Digital Skills for Youth
Hired someone 15-30 on contract? You might be eligible for up to $26,000 to subsidize related costs.
Hired someone 15-30 on contract? You might be eligible for up to $26,000 to subsidize related costs.
About the program
You might have hired a youth or looking to hire one, you can benefit from subsidized salary costs and help build our talent pool.
The program will:
The Digital Skills for Youth (DS4Y) program, funded by the Government of Canada, and delivered by Innovate BC, provides up to $26,000 for digital skills training so youth (aged 15-30) can successfully transition to the workforce.
The program helps to increase the employability and marketability of youth in British Columbia, as well as match underemployed youth with B.C. SMEs and non-profits in all regions of the province.
Your Application
The program application deadline was January 15, 2021 and the program is currently closed. If you’d like to be notified when the program reopens please complete this form.
Program eligibility
To participate in the Digital Skills for Youth Program, an Employer must:
To participate in the Digital Skills for Youth Program, the youth must:
Youth who self-identify as women, Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), member of an official language minority community, new immigrant, refugee, a person with a disability, a visible minority or LGBTQ2S+ or who live in a rural or remote location, will be given special consideration.
It takes approximately 4-6 weeks from application submission to final approval for funding.
Each step in the application process (I.e. Company Application and Project Plan & Budget) is processed within 15 business days. The Employer will be notified of their application status via email shortly after review.
In order to qualify for the 100% wage grant, the final reimbursement claim for Employers approved between April 2020 and February 2021 must be submitted by February 28th, 2021. Claims submitted after February 28th, 2021 will not be considered. Only costs incurred on or before February 28th, 2021 will be eligible for reimbursement, any costs after this will not be considered.
Yes! You can receive conditional approval and once you hire the Youth Intern, you will be required to provide student information. Please note, the usual eligibility requirements concerning youth roles for work placements still stand.
Yes! This is another great benefit of our program. You can apply for a grant retroactively for work terms that occurred in the past, with a start date no earlier than April 22, 2020.
Any placement that began before April 22, 2020 is not eligible for retroactive approval.
Yes. In fact, we highly encourage longer work placements to enrich the learning and employment experience. The Employer would be eligible for up to a maximum of $17,000 to cover direct labour/salary expenses incurred during the duration of the placement. Only costs incurred for months worked before February 28th, 2021 are eligible for reimbursement.
In order to be eligible for Innovate BC’s Digital Skills for Youth grant, the Employer must have not received a Digital Skills for Youth grant from Innovate BC or another program delivery partner after April 22, 2020.
Yes, grant stacking is permitted as long as the combined value of all grant funding does not exceed the youth’s salary, training expenses and participant costs.
Employers should try to hire a Youth Intern as soon as possible in order to get started with the project and meet the requirements of the placement. Conditional approval cannot be deferred from one fiscal year to another. Only costs incurred after the start of the internship and before February 28, 2021 will be eligible for reimbursement. For example, if you received conditional approval in October 2020 and you did not hire a student until January 2020, you will only be able to claim reimbursement for costs incurred from January to February 28, 2021.
In order to receive the funds, Employers will need to have done four key things:
Employers can begin submitting reimbursement claims at least one month after the start of the work placement and every month thereafter.
Reimbursement claims will be reviewed and payments issued within 4-6 weeks of receipt via direct deposit.