The Public Service of Canada offers programs for university, college and high school students and graduates. Managers know that students who work under these and other programs can become invaluable members of their team.
Student Recruitment
Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) is a temporary job program geared to secondary school, CEGEP, college, technical institute and university students.
Coop/Internship program is a four-month work term program for post-secondary students.
Research Affiliate Program (RAP) matches a student’s specific research interests with ongoing projects being conducted by federal organizations.
Graduate Recruitment
Post-Secondary Recruitment (PSR) The recruitment program is for launching or furthering the careers of talented post-secondary graduates within the Government of Canada.
Recruitment of Policy Leaders (RPL) The program is designed to attract and recruit post-graduates who want to contribute to Canadian and international policy-making. The program recruits exceptional leaders who have various backgrounds, experience, skills and competencies to help tackle Canada’s public policy challenges in mid to senior-level policy jobs.
For more information, visit www.canada.ca/gcjobs
All hiring is done online. Visit www.jobs.gc.ca and set up a profile and upload your resumé. Subscribe to job updates to receive email notifications when new positions come up.
To find out about federal government programs for students, visit the Federal Government Work Experience program.
When you apply for a position, submit your resumé and clearly demonstrate that you have the skills and experience listed in the job posting by giving examples of each essential skill and experience factor listed.
Use the same wording as in the job posting and give a few examples of your experience. The next stage of the hiring process may be a test and/or an interview. For more about how to apply to the federal government, visit General Tips for Applying to the Federal Government – Prince Edward Island Employment Journey
The Financial Officer Recruitment Development (FORD) program helps university graduates start a career in finance with the federal government. The FORD program is essentially a Chartered Public Accounting (CPA) designation training program.
Another opportunity to work in the financial area with the federal government is the Internal Audit Recruitment Development (IARD) program. Support is given towards obtaining a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) certification.
Both opportunities offer relevant work experience, paid training costs and study leave, and an opportunity for employment with the federal government.
Applicants for the FORD program are chosen through an application process largely based on their education, their Grade Point Average (GPA), and their previous work experience.
The FORD program offers 30 months of training, on-the-job experience, and support to obtain the CPA designation, which is done all at the same time. Once the 30 months is complete, participants are hired in entry-level finance positions.
Intake for the FORD program and the IARD program is open once a year, usually in October. Applications must be submitted through www.jobs.gc.ca during the campaign.
For more information about careers in finance and internal audit within Canada’s federal public service, email FORD program [email protected] and IARD program [email protected]
Graduates can also apply for other jobs through www.jobs.gc.ca.
Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Initiative The Innovative Work-Integrated Learning (I-WIL) Initiative from Employment and Social Development Canada is for post-secondary students. It helps them find opportunities related to their studies. I-WIL focuses on short and intensive activities that use technology.
Possible I-WIL opportunities include:
- short-term work placements
- virtual internships
- hackathons
- business cases
- classroom projects to help the community
How the program works
ESDC works with third party groups to:
- give students various types of learning opportunities
- offer activities aligned with job skills
- create partnerships with:
- Employers
- Students
- Colleges
- Universities
- Polytechnics
- CEGEPs
For more information, visit The Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Initiative – Canada.ca