Manitoba Mentorships

Eligibility | Position Assessment Criteria | Financial Assistance | Application and Reimbursement Process | Terms and Conditions | Important Contacts

Helping Manitoba Employers Create Part-time Employment Opportunities for Post-Secondary Students

Manitoba Children and Youth Opportunities is committed to helping post-secondary students continue and complete their education. Manitoba Mentorships, in partnership with Manitoba employers, universities and colleges, provides students with an opportunity to gain important work skills and earn income to continue their studies.

Under Manitoba Mentorships, employers are eligible for a wage incentive to assist in the creation of new positions. Employers who are able to provide an average of 8 to 16 hours of part-time career-related employment per week during the school term are eligible to receive wage incentives for up to 200 hours of employment.

Students are provided with the opportunity to explore career possibilities and establish contacts that may lead to employment prospects following graduation.

Manitoba Mentorships will operate between:

• September 6, 2011 and April 27, 2012 for university students; and

• September 6, 2011 and June 15, 2012 for college students.

The last day to submit applications for this program is 4:30 p.m., Friday, January 6, 2012.

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Eligibility Criteria

Employers must be:

• registered Manitoba businesses, institutional organizations, or non-profit organizations;

• in full operation prior to program application; and

• willing to provide career mentorship or one-on-one training to the student employee.

Note: Federal and provincial government departments/agencies and crown corporations are not eligible.

Employees must be:

• full-time students (taking 60% or more of a full course load in 2011/2012);

• 16 years of age or over;

• legally entitled to work in Canada; and

• enrolled in, at minimum, a two year post-secondary program.

Those ineligible as Manitoba Mentorships' employees include:

• non-students/foreign and visiting students;

• immediate relatives (father, mother, guardian, brother, sister, spouse, child/ward or relative permanently living in same household) of the owner, hiring authority or any director of the applicant business or organization;

• individuals with a financial interest in the applicant business or organization;

• board members and members of the executive of the applicant business or organization;

• self-employed persons, independent contractors, sub-contractors, independent commission salespersons or individuals involved in one-on-one personal services e.g. babysitters, in-home care providers, gardeners; and

• employees already approved/participating in another provincial/federal wage incentive program.

Positions must:

• be career-related and endorsed as such by an appropriate instructor;

• be in addition to regular and/or seasonal hiring;

• provide an average of 8-16 regular hours of employment each week;

• be flexible to accommodate changes to student's academic workload and school breaks;

• provide consecutive weeks of employment;

• provide a minimum of 100 hours of employment over the funding period;

• not result in the lay-off, reduction of hours or dismissal of any current employees or replace employees who have previously been laid-off or dismissed;

• be in addition to regularly scheduled shifts, and/or regular work activity, and/or required staff/client ratios;

• not be funded by any other employment program; and

• be located in Manitoba.

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Position Assessment Criteria

Using the information provided in the employer application, each position will be assessed through a competitive grant process focusing on the following criteria:

• career-relatedness of the proposed position.
• determination that the position is additional;
• duties to be performed;
• details of training to be provided to the employee;
• details of safety training and orientation to be provided to employee;
• skills and experience that the employee will gain;
• opportunities for employees to gain mentorship and one-on-one training.

Priority consideration will be given to:

• positions where the proposed employee is considered to belong to designated employment equity group i.e. an individual who has a physical or mental disability, is of Aboriginal descent, in receipt of social assistance or a member of a visible minority group.
• small to medium size employers will be given a higher relative priority for assessment purposes.

Incomplete applications will not be processed.

The Program Manager must approve any exceptions to these criteria.

Financial Assistance

Manitoba Mentorships will contribute a wage incentive of $3.40 per hour to approved employers.

• All employers are eligible to apply for up to 200 hours of funding assistance per position and a maximum of three part-time positions per independent work location.
• Payments will be issued on a claim for reimbursement basis.
• All employers are responsible for contributing to mandatory employee benefits such as vacation allowance, Employment Insurance and Canada Pension Plan.

Manitoba Mentorships will not provide wage incentives for:

1. any hours or weeks worked outside of the approved employment period;
2. any hours worked on the seventh consecutive day of work;
3. any time off given to an employee in lieu of overtime pay OR wages paid in lieu of notice or as severance pay.

Manitoba Mentorships encourages:

1. post-secondary students to use the program to self-market to appropriate employers
2. employers to apply directly to the program with a student identified
3. instructors, university and college placement agencies to use the program to market post-secondary students to employers.

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Application and Reimbursement Procedures

1. Applications will be accepted up to 4:30 p.m., Friday, January 6, 2012 for the employment period of September 6, 2011 to June 15, 2012. Completed employer and employee applications must include an endorsement from an appropriate instructor, verifying the linkage to the student's career plans. To allow the program adequate time to review and assess requests, applications should be submitted at least two (2) weeks prior to the proposed start date for the position(s).
2. Applications will be assessed upon receipt. Employers will be notified promptly regarding the approval or rejection of their applications.
3. Replacement employees will only be considered if the employment experience is deemed to be related to the proposed replacement employee's career plans.
4. Employers who hire before receiving approval will be disqualified from the program.
5. Approved employers must pay their employees their full wage each pay period, including overtime earned during that period, before submitting claims for reimbursement.
6. Claims for reimbursement must accurately reflect payroll records and detail weekly hours worked. Claims must be submitted to the program immediately after the program funding period terminates. Manitoba Mentorships will not accept claims for reimbursement which have not been signed by the employer and approved employee. Allow six to eight weeks for processing of claims for reimbursement.

