NRC IRAP Youth Employment Program (YEP)

Also known as: IRAP YEP

Wage-subsidy stream delivered through NRC IRAP (see nrc_irap) to help SMEs hire a young post-secondary graduate for a 6–12 month placement on an R&D, engineering, multimedia, or market-analysis project, or to help develop a new product or process. Uses the same Industrial Technology Advisor (ITA) relationship as core IRAP funding — not a separate application channel.

Who qualifies

• Business must meet core IRAP eligibility (see nrc_irap for the current figures — not restated here to avoid the two entries drifting out of sync if NRC changes them)
• Youth candidate: 15–30 years old at placement start, a post-secondary graduate, Canadian citizen/permanent resident/protected person, legally entitled to work under relevant provincial legislation
• Youth candidate must be a first-time participant in a Youth Employment and Skills Strategy work-experience program targeted at post-secondary graduates
• Placement: minimum 6 months, maximum 12 months, minimum 30 hours/week
• ⚠️ The official page states funding 'cost-share[s] only a portion of the youth candidate's salary costs' — employer remains responsible for benefits/overhead — but does NOT publish an exact dollar cap or percentage. The '$30,000' figure widely repeated by third-party aggregator sites (helloDarwin, Ryan, Ontario/Alberta Business Grants) does not appear anywhere on NRC's own page (checked 2026-07-18, full-page search for any dollar figure). Present as "amount confirmed only through your assigned ITA" — never state $30,000 as an NRC-published figure.
• No standalone application form — apply by calling NRC IRAP (1-877-994-4727) to be matched with an ITA, who co-develops the project proposal and assists with candidate recruitment; decision typically within two weeks of submission

Typical applicant

Existing IRAP-eligible tech/R&D SMEs specifically looking to hire a recent graduate for a defined technical project, rather than general headcount growth

Verified against the official program page as of 2026-07-18. Programs change — always confirm current details with the program office before committing project spend.