$3M Wage Subsidy Program to Provide Green Economy With Young STEM Talent

OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The green economy will look to continue its rapid growth through an infusion of talented youth as Canada begins to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. To aid in this continued rise, BioTalent Canada announced today that Environment and Climate Change Canada has renewed its financial support of the Science Horizons Youth Internship Program. The $3M commitment will fund 103 internships.

Science Horizons provides employers in the environmental and clean-technology sector wage subsidies to hire recent post-secondary graduates. This renewal announcement comes weeks after BioTalent Canada released its report Growing the Bio-economy: youth in focus which highlights the success of Science Horizons.

“The Science Horizons wage subsidy has been a consistently successful program since 2017,” says Rob Henderson, President and CEO of BioTalent Canada. “Green economy employers recognize the big return on investment recent graduates offer. And as organizations continue to operate on razor tight budgets, programs like Science Horizons ease the financial constraints of hiring talent that can make valuable contributions.”

Between 2019 and 2021, more than 80 employers from coast to coast hired recent graduates as part of Science Horizons. And what started out as a placement, turned into permanent jobs for 81% of participants.

One of the biggest reasons for the success rate is the immediate impact new hires made on their organizations. When hands-on summer programming got shut down by COVID-19 restrictions, Water Rangers’ new hire Juno Garrah took the outdoors online and helped the organization reach a wider audience than ever before.

“As a small social enterprise, we wouldn’t have been able to hire Juno without the BioTalent Canada subsidy—and we wouldn't have adapted to the new format without her creative thinking,” says Kat Kavanagh, Founder and Executive director Water Rangers. “Youth like Juno bring a different kind of energy for change that can really help push you along.”

To help expand Canada’s green economy, the Science Horizons Youth Internship provides a wage subsidy of up to 80% for full-time internships of six to 12 months in environmental STEM positions linked to the green economy.

Rob Henderson is available for comment.

BioTalent Canada is actively accepting applications. For more information, visit biotalent.ca/sciencehorizons.

This project was undertaken with the financial support of: Environment and Climate Change Canada

About BioTalent Canada

BioTalent Canada supports the people behind life-changing science. Trusted as the go-to source for labour market intelligence, BioTalent Canada guides bio-economy stakeholders with evidence-based data and industry-driven standards. BioTalent Canada is focused on igniting the industry’s brainpower, bridging the gap between job-ready talent and employers, and ensuring the long-term agility, resiliency, and sustainability of one of Canada’s most vital sectors.

Recently named one of the 50 Best Workplaces in Canada with 10-50 employees and certified as a Great Place to Work® for 2021, BioTalent Canada practices the same industry standards it recommends to its stakeholders. These distinctions were awarded to BioTalent Canada following a thorough and independent survey analysis conducted by Great Place to Work®.

For more information, please visit biotalent.ca.

About Science Horizons Youth Internship Program

The Science Horizons Youth Internship Program is a wage subsidy initiative to help recent graduates eligible to work in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields acquire work experience in fields linked to the green economy. To learn more visit biotalent.ca/sciencehorizons.