Terms and Conditions

Please review this section to fully understand program requirements. Failure to comply with any of the following Terms and Conditions could result in disqualification from the program and demand for repayment of any funds received.

1. All approved employers under the Manitoba Mentorships program agree:

   1. to comply with all Federal and Provincial laws and regulations governing employers. The Manitoba Employment Standards Act includes provisions for minimum wage rates, payment of wages, provision of pay statements, vacation pay, eligible deductions, termination, compensation for overtime hours, holiday pay and general holidays. Please see the "Important Contacts" section to contact the Employment Standard Branch for information on these and other employee related questions;

   2. to adhere to workplace safety and health practices and provide on-site safety related training and orientation to each employee;

   3. to provide each employee with supervision, training or orientation and a clear definition of the duties and responsibilities of his/her position;

   4. to provide and pay the employee for a minimum of 100 hours of employment during the funding period;

   5. to pay the employee the provincial minimum wage or the wage indicated on the application form, whichever is greater. Wages for positions which fall under the jurisdiction of an employees' association or union are to be agreed upon by an accredited representative of the employees' association or union. Employers in the construction industry must pay at least the applicable industry minimum wage;

   6. to maintain an accurate daily record of the hours worked by each Manitoba Mentorships employee, including a separate daily record of overtime hours. Claims for reimbursement, payroll records, including records of daily hours worked, cancelled cheques, record of employer contributions and employee deductions for all employees funded under the program must be maintained in Manitoba and produced upon request for review by a person employed by the Government of Manitoba to monitor or audit the program;

   7. for positions not covered by a collective agreement or by the Construction Industry Wages Act, all overtime hours worked must be paid at one and one-half times the regular hourly rate of pay. Overtime hours include any hours worked by an employee in excess of eight (8) hours per day and any hours worked in excess of forty (40) hours per week. Any variation to standard hours of work must be approved through the issue of an Hours of Work (HW) order by the Manitoba Labour Board.

For approved employers, it is understood that Manitoba's role with the Manitoba Mentorships program will include:

1. Employers who are under investigation by Manitoba Children and Youth Opportunities, the Employment Standards Branch, other Provincial Department, or who are involved in a labour dispute will have their program file temporarily suspended until the situation is resolved.
2. Manitoba will contact approved employers to collect information that will assist in reviewing the effectiveness of the Manitoba Mentorships program. This can include program officials meeting with employees and employee's supervisors at job site locations.
3. Manitoba Mentorships may request permission to place signage on the work location identifying the premises as that of a Manitoba Mentorships employer and to permit identification of the employer by name in publicity related to this and other initiatives of Manitoba Children and Youth Opportunities.
4. Employees funded under Manitoba Mentorships working with an employer in the non-compulsory Workers' Compensation category should contact program officials to discuss coverage options from Manitoba.
5. If, in the opinion of program staff responsible for the administration of Manitoba Mentorships, an approved applicant or authorized representative has
   • misrepresented the information provided in the application or other Manitoba Mentorships documents, OR
   • has used part or all of the funding for purposes other than those authorized on the approved application, OR
   • fails to comply with the Terms and Conditions of the program as described,

   program staff may cancel any approved funding and take the appropriate steps to require the approved applicant or authorized official of the approved applicant to repay in whole or in part any funds provided.  Failure by program officials to take action for non-compliance or for a breach of any or all Manitoba Mentorships Terms and Conditions shall not be construed as a general waiver or relinquishment of this right.

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Important Contacts

Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (formerly Revenue Canada)
To obtain a Canada Customs and Revenue Agency Employer Registration Number and information on employer/employee contributions to E.I. and C.P.P., phone Canada Customs and Revenue Agency toll-free at 1-800-959-5525. Web site address: www.cra-arc.gc.ca

Workers Compensation
To inquire about compulsory and non-compulsory registration, phone the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba in Winnipeg at 204-954-4505 or outside Winnipeg call toll-free 1-888-504-1339. Web site address: www.wcb.mb.ca

Employment Standards
If you have any questions regarding your obligations as an employer in Manitoba, for example, payment of overtime, vacation pay, minimum wage or construction wages, please contact the Manitoba Labour and Immigration, Employment Standards Branch:

In Winnipeg phone 204-945-3352;
or toll-free in Manitoba phone 1-800-821-4307
Web site address: www.gov.mb.ca/labour/standards/

Hours of Work (HW) Order
In Manitoba, standard hours of work are 8 hours per day, or 40 hours per week. An Hours of Work (HW) Order is required to increase or vary these standard hours of work. To inquire about variations to standard work hours phone the Manitoba Labour Board in Winnipeg at 945-3783, Fax at 204-945-1296.

Workplace Safety and Health, Manitoba Labour and Immigration
For information on how your business can promote occupational safety and health, develop injury prevention strategies or to report workplace health and safety serious incidents, injuries and fatalities please call the main switchboard at:

In Winnipeg phone 204-945-3446;
or toll-free in Manitoba phone 1-800-282-8069
After hours phone 204-945-0581
Web site address: www.gov.mb.ca/labour/safety/index.html

Submit Manitoba Mentorships Applications to:

Manitoba Mentorships
MB4Youth
310-800 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3G 0N4
Telephone: 204-945-3556
Toll-free: 1-800-282-8069 ext. 3556
Fax: 204-945-5726

Application Deadline: Applications must be submitted at least two (2) weeks prior to the proposed start date for the position(s). Applications will be assessed upon receipt.

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