The Canadian federal government's Small Business Internship Program (SBIP) will pay 75 percent of a student intern's eligible wages and related costs, such as statutory employment benefits, up to a total of $10,000.
The purpose of the Small Business Internship Program is "to support SMEs in their efforts to adopt ecommerce practices in their business process" and to develop opportunities for youth.
For your part, you get a full-time employee for 420 hours.
Small Business Internship Program Requirements
To apply for the program, your business must be a Canadian small or medium sized enterprise with less than 500 employees, and a registered corporation or sole proprietorship. (Note that you must be able to provide legal proof of your business's status to participate in this program.)
The Small Business Internship Program 2012 2013 Guide for SMEs describes eligible internship programs as including an ecommerce component and "a plan for developing or improving e-business tools to increase overall business effectiveness".
The Guide warns that Internship projects that are purely technical in nature, such as website development or data entry, are not eligible for the program. (It's expected that your business already has a website and are already involved in online marketing to some degree.)
Online marketing seems to be the favored type of project; see this list of project ideas on the Small Business Internship Program website.
How & When to Apply
If you're interested in applying, this page links to the Small Business Internship Program Application Form and the official program guide.
Applications for the year 2012 to 2013 must be received by December 3rd, 2012.
More Canadian Government Programs For Small Businesses
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