive free access to BioTalent Canada’s Essential and Technical Skills Fundamentals training programs. For more information on these courses please visit biotalent.ca/essential and biotalent.ca/technical.
  • Back-to-back placements can be funded.
  • Participants can work from home or remotely.
  • Please note: Due to the overwhelming demand for SWPP funding there is no guarantee all applications will be approved and at this time priority is being given to Bioscience employers. Healthcare employers may be considered if there is an overlap in with the bio-economy such as with Clinical Trials or other research. This overlap should be identified in the SWPP application in the organization or job description.

Terms and Conditions for Employers

  1. The participant opportunity must be with a bio-economy or healthcare organization and/or is fulfilling a bio-economy or healthcare job function.
  2. The wages for the placement must not be funded by other Federal grants such as CIHR, NSERC, Canada Summer Jobs, or by any other federally funded program such as IRAP, Mitacs, etc. Placements funded through a stipend, scholarship and/or bursaries do not qualify. To participate in the program, participants must be placed on the employer’s payroll and pay into Federal/Provincial tax deductions (CPP, EI).
  3. Participants are not eligible for the program as contractors.
  4. The employer must:a) Provide a full- or part-time work opportunity at a minimum of 10 hours per week, for a minimum of four (4) weeks up to a maximum of 16 weeks;

    b) Not recruit and retain friends or family members as participants to the wage subsidy program;

    c) Inform potential participants of what their involvement in the wage subsidy program will entail;

    d) Provide proof of placement employment, start date, contract with participant, full wage, and benefits for the participant to BioTalent Canada upon request;

    e) Provide information about the placement to BioTalent Canada, as required;

    f) Develop a Formal Learning Plan with the participant;

    g) Provide BioTalent Canada with financial claims, and complete post-intervention surveys at the end of the participation period. The Employer must submit an online claim submission for each participant monthly to receive a subsidy reimbursement payment from BioTalent Canada. BioTalent Canada must receive your online claim submission with supporting documentation within seven (7) business days of the last business day of the month being claimed (even if the Participant has only been employed for a short time). All claim submissions with supporting documentation are subject to financial audits. It will take 3-5 weeks to receive payment from the date of submission to receive funds within the employer’s bank account.

    h) Employers are responsible for ensuring the completion of the mandatory post-intervention surveys by both employer and participant. Failure to complete the surveys will result in withholding of their final payment.

BioTalent Canada:

  1. Assumes no legal responsibility towards applicants or employers seeking subsidies.
  2. Considers only completed applications for participation in BioTalent Canada’s wage subsidy programs.
  3. Is required by Employment and Social Development Canada to share employer, participant and placement information with them via the Campus Connect online platform.

Employer Application Process


Step 1: Complete Employer Eligibility Assessment. Please make sure the participant information especially their email address is accurate. The email address for your participant must be available to them throughout the application and contract periods (e.g. personal Gmail, Hotmail, etc.). Note: To ensure accurate reimbursement of the wage subsidy the Placement Start Date must be the first day the student will work and the Placement End Date must be the last day the student will work. Neither of these days can be on a weekend if the student works Monday to Friday nor a Statutory Holiday.


Step 2: Provide Organization Description.


Step 3: Create the Placement Job Description.


Step 4: Click Invite Participant.

  1. Your participant will be notified via email to complete their portions of the application, including the learning plan.
  2. The participant will have to create an account on biotalent.ca and log in to complete their portion of the application.
  3. You will be notified via email once this stage of the application has been completed. You can also track the progress on your dashboard.


Step 5: Confirm Learning Plan


Step 6: Click on the Invite Academic Contact button. The Academic Contact will receive an email from biotalent.ca to initiate their portion of the application.


Step 7: The Academic Contact will have to create an account on biotalent.ca and log in to complete their portion of the application where they verify the participant is a student at the post-secondary institution.

You will be notified via email once this stage of the application has been completed. You can also track the progress on your dashboard.


Step 8: Once notified via email the application is ready for submission,

  1. login to biotalent.ca
  2. Go to My Dashboard
  3. Click Wage Subsidy Applications
  4. Choose My Applications
  5. Find the appropriate application
  6. Click Submit package


Step 9: The application will be reviewed by BioTalent Canada. BioTalent Canada makes every effort to process and approve applications as quickly as possible. If information is not clear, forms will be returned to be updated which may delay approval.


Step 10: Once the application is approved you will be notified by email or you can check your biotalent.ca dashboard for the status of your application.


Step 11: You will receive an email asking you to sign the contract in PandaDoc. If you have indicated another authorized person and / or second signer in the Employer Eligibility Assessment, they will receive an email notification to sign the contract in PandaDoc.

Reminders

  1. Inaccurate information causes delays. Please ensure information is accurate.
  2. Please make sure the email address your participant uses is the same email address you include in your application.
  3. Please make sure you, your participant, and Academic Contact check the junk mail folder or other inboxes for email notifications if the email is not seen in your inbox. You can always check the status of your forms and full applications on your dashboard.
  4. It can take up to 30 business days for BioTalent Canada to process your application(s).
  5. Placements must be approved and contract signed before the end of the placement.
  6. At any time, you can click the “Do you need help?” button in the top right of your dashboard and someone from BioTalent Canada will assist you.

Access to courses

As a bonus, your participant will receive free access to BioTalent Canada’s Essential and Technical Skills Fundamentals training programs which will better prepare them for immediate and future career success.

Once approved, your participant will receive a coupon code to access the courses.

Withdrawal from the program

If for any reason a Participant leaves the employment of the Employer, the Participant and the Employer are required to provide BioTalent Canada with a written notice through the online application system under the comments section of the application or placement details page, within seven (7) business days of the Participant’s departure, stating the reason for their departure. The employer will reimburse BioTalent Canada the total amount of the wage subsidy received if program participation requirements were not met – as per the contract agreement.

 

For further information, please contact
Colleen at [email protected].