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Youth Employment and Skills Program (YESP) │ Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)

May 4, 2026

Value

Maximum of $14,000.

Description

In March 2026, the Government of Canada announced an investment of up to $13.47 million in funding for 2026-27 through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Program, as part of the Government of Canada’s broader $307.9 million investment in the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy.

Eligible Applicants

Eligibility checklist — Applicants (employers)

  • You’re one of the following organization types:
    • For-profit organization, including:
      • partnerships
      • corporations
      • co-operatives
      • trusts
    • Not-for-profit organization, including:
      • associations of workers and/or employers
      • local communities, charitable or voluntary organizations
      • sector councils
      • corporations
      • trusts
    • Individual or sole proprietorship
    • Provincial, territorial, or municipal government
    • Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Inuk, Métis) organization or individual
    • Academia
  • You’re an agriculture or agri-food related organization that can offer employment opportunities that will give youth work experiences in Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector
  • You’re a legal entity capable of entering into legally binding agreements
  • You’ll hire the youth participant under the organization’s payroll and deduct the required source deductions from their pay
  • You’ll pay wages and benefits to the youth participant in a timely manner and in accordance with the labour laws and regulations of the province/territory of the project work site

Eligibility checklist — Youth participants (employees)

You’re responsible for hiring and verifying the eligibility of the youth participant. The youth participant must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible.

  • Be between the ages of 15 and 30 (inclusive) at the start of the project
  • Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, or person who has been granted refugee status in Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
  • Not receive Employment Insurance (EI) during the project
  • Be unemployed or underemployed at the start of the project

Eligible Expenses

Program objective

The program provides non-repayable contributions to agriculture and agri-food related employers to:

  • hire youth, ages 15 to 30
  • provide work experience and skill development opportunities in Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector

Funding

The program provides non-repayable contributions to support a youth’s wages and benefits paid by an employer during a project, to a maximum of $14,000.

Up to an additional $5,000 per project may be provided to support youth participants who relocate for the project and/or face a barrier to employment.

Cost-sharing

Contributions toward eligible costs will be shared between AAFC and you as follows:

  • AAFC — maximum of 50%
  • You — minimum of 50%

For Indigenous employers and/or employers who hire a youth facing barriers to employment:

  • AAFC — maximum of 80%
  • You — minimum of 20%

Total government funding (inclusive of federal departments, agencies, and crown corporations, provincial/territorial, and municipal governments) cannot exceed 100% of total project funding. It is your responsibility to confirm the stacking limit for any other programs to which you apply.

Deadline Date

May 4, 2026

Contact

Contact Name: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - Youth Employment and Skills Program

Phone Number: 1-866-452-5558

E-mail Address: aafc.yesp-pecj.aac@agr.gc.ca

Website: https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/programs/youth-employment-and-skills

Industry:

Agriculture, Employment, Indigenous, Municipalities, Non-Profit, University Partnerships

Location:

Alberta, British Colombia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, NWT, Ontario, PEI, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon

Tags:

ABmunis, Businesses, March, Youth

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