Hire co-op students this fall and you could receive over $5,000 in wage subsidies and tax incentives

UWaterloo co-op students talking with each other

Join more than 7,100 other employers who have tapped into the value of co-op students from Waterloo. Post your jobs on WaterlooWorks (our free job board) today.

When you hire co-op students, you may be eligible to receive up to 50% of the student's wage (up to a maximum of $5,000 per student) along with an Ontario Co-operative Education tax credit of up to $3,000.

How does co-op work?

1) Register and postAffordable way to fill your talent needs

Access 25,000+ students available for full-time positions.

2) Interview and hireTalent from 120+ accredited programs

Hire a student for 12 to 16 weeks.

3) RepeatStudents are available year round

Easily repost your job for the next work term on WaterlooWorks.

A Fall 2022 work term can range from 12 to 16 weeks with a minimum of 280 hours, giving your organization the flexibility with start and finish dates for your student.

Even though the Fall term is starting on September 6, 2022, you can post a job, interview and hire into late October.

If you have unique hiring needs, we offer flexible hiring options. Feel free to reach out to our team at hire.talent@uwaterloo.ca!

Why hire our co-op students?

Illustration of a gear and lightbulb representing innovation

29 years being rankedas Canada's most innovative university

Hiring our co-op students connects you with top talent from Canada’s most innovative university (Maclean’s Magazine).

Illustration of an students standing behind a handshake

#1 in Canadafor employer-student connections

When hiring from Waterloo, we will connect you with top student talent, and guide you through the recruitment process (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2020).

Illustration of a student walking up stairs to represent experiential learning

#1 in Canadafor experiential learning

As Canada's leader in experiential learning, our students are equipped with the academic and technical skills needed for the workplace.

Find out why employers (like Microsoft) hire Waterloo co-op students

Watch video on YouTube

Top wage subsidies and tax incentives for hiring co-op

Student Work Placement Program (SWPP)
Receive up to $5,000 per co-op student

Through SWPP, organizations in Canada that offer full-time employment opportunities for full-time Canadian post-secondary students can receive wage subsidies. There are 10 partners that deliver this funding.

How much is this funding?	Funding will cover up to 50% (up to a maximum of $5,000 per placement) Example: If you hire a student to work 35 hours a week at $18.00/hour for 16 weeks. Your total cost for wages will be $10,080. SWPP will then give you $5,000 at the end of the work term in wage subsidies. This means that your cost to hire a full-time staff member for 16 weeks is only $5,080! Students hired from under-represented groups may be eligible to have up to 70% of their wages subsidized. This is determined on a case-by-case basis at the end of each work term
Am I eligible?	There is SWPP funding available to employers in all industries. Employers can hire students in any program (i.e.: Arts, Business, Science...etc.). Students must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or a person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for the duration of employment to qualify for funding from SWPP. Provincial and territorial governments are NOT eligible for SWPP funding.
How can I apply?	You apply directly to each funding partner. We've put together a helpful list of details for each of the 10 funding partners. Take a look for more details!
What's the application deadline?	Deadlines vary by funding partner - but all 10 are still currently accepting applications for the September to December work term.

Ontario Co-operative Education Tax Credit
$3,000 tax credit per co-op student

How much is the tax credit?	Large corporations can claim 25% of expenditures, up to $3,000, while small businesses can claim 30% of expenditures up to $3,000, per eligible work placement. This tax credit is available for each work placement. Each work placement needs to be a minimum of 10 weeks and maximum of 4 months with no cap on the amount of eligible work placements an employer submits. Employers may have multiple work placements which take place at the same time and throughout the year (I.e. iIf an organization decides to hire for an eight-month work term, or two students for four-month work terms, both would be considered as two work placements and would be eligible for a total tax credit of up to $6,000).
Am I eligible?	Any Ontario employer hiring students from a post-secondary co-op program
How can I apply?	Corporations claim the tax credit on Schedule 550 of their T2 corporation income tax return. Unincorporated businesses claim the credit on Form ON479 in their personal tax return. Learn more about the forms you need to submit on the government website.
What's the application deadline?	Tax season each year

A tip to maximize your funding

Student Work Placement Program funding can be combined with the Ontario Co-operative Education Tax Credit. This mean that you might be eligible to receive both types of funding.

For example: for each student you hire, you could receive up to $5,000 in SWPP funding plus an Ontario Co-opertive Education Tax Credit of up to $3,000 in expenditures not covered by SWPP!