To build the fastest growing economy in the G7, the Government of Canada is supporting the development of a skilled workforce by expanding work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for students with private sector employers across Canada.
Today, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, announced federal support for the Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) to boost WIL activities nationwide. BHER will work to create thousands of new WIL placements, provide user-informed tools to businesses and students, and drive collaboration between post-secondary institutions and employers.
BHER created more than 22,300 new WIL opportunities from 2022-23 to 2024-25. With the new investment, BHER aims to facilitate 8,000 student placements and directly engage 2,500 more private sector employers by March 2028. Strengthening WIL programming for francophone students in Quebec and in francophone communities across Canada is a priority.
This initiative enables businesses to access new skilled talent, students to gain on-the-job experience and improve their workforce readiness, and Canada to remain competitive in a period of rapid economic changes.
