Venture for Canada – Internship Program
Also known as: Venture for Canada Internship
Wage subsidy to help small businesses, startups, social enterprises, non-profits, and charities hire an entrepreneurial student intern. Funded by the Government of Canada's Student Work Placement Program and delivered by the Venture for Canada non-profit, which also matches employers with students from its network of 108+ partner universities/colleges.
Who qualifies
- Employer: small/medium business, start-up, social enterprise, non-profit, or charity, registered in any Canadian province or territory (confirmed nationwide, including Manitoba), with fewer than 500 employees
- Employer must pay the intern at least $18.00/hour (Venture for Canada notes employers typically pay closer to $22/hour)
- Subsidy: 50% wage subsidy, capped at $5,000 per student per term — confirmed verbatim on the official employer page (full-page re-check 2026-07-18); combined funding from all sources cannot exceed 100% of the student's salary. Third-party sites citing a higher 50–70%/$7,000 tier for underrepresented-group hires were NOT corroborated on this official page and should be treated as unconfirmed until verified directly with Venture for Canada
- Payment: roughly half the subsidy paid within 6 weeks of the intern's start date, remainder paid on placement completion
- Intern must hold Canadian citizenship, permanent residency, or refugee status — international students are not eligible
- Post-secondary institutions themselves are no longer eligible to be the hiring employer
Typical applicant
Manitoba small businesses, startups, or non-profits wanting to bring on a motivated student for a defined term without carrying the full wage cost — a lighter-weight alternative to NRC IRAP YEP (see nrc_irap_yep) for employers that aren't IRAP-eligible or don't need a graduate-level technical hire
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.