Government of Canada creates 850 paid work placements for students with mining industry

Québec – When post-secondary students get the chance to learn in a hands-on work environment, they build the real-word skills and connections that help them get great jobs when they graduate. That is why the Student Work Placements Program is such a critical part of the Government’s plan to put Canada’s greatest strength—its skilled, hard-working people—at the heart of a more innovative, future economy.

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, on behalf of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, today announced that the Government of Canada will provide $7.8 million to the Mining Industry Human Resources Council for the Gearing Up: Developing Mining Talent Through Work-Integrated Learning project, which will help 850 students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and business fields develop important skills and gain valuable workplace experience.

The Government of Canada is rolling out a $73 million Student Work Placement Program to create over 10,000 paid student work placements in STEM and business fields over the next four years and to facilitate stronger partnerships between employers and partnering polytechnics, universities and colleges. This is in addition to funding provided to Mitacs, a not-for-profit organization that provides research internships with a goal of creating 10,000 work placements per year. With these combined investments, over 60,000 post-secondary students will have paid work placements over the next five years.

Minister Duclos made the announcement at Université Laval in Québec, together with the Quebec Mining Association and the Mining Industry Human Resources Council, one of several industry partners working with the Government of Canada. The Mining Industry Human Resources Council, a not-for-profit organization, works with stakeholders, such as mining and exploration companies, organized labour and educational institutions, to identify and address the human resources and labour market challenges facing the Canadian minerals and metals sector.