Youth Employment and Skills Program (YESP)

• Project Application Form
• Participant Information Form
• Copy of the organization’s certificates or articles of incorporation, if applicable
• For Indigenous applicants: director resolution, self-government agreement or modern treaty-related agreement, or another legal document showing the organization is a legal entity

Who is eligible?

• For-profit organizations
• Not-for-profit organizations
• Individuals or sole proprietors
• Provincial/territorial governments and municipal administrations
• Indigenous organizations and individuals, and educational institutions

Who is not eligible

• Temporary residents, including people on work or study visas and temporary residents with work permits

Eligible expenses

• Youth salaries and employer-paid benefits, including employer contributions to CPP, EI and workers' compensation, and in Quebec RRQ, RQAP, CNESST and FSS
• Housing and transportation costs for youth relocation when the participant must move more than 100 kilometres one way from home during the project
• Certifications and training to strengthen skills or support professional development
• Transportation to and from the project site
• Child care services for the youth participant's children

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Contracted employee wages
• Bonuses
• Costs outside the project dates
• In-kind contributions
• Family-member relocation or barrier costs

• Applications from Indigenous applicants are processed first
• Applications for projects employing youth facing barriers are processed first
• All other applications are assessed on a first come, first served basis, with fair distribution across Canada

• Complete the required forms and gather supporting documents
• Submit the completed forms and supporting documents using the Submit button in the Project Application Form
• If needed, email the package to aafc.yesp-pecj.aac@agr.gc.ca; if you need to apply by mail or fax, write to or call aafc.yesp-pecj.aac@agr.gc.ca or 1-866-452-5558

• An acknowledgement of receipt is sent after submission
• AAFC checks whether the application is complete and may request missing information; complete applications receive a confirmation notice and a unique project number
• Applications are evaluated against program eligibility criteria, and additional information may be requested during assessment
• Applicants receive an approval, non-admissibility, or wait-list notice; approved applications include a contribution agreement that must be signed
• After the project is completed, a payment form and final reports must be submitted, with supporting documents such as invoices, pay stubs or proof of payment if requested; a mid-project payment may be available if the project lasts 6 to 12 months or if a new eligible participant replaces the original youth participant, up to 50% of AAFC's maximum contribution, with the remainder paid after project completion

• Quebec organizations with headquarters in Quebec must address the M-30 Act during the evaluation process and before signing a contribution agreement