News Forestry
Feds announce funding for forestry internships via PLT Canada

Youth looking to land internships in the forestry and conservation sector now have access to federal funding via Project Learning Tree Canada (PLT Canada).

The internship program is geared toward young Canadians aged 15 to 30.

Through Natural Resources Canada’s Science and Technology Internship Program (STIP), administered by PLT Canada, eligible employers can receive up to 80 per cent of the employee’s salary for a maximum of $25,000, and up to $32,000 if the young person is Indigenous, has a visible or non-visible disability, is from a community of less than 5,000 people, or if the internship takes place in Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut.

Kathy Abusow, PLT Canada president and CEO, says young people play an important role in shaping the future of the country’s green economy.

“Thanks to this NRCan funding, a diversity of young adults in PLT Canada’s network will be contributing to finding solutions to sustainability challenges, such as climate change, forest restoration and sustainable management, resilient communities and more,” she said at a press conference with Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan.

Since 2018, PLT Canada has placed young people in more than 3,500 forest and conservation-based work experiences across 10 provinces and two territories.

The organization has also helped place more than 500 Indigenous youth from over 80 Indigenous communities in forest, conservation and nature-based opportunities, and have achieved gender diversity throughout.

“This has all been possible thanks in large part to over 200 employers within the SFI network that are providing meaningful work experiences for young people across Canada,” Abusow said.

Studies show that completing an internship boosts a young person’s chances of getting a job offer by 16 per cent.

For more information and to apply, click here.