ECO Canada — Environmental Employability Pathways

Hiring and training new talent can be costly, especially for small and medium-sized organizations working in environmental and sustainability-related roles. The ECO Canada Environmental Employability Pathways program was designed to ease that challenge by helping employers bring young people into meaningful, environmentally focused positions while offsetting a portion of wage costs. Delivered nationally by ECO Canada, the program connects businesses with youth who may face additional barriers to employment and are looking to build long-term careers in Canada’s environmental workforce.

Through this initiative, eligible employers could receive wage support of up to around $10,000 to help cover roughly half of a new hire’s salary in a full-time or part-time role. Placements were structured to support real work experience over several weeks or months, giving youth the opportunity to develop job-ready skills while contributing to projects tied to environmental protection, sustainability, or related fields. The program was particularly valuable for organizations looking to grow their teams responsibly while supporting young women, Indigenous youth, visible minority youth, youth with disabilities, and those from official language minority communities.

At the moment, Environmental Employability Pathways is not accepting applications, but ECO Canada regularly launches similar wage subsidy and workforce development programs. Staying informed about upcoming funding opportunities can help you plan future hires and determine whether this type of support aligns with your business goals.