Co-operative Education Incentive

The Co-op Education Incentive (CEI) provides wage assistance to organizations that offer career-related work experiences for university and college co-operative students.

Apply between 15 August and 15 September 2026 for the Winter 2027 co-op term.
Apply between 15 December 2026 and 15 January 2027 for the Summer 2027 co-op term.
Apply between 15 April and 15 May 2027 for the 2027 Fall co-op term.

The CEI helps employers hire post-secondary co-operative education students for work placements.

40% of funding is targeted to employers from Nova Scotia’s priority sectors. All roles within these sectors are eligible. The program prioritizes provincial strategic sectors:

  • offshore and onshore wind
  • onshore natural gas and offshore oil and gas
  • seafood and agrifood
  • mining and critical minerals
  • defence/aerospace
  • housing/construction
  • artificial intelligence/digital

Employers can hire a co-op student for a work term of 12-16 weeks. You’ll receive a subsidy of $8 an hour for the wages you pay the student. Students must work at least 390 hours during their work term. The program will reimburse up to 640 hours of work.

Employers are eligible for a diversity bonus of $1.50 per hour if they hire a student who self-identifies as Mi’kmaq or Indigenous, African Nova Scotian, a visible minority, a person with a disability, member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, a woman in an occupation where they are under-represented or an international student.

32-week terms are available in some education programs. Confirm with the Co-op Coordinator at the post-secondary institution.

Program policies and instructions for submitting applications are outlined in the Co-op Program Guidelines (PDF).

All requested positions must be reviewed by at least one of the institutions on the Co-op Coordinators List (PDF). This list can help you to select the university or college that can provide you with a co-op student that best meets your job requirements.

Co-op terms are available 3 times a year:

  • summer term: 1 April to 31 August
  • fall term: 1 September to 31 December
  • winter term: 1 January to 30 April

Co-operative Education Incentive is a youth employment program.

Eligibility

Organizations can apply for the subsidy if they:

  • are private-sector, non-profit or charitable organization, social enterprise or a municipality
    • provincial government reporting entities are not eligible for funding
  • want to hire a co-operative education student for a work term of 12 to 16 weeks
  • will pay the student at least $19.50 per hour (plus vacation pay) for full-time work that meets the requirements of the student’s co-op program

While the minimum wage required for your application to be considered is stated above, your application will be assessed on the competitiveness of the wage for the students you wish to hire.

The student you hire must:

  • be enrolled in a work term as part of a co-operative education program at a Nova Scotia university or college
  • be returning to studies after their work term (this is a requirement of co-operative education)

If you are not sure if the student you wish to hire is in a qualifying program, please contact their post-secondary institution.

Before you start

When you apply, you need to:

  • provide your organization’s Registry of Joint Stocks number, Canada Revenue Agency charities number or legal documentation regarding the structure of your organization
  • describe your organization and the role you want to fill

If you want to hire co-op students in more than one county, you’ll need to submit a separate application for each county.

How to apply

When you apply online you need to create a LaMPSS Account or sign in.

Start now

If you do not have a LaMPSS account, you can create one during the application process, but you will need to download the Electronic Funds Transfer Form. Agreements cannot be approved until your organization is an approved government vendor.

Approved agreements

If your application is approved, you’ll need to:

  • return a signed contract
  • provide information about the student you hire, including proof that they’re currently enrolled in a Co-operative Education program at a Nova Scotia university or college and have your student sign a consent form for use of their information. Use the student information form in the downloads section

At the end of the program, you’ll need to:

  • provide proof of the wages you paid the student by providing a valid pay stub from their last pay period. If the student has worked for you in more than one co-op term, we may also require the first pay stub for the current term
  • complete a feedback survey
  • have your student complete a feedback survey

Contact

Labour, Skills and Immigration
PO Box 697
Halifax, NS B3J 2T8

Phone: 902-424-6000
Toll-free: 1-800-424-5418

Downloads

Required Forms for Approved Work Terms

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