Discovering Potential

Overview of the Discovering Potential program:

The program supports employers who provide youth with green work experience through internships and on-the-job training. Positions in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and/or relating to electricity, renewable energy, environment, and natural resources can qualify.

Benefits of the Discovering Potential program:

• Internship Opportunities
• Internship provides youth participants with meaningful employment placements that help them attain career skills and experience.
• EHRC provides wage subsidies to organizations providing these internships for participants between the ages of 15 and 30 (inclusive). Organizations may be eligible for a subsidy of up to 75% of a participants wages, to a maximum of $24,000 per participant. Participants furthest from employment may be eligible for additional funding, pending evaluation.
• Please contact [email protected] for additional information.
• Training Opportunities
• Training opportunities support the success of young workers and youth facing barriers to employment. The training opportunities funded by this program can be versatile in application and impact. For example, Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia leveraged the subsidy to deliver innovative and career-focused training for the green economy.
• Other examples of eligible training opportunities include, but are not limited, to:
• A career centre or training hall offering a series of workplace skills sessions in coordination with local employers, working directly with youth participants to improve their employability.
• A training or educational organization runs a pre-entry or post-graduation skills program to empower youth facing barriers to explore careers in electricity.

Eligibility criteria of the Discovering Potential program:

• All placements must meet the following criteria:
• The placement must be completed by February 29, 2024 (yes, it is a leap year).
• The placement must not be funded by any other federally funded program.
• For internship placements, the organization must not recruit or retain friends or family members without a nepotism policy in place.
• The employer or training organization must refer to the youth eligibility criteria when selecting a candidate for their placement opportunity. They should inform all potential candidates what their involvement with Discovering Potential will entail.
• The employer or training organization must ensure that their selected participant completes all program-related paperwork in a timely manner, including:
• Employer/Training Organization Eligibility Form and Participant Eligibility Form
• A signed contract
• A Learning Plan
• Employer/Training Organization Evaluation Questionnaire
• Participant Reflection Questionnaire
• The employer or training organization must provide information about the placement to EHRC upon request, including but not limited to proof of employment or training, start date and end dates, full wage or training fee costs and benefit breakdowns, and general progress updates throughout the duration of the placement.
• If there are any changes to a participants ability to complete the internship or training opportunity, the employer or training organization must notify EHRC immediately.
• Employers pay at least twenty-five percent (25%) of each participants salary.
• Additional Resources:
• Employer Guide:
• Https://ehrc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/funding-for-futures-organization-help.pdf?_gl=1*16waev5*_gcl_au*MTQ2NzcyMTIyMy4xNzIyMzU4NjA1*_ga*NTE1MzY1NDkxLjE3MjIzNTg2MDU.*_ga_2R35GJZ4BB*MTcyNDE3NTQ5OC4yLjEuMTcyNDE3NTU1OS42MC4wLjA.