August 9, 2012 – The Electricity Sector Council (ESC) says it has worked with employers by assisting them in hiring post-secondary technician, technologist or engineering graduates since 2005. The incentive is back, says ESC, and being offered to all 19 electrical occupations as listed in ESC’s 2011 LMI (labour market information) report.

Through the ESC’s Career Focus Initiative, the council says it has assisted over 40 employers and provided over $834,000 in subsidy money.

The initiative was developed to provide career-related work experiences to young post-secondary graduates to increase their employability skills and facilitate transition into the labour market. The program also aims to assist Canadian employers through financial support so they may benefit from introducing highly skilled young people to their workplaces.

The initiative offers up to $12,500 per candidate. To qualify for the subsidy, host companies/employers must:

• Guarantee a minimum of 30 hours of work per week in a full-time position.
• Provide $1 in wages for every $1 of subsidy funding received (max. $12,500 per candidate available).
• Must have nepotism policy in place.
• Develop a formal learning plan i.e. personalized action plan, between an employer and a participant, designed to help set and meet work-related learning objectives.
• Have completed the wage subsidy application and have the employer wage subsidy contract in place before the candidate starts work.
• Be an electricity/renewable energy employer.

For a participant hire to qualify, they must:

• Have graduated as a technician, technologist, engineer, electrician, powerline worker, power systems operators or any of the 19 electrical occupations listed in the 2011 LMI report.
• Be between the ages of 15 and 30.
• Be a new hire (not an existing employee).
• Be a Canadian citizen or have landed immigrant status.

To learn more or apply for funding, contact Leigh-Anne Donovan at donovan@brightfutures.ca or (613) 235-5540 ext. 237.