Federal Student Work Experience Program

The Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) is the primary vehicle through which federal organizations can recruit secondary school, CEGEP, college, technical institute and university students for temporary jobs.

The FSWEP inventory of students for the 2008-2009 campaign is currently available to all federal departments and agencies. Full-time post-secondary positions will be subject to a national area of selection.

The FSWEP inventory of students for the 2009-2010 campaign will be available to organizations on October 26, 2009. Please note that organizations will not have access to the FSWEP inventory between October 17 and October 25, 2009. This measure will allow the time to create the new student inventory.

Whether you're looking for summer or part-time students, you have the following recruiting options:

• Access the FSWEP inventory of student applicants by submitting to the PSC a request for referrals. In general, you will receive five referrals for each job opportunity available. Please follow these steps:
  1. Complete and submit a request for referrals form from the PSC Web site;
  2. Receive a list of approximately five students whom you must contact and assess;
  3. Verify the student's Canadian citizenship;
  4. Request proof of full-time student status;
  5. Make the offer of employment;
  6. Document your staffing file; and
  7. Develop a learning plan for the student.
• Create your own FSWEP advertisement, enabling you to post on-line positions that aim to meet particular staffing requirements and recruit students who have applied.
  1. Contact your Human Resources Advisor to see whether your organization already has an advertisement in place.
  2. If you do not already have an advertisement in place, submit a request to create one by sending an e-mail to FSWEPLL@psc-cfp.gc.ca.
• Re-employ an FSWEP student by completing a Request for Re-employment form.

For more information, contact your nearest PSC office.

Related links

• Overview
• Student eligibility
• Rates of pay
• Request for referrals
• FSWEP re-employment process

Overview

How FSWEP can benefit your organization

Your organization can benefit from students' high energy, knowledge of and fascination with new technologies and familiarity with current and innovative ideas. You can also increase the representativeness of your workforce by considering students who belong to one or more of the designated employment equity groups.

Students are initially hired for one academic term. When their term is over, you may continue to re-employ students (one academic term at a time), for as long as they remain eligible under the program, by completing and submitting a request for re-employment. Also, upon completion of their studies students can be bridged into determinate or indeterminate positions.

Recruitment options

Access the FSWEP inventory of student applications by submitting a request for referrals to the PSC. The PSC normally refers five students for each job opportunity offered.

Your organization's responsibilities will include the following:

• Assessing all referred candidates by phone or in person;
• Requesting proof of full-time student status;
• Requesting proof of citizenship;
• Determining the student's rate of pay based on the Terms and Conditions of Employment for Students;
• Making the offer(s) of employment;
• Completing the referral results form through the Public Service Resourcing System and submitting it to the PSC;
• Informing all referred candidates of the final results of the process;
• Documenting your staffing file; and
• Developing a mandatory learning plan.

You can access the list of students registered in a pool created for particular staffing requirements.

Organizations can create their own FSWEP advertisement that aims to meet particular staffing requirements. By working in conjunction with the PSC, organizations will develop and post on the PSC’s Web site a detailed advertisement outlining the specific requirements of the departmental program (e.g. academic level, specialized fields of study and skills).

Student eligibility

Candidates are only eligible for Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) jobs if they are:

• Full-time secondary or post-secondary students in an accredited institution;
• Currently recognized as having full-time student status by the academic institution in which they are presently enrolled;
• Returning to full-time studies for their next academic term;*
• Registered in the FSWEP national inventory; and
• The minimum age to work in the province or territory where the job exists.
  
  *For example, consider a three-term academic year (fall, winter and summer):

A full-time student during the fall 2008 and winter 2009 terms who returns to full-time studies in the fall 2009 term is eligible.

A full-time student during the winter 2008 and summer 2008 terms who returns to full-time studies in the winter 2009 term is eligible.

Note: Students who are in their final year of academic study and who are not intending to return to full-time studies are only eligible to work part-time until the completion of their last academic term. Managers must ensure that students hired in their final year are not employed under FSWEP beyond their final academic term.

To make sure that students continue to meet the eligibility criteria, the maximum duration of their work placement under FSWEP is one academic term. When the term is over, managers may continue to re-employ students one academic term at a time for as long as they remain eligible under the program. To re-employ students, managers must complete and submit a request for re-employment.

Citizenship

Preference is given to Canadian citizens. A Canadian citizen is a person who possesses Canadian citizenship by birth or through the naturalization process under the Canadian Citizenship Act.

Rates of pay

Rates of pay for students are determined by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and are subject to change. Please note that certain departmental programs may use separate rates of pay.

Secondary students must be paid at the regional hourly pay rate indicated in the Terms and Conditions of Employment for Students.

Rates of pay for post-secondary students may be determined according to the student's current academic level (i.e. college, undergraduate, postgraduate or doctoral).

Examples:

• Students pursuing bachelor's degrees will be paid according to the Undergraduate pay scale.
• Students pursuing college diplomas will be paid according to the College/CEGEP pay scale.
• Students enrolled in pre-university courses or programs at a university will be paid according to the College/CEGEP pay scale.
• Students who have completed their university degrees and continue their studies, in a related field, at the college level will be paid according to the Undergraduate pay scale. Their rate of pay will not be less than the salary that they earned in their previous year of work.
• Students who have completed their university degrees and continue their studies, in an unrelated field, at the college level will be paid according to the College/CEGEP pay scale.

Managers are encouraged to select a rate of pay that will allow for a meaningful progression in the salary range on subsequent assignments.

Managers may, at their discretion, pay salaries at any level above the minimum required by the appropriate pay scale:

• To students who are re-employed as defined by the Public Service Commission (PSC);
• To students who possess some previous relevant work experience;
• Where there is a shortage of students in the field of study required;
• When a university degree or year of study is required as a prerequisite for another program, such as a Bachelor of Law, Education, Medicine, Pharmacy or Veterinary Sciences program; or
• To students who have completed more than one year of study in their present academic program.

Students working at an isolated post may be entitled to an isolated-post allowance. (Refer to section 3.18 – Terms and Conditions of Employment for Students.)

For more information on student rates of pay, please consult the Terms and Conditions of Employment for Students or send your questions to student.etudiant@tbs-sct.gc.ca.

Re-employment process

Submit a request for re-employment to the Public Service Commission (PSC).

If you are re-employing a previous Co-op/Internship or RAP student into an FSWEP position, you must also submit a copy of the most recent Letter of Offer between the department or agency and the student.

Please note that the PSC will not approve the re-employment until the above-mentioned document is received.

The PSC searches the FSWEP inventory to identify the students to be re-employed. Please note that each student you wish to re-employ must be registered in the current FSWEP inventory in order for your re-employment request to be processed. If the student is registered in the inventory and there is proof of previous student employment through one of our programs, the PSC will inform the hiring organization that it can proceed with the re-employment of the identified student.

The organization must:

1. Contact the referred student;
2. Request proof of full-time student status;
3. Determine the student's rate of pay based on the Terms and Conditions of Employment for Students;
4. Make the offer of employment;
5. Document their staffing file; and
6. Complete the Referral Results Form (sent together with the confirmation), indicating the student(s) to be re-employed, and submit it to the PSC.