Youth Employment and Skills Program: 2. Eligibility

2. Eligibility

Before you apply, check if you meet the eligibility criteria.

Eligibility checklist — Applicants (employers)

You must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible.

• You're one of the following organization types:

  • For-profit organization, including:
    • partnerships
    • corporations
    • co-operatives
    • trusts
  • Not-for-profit organization, including:
    • associations of workers and/or employers
    • local communities, charitable or voluntary organizations
    • sector councils
    • corporations
    • trusts
  • Individual or sole proprietorship
  • Provincial, territorial, or municipal government
  • Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Inuk, Métis) organization or individual
  • Academia

• You're an agriculture or agri-food related organization that can offer employment opportunities that will give youth work experiences in Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector

  Examples of agriculture or agri-food related organizations

  • farmers
  • agricultural businesses, such as greenhouses, orchards, vineyards, or vegetable producers
  • businesses who supply agricultural products or services
  • food processors
  • agricultural related non-governmental organizations
• You're a legal entity capable of entering into legally binding agreements

• You'll hire the youth participant under the organization's payroll and deduct the required source deductions from their pay

  • Note: youth participants hired as contractors are not eligible

• You'll pay wages and benefits to the youth participant in a timely manner and in accordance with the labour laws and regulations of the province/territory of the project work site

  • Note: this includes obtaining parental consent for the youth participant's employment when required by provincial/territorial labour laws and regulations

Eligibility checklist — Youth participants (employees)

You're responsible for hiring and verifying the eligibility of the youth participant. The youth participant must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible.

• Be between the ages of 15 and 30 (inclusive) at the start of the project
• Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, or person who has been granted refugee status in Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
• Not receive Employment Insurance (EI) during the project

• Be unemployed or underemployed at the start of the project (or up to three (3) months before the project start date)

  "Unemployed" or "Underemployed"

  • "Unemployed" means a youth participant who is new to the organization and was without employment before the start of the project
  • "Underemployed" means a youth participant who either:
    • previously occupied a non-agricultural related position and is moving to an agricultural related position
    • previously occupied a position for which they were overqualified and is moving to a position better suited for their experience and education
    • moved from part-time (less than 30 hours per week) to full-time employment (30 hours or more per week)

Note: A youth that has already participated under the program may participate again, provided they are not hired by the same applicant in back-to-back program years (for example, 2025-26 and 2026-27). There is no restriction on hiring the same youth in back-to-back program years if the youth faces a barrier to employment, provided they still meet all eligibility criteria.

Eligibility checklist — Projects

Your project must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible.

• Begin no earlier than the date your application is deemed complete by the program, no earlier than April 1, 2026, and no earlier than the youth participant's 15th birthday
• End by March 31, 2027
• Be of a meaningful length – generally, two (2) months or more
• Have one (1) youth participant assigned to it, for any employment status (for example, full-time, part-time, casual, seasonal, etc.)^{note 1}
• Offer agriculture or agri-food related work experience
• Comply with the Impact Assessment Act (Justice Canada) (IAA 2019)

• Align with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's mandate

  • For additional information, refer to Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector overview

Eligible costs

Eligible costs must be incurred between the project start and end dates, and must involve a cash outlay of funds by the employer.

Costs you incur prior to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's (AAFC) approval, or the project start date, may not be reimbursed by AAFC, and you may be solely responsible for those costs.

Eligible costs include wages and benefits paid by employers to youth participants during the project, including:

• wages paid to youth participants
• employer contributions to benefits programs, such as the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Employment Insurance (EI), and workers' compensation, and in Quebec, the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP), the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP), the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST), and the Health Services Fund
• social benefits paid to youth participants, such as health benefits and vacation pay

Eligible costs to hire a youth participant that must relocate more than 100 kilometres (one way) from their home address for the duration of the project may include costs for:

• accommodations while the youth participant is in-transit for the relocation
• transportation while the youth participant is in-transit for the relocation

Eligible costs that specifically address the youth participant's barrier(s) to employment may include costs for:

• certifications and training to support skills and career development in the youth participant's field of work
• transportation to and from the project work site
• childcare services for the youth participant's child(ren), if they reside with and are the primary caregiver for the child(ren)
• family care services for the youth participant's dependents, if they reside with and are the primary caregiver for a dependent who requires help with daily activities during working hours, due to physical or mental disabilities
• personal protective equipment, if not typically provided for employees
• internet services (that is, the establishment of an internet connection, an internet plan) for youth residing in a remote, northern, or fly-in community without existing internet access, if required for the project and not typically provided for employees
• adaptive and assistive software programs and technology to enable youth to use a computer or other digital services
• accessibility and ergonomic equipment at the work site

You may be asked to provide supporting information and documentation for costs (such as calculations, quotes, invoices, pay stubs, proof of payment, etc.) during the assessment process and to process your claim, if your application is successful.

Refer to Eligible costs (Complete the application and apply) for additional details, including AAFC's maximum contribution for each cost category.

Ineligible costs

Ineligible costs include:

• wages and benefits paid to youth participants hired as contractors
• bonuses paid to youth participants
• costs incurred outside of the project's start and end dates, including for relocation
• relocation and barrier-related costs for items, services, and support that profit the employer
  • for example, transportation costs paid by the youth participant to the employer
• relocation or barrier-related costs for youth participants who are the employer's family members (partner, child, step-child, sibling, step-sibling, grandchild, step-grandchild, niece, step-niece, nephew, or step-nephew)
• costs for tangible items (for example, equipment, clothing, specialized software, etc.) incurred after the mid-point of the project
• in-kind contributions^{note 2}

Limitations

Limitations include:

• a youth that has already participated under the YESP may participate again, provided they are not hired by the same employer in back-to-back program years (for example, 2025-26 and 2026-27)
  • there is no restriction on hiring the same youth in back-to-back program years if the youth faces a barrier to employment, provided they still meet all eligibility criteria
• a youth participant may work on one (1) project under the YESP during the program year
• employers cannot hire themselves for projects (for example, sole proprietors cannot be both the employer and the youth participant)
• wages and benefits paid to the youth participant must be in line with industry standards in the region of work and correspond with their training and work experience
• maximum contribution limits apply to each cost category for relocation and barrier costs
  • refer to Eligible costs (Complete the application and apply) for additional details, including AAFC's maximum contribution for each cost category

Expected results

Contribution funding awarded to successful applicants is expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

• Canadian youth, especially those facing barriers, have access to the wraparound supports, skills training, and employment opportunities they need to obtain employment or return to school
• Canadian youth successfully participate in an inclusive labour market