BioTalent Canada Announces an Additional $2.3M in Wage Subsidies to Place 200 New Graduates into ‘Green’ Jobs

OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BioTalent Canada announced the extension of its wage-subsidy initiative to help new graduates across Canada land a ‘green’ job in biotechnology, environmental and other sectors. The federally-funded program will provide $2.3 million in wage subsidies to facilitate over 200 new placements over the next two years.

Funded in part by the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy, Career Focus Green Jobs is a wage-subsidy initiative aimed to alleviate youth unemployment. Wage subsidies have a positive historical record of jumpstarting careers especially for new biotech graduates and helping small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) access funding to hire new talent.

According to BioTalent Canada’s 2017 labour market report on youth employment, Opening the Door II, almost 85% of new graduates retain full-time employment even after their wage subsidy ends.

BioTalent Canada, a national non-profit HR association for Canada’s bio-economy, has a long track record of successful implementation of wage-subsidy programs, and will disburse over $10.3 million in wage subsidies, to create 1,400 job placements over the next four years. The Green Jobs program will form an important component of those new placements.

Eligible companies will be those with a sustainable development mission, or those with products or services that directly reduce carbon footprint, enhance recycling or reduce waste. Similarly, positions that are dedicated to those ends from other industries may also be eligible for the subsidy.

Career Focus Green Jobs has been well-received. Bioenterprise, a business accelerator for companies engaged in agricultural technologies located in Guelph Ontario, praises the program. “The wage subsidy program opened up a tremendous opportunity to add to our growing team, and allowed us to take on even more clients […],” says Jessica Bowes, Manager, Business and Technology Analyst Group at Bioenterprise.

“The program has been advantageous for the growing Agri-biotech, Bio-industrial and Bio-energy sub-sectors, and for other sectors launching green initiatives,” says Rob Henderson, President and CEO of BioTalent Canada. “These enhanced wage subsidies are critical injections of capital for these small and medium-sized enterprises to secure the talent they need,” he said.

Green jobs is only one of several wage subsidy programs currently managed by BioTalent Canada. Companies interested in applying are encouraged to visit biotalent.ca/wage-subsidies for more information.

About BioTalent Canada
BioTalent Canada is the HR partner of Canada’s bio-economy. As an HR expert and national non-profit organization, BioTalent Canada focuses on building partnerships and skills for Canada’s bio-economy to ensure the industry has access to job-ready people. Through projects, research, and product development, BioTalent Canada connects employers with job seekers, delivers human resource information, and skills development tools so the industry can focus on strengthening Canada’s biotech business. For more information, please visit biotalent.ca.

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