Employment and Social Development Canada · Contribution program
Youth Employment and Skills Strategy
The purpose of the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy Program (YESSP) is to provide Canadian youth, with information, skills, supports, work experience and networks to help them prepare for and successfully transition to employment.
- Total value
- $1.7B
- Agreements
- 758
- Mar 2020 to Jun 2026
- Median agreement
- $1.4M
- Typical range
- $896K–$2.3M
- the middle half of agreements
Federal grants and contributions, agreements starting Jan 2006 to Oct 2026, each counted once at its latest amended value. Source: Treasury Board proactive disclosure, published October 11, 2026.
See every record for this program on the government’s search. How to apply: look up the program on Employment and Social Development Canada’s website.
Who got it
Organizations with the most funding under this program.
Plus 10 agreements ($11.9M) to individuals, sole proprietors and recipients this site does not name. They count in every total above. Why
By year
Agreements by the year they started.
| Year | Agreements | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 363 | $964M |
| 2021 | 114 | $201M |
| 2022 | 9 | $6.1M |
| 2023 | 4 | $2.3M |
| 2024 | 197 | $342M |
| 2025 | 62 | $186M |
| 2026 | 9 | $10.6M |
By province
| Province or territory | Agreements | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 373 | $824M |
| Quebec | 14 | $291M |
| British Columbia | 99 | $195M |
| Alberta | 80 | $168M |
| Nova Scotia | 49 | $52.6M |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 32 | $47.1M |
| Manitoba | 41 | $45.4M |
| Saskatchewan | 22 | $31.8M |
| New Brunswick | 25 | $29.4M |
| Nunavut | 2 | $10.1M |
| Prince Edward Island | 13 | $9.2M |
| Northwest Territories | 5 | $5.8M |
| Yukon | 3 | $3.9M |
By type of recipient
As the department classified the recipient.
| Recipient type | Agreements | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Not-for-profit organizations and charities | 643 | $1.2B |
| Government | 36 | $321M |
| For-profit organizations | 45 | $85.9M |
| Academia | 17 | $35M |
| Indigenous recipients | 17 | $29.1M |
Industries funded
Where the department recorded an industry code (NAICS). Most agreements have none.
| Industry group | Agreements | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Employment services | 38 | $61.9M |
| Social advocacy organizations | 4 | $4.9M |
| Vocational rehabilitation services | 2 | $78.6M |
| Civic and social organizations | 1 | $1.9M |
| Religious organizations | 1 | $748K |
| Individual and family services | 1 | $1.3M |
| Community colleges and C.E.G.E.P.s | 1 | $1.4M |
| Management, scientific and technical consulting services | 1 | $952K |
Latest agreements
| Start | Recipient | What for | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | Wood Manufacturing Council | Connecting Youth to the Canadian Wood Manufacturing IndustryContribution | $2,123,975 |
| Jun 2026 | Employment Planning And Counselling-Peterborough | The Trade ConnectionContribution | $511,320 |
| Jun 2026 | Dress For Success Kingston | Dress For Success - Youth Employment ProgramContribution | $676,606 |
| Jun 2026 | Gestion R2 Management Inc. | Connexion Talent CLOSMContribution | $749,373 |
| May 2026 | Hollyburn Community Services Society | Wayfinder: Helping Youth Find a Way Forward to Employment and OpportunityContribution | $1,199,672 |
| Mar 2026 | Casa Foundation for International Development | Skill Training and Employment Program (STEP) for YouthContribution | $3,095,252 |
| Feb 2026 | Goodwill Industries, Ontario Great Lakes Career Centre | Pathways to EmploymentContribution | $933,535 |
| Jan 2026 | Afro-Canadian Entrepreneurs Association/Association des Entrepreneurs Afro-Canadiens | Empowering Futures: Youth Employment and Skills Strategy Program (YESS Program)Contribution | $493,860 |
| Sep 2025 | Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association | Contribution | $997,533 |
| Jun 2025 | African Canadian Civic Engagement Council | Timbuktu Trailblazers Employment ProgramContribution | $457,010 |
| Jun 2025 | Manitoba Métis Federation Inc. | Youth Empowerment Through Inclusive Employment (YETIE)Contribution | $1,077,659 |
| Jun 2025 | Purposeful Youth Network International (PUYON INTERNATIONAL) | Nurturing Futures for Youth (NFY)Contribution | $748,360 |
| Jun 2025 | Environmental Careers Organization of Canada | Green Horizons: Navigating Career Paths for Barriered YouthContribution | $680,000 |
| May 2025 | SmartICE Monitoring & Information Inc. | Co-Designing Northern-Based Youth Employability & Digital Literacy TrainingContribution | $1,397,294 |
| May 2025 | Institute of African Advancement | Empower Youth Employment InitiativeContribution | $787,421 |
| Apr 2025 | The Construction Association of Prince Edward Island | Youth in TradesContribution | $1,647,756 |
| Apr 2025 | Ministère du Travail, de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale | Appui aux jeunes du Québec dans le cadre de la Stratégie emploi et compétences jeunesse 2025-2030Contribution | $78,048,171 |
| Apr 2025 | Resource Assistance For Youth | Level Up Employment and Training ProgramContribution | $1,798,887 |
| Apr 2025 | Institut Canadien pour développement Neuro-Intégratif | Contribution | $997,337 |
| Mar 2025 | The Governing Council of the University of Toronto | Transforming Workplace Systems to Build Sustainable Capacity for Inclusion of Diverse YouthContribution | $4,449,138 |
| Mar 2025 | Family Services of Peel | Strengthening Under-Represented Youth EmployabilityContribution | $636,598 |
| Mar 2025 | Black Mentorship Inc. | Contribution | $1,949,259 |
| Mar 2025 | The Saint John Learning Exchange Ltd | READY: Repairing Education & Employment Achievement Debts to YouthContribution | $4,479,058 |
| Mar 2025 | Vision Us | Contribution | $749,963 |
| Mar 2025 | Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement | Advancing Youth Leadership in Place-Based Collaborations to Address Systemic ChallengesContribution | $4,499,555 |