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Explore funding opportunities

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Would you appreciate some extra funding to hire a co-op student? We offer several funding options to help both employers and students.

Funding for employers

Service Learning Internship Program

If you work for a local community-based organization that collaborates with UVic on joint research projects and you want to hire a co-op student, you might qualify for the Service Learning Internship Program (SLIP). SLIP funding helps employers hire co-op students to do work that provides an excellent learning opportunity for the student and supports the local community.

The details

SLIP grants provide financial assistance to employers who are unable to offer competitive salaries. As an employer, you’ll normally receive a SLIP grant for no more than one co-op work term. SLIP will not cover the full cost of hiring a student—you’ll need to provide a minimum of 25 per cent of these costs. The maximum funding subsidy allowed is $1,750 per month.

The grant amount will be determined in consultation with your co-op coordinator. You are encouraged to pay the maximum salary that you can afford, and you’re responsible for providing four per cent vacation pay or time off in lieu.

Eligibility

To be eligible for SLIP funding, your organization must:

be part of a not-for profit organization, based on Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands, that is working collaboratively with UVic
hold registered charity status
submit a letter of support and guarantee of mentoring from a UVic research faculty member who is working collaboratively with the organization (this faculty member will normally act as the student's mentor and meet with the student on a regular basis to review their progress)

How to apply

download an application form or pick one up at a Co-op and Career office
submit a letter from the participating faculty member that outlines the benefits of the project(s) to the university, the student and the community

Once you’ve completed and signed the form (as the employer) and it’s been signed by the co-op coordinator and the faculty member, you’ll submit your application to the executive director of the Co-operative Education Program. If the SLIP grant is approved, the UVic accounting office will mail the grant cheque to you. Normally, this will happen during the third week of each month for the duration of the work term. If employment is for less than a full month during any month of the work term, the cheque amount will be pro-rated.

When to apply

November 1 for January placement
March 1 for May placement
July 1 for September placement

MITACS ACCELERATE BC program

Interested in pursuing a joint research project with UVic? Through MITACS ACCELERATE BC, you can hire a graduate co-op student to spend half of a four-month work term researching a topic of interest to the student, their faculty supervisor and your company.

The details

MITACS ACCELERATE BC and you, the employer, will both contribute $7,500 for a four-month work term. The student will spend half the work term at your workplace and the other half at UVic, where they’ll work on research under the guidance of the faculty supervisor.

MITACS ACCELERATE BC is a chance to expand your company’s research and development, foster a deeper relationship with UVic and help out future collaborative projects. To learn more about ACCELERATE and its eligibility conditions, contact your co-op program or visit the MITACS ACCELERATE site.

Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) funding

The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) may provide funding to provincial ministry employers who wish to hire co-op students to work on projects that meet PICS main objectives. These objectives include low-carbon emissions research and research related to sustainable communities. For details, visit the PICS website or contact your co-op program office.

Funding for employers hiring engineering and computer science or math students

Hiring an Engineering and Computer Science/Math Co-op student? Use this sheet for a list of external co-op funding options available in these industries.

Funding for students

Graham Branton Co-operative Education Endowment Fund

This fund supports students who undertake mainly international work term placements in developing countries, where limited compensation is provided.

To apply, students should download the PDF application form and review the guidelines.

The Co-op Program considers each application for its merit compared to the other applications that term. Criteria include:

the learning opportunity the placement will provide
relevance to the student’s area of study
relevance to the student’s career goals
location of the work site
level of pay from the employer
student’s financial need

If a student is awarded funding to work with a particular employer one term, it will not guarantee that future students applying for funding to work for that same employer will be successful. The fund is not meant to support placements with employers who wish to hire co-op students on a regular basis but continue to provide minimal salaries.

The Co-op Program only accepts applications for the Graham Branton Fund during the academic term before the student’s work term. Students can check with their co-op coordinator for deadlines—deadlines are usually around the third week of the third month of the term before placement.

Thouvenelle Scholarship

The UVic Co-op program awards the Thouvenelle Co-op Scholarship to undergraduate and graduate students on work terms related to community development or service-learning. Eligibility is based on the nature of the work term, the student’s grade-point average and financial need. No application is required—we’ll contact students who’ve been selected for this scholarship.

IBM Lime Connect Canada Scholarship and Internship Program for Students with Disabilities

This program awards a $5,000 scholarship and 2011 paid internship for students with a disability who are in their third year of study (or who have one year remaining) at four-year university in Canada. Students must be pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in computer science, software engineering or other discipline related to the information technology industry.

Applications are due in November. For details, visit the program website.