Thank you.
Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and honourable members of the committee.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to appear before you this afternoon.
My name is Rob Henderson, and I serve as president and CEO of BioTalent Canada, a national non-profit organization that works to strengthen Canada's bio-science sector by providing valuable, evidence-based labour market information and the best job-ready human resources available.
We are one of 14 or 15 national sectoral associations across Canada.
Our role is to connect employers with skilled people, and just as importantly, to connect students and new graduates with their first meaningful work experiences. Much of that work happens through the student work placement program, SWPP, which BioTalent Canada has proudly helped deliver since 2017, as one of the inaugural service providers.
Let me start with the challenge this committee is studying: youth employment. We know that while the overall labour market remains tight, our young people are being hit the hardest. Over the past year, youth unemployment has risen faster than any other demographic. At the same time, employers are reporting record difficulty filling entry-level roles, particularly in technical and science-based fields.
That disconnect is widening. Students are graduating without the work experiences employers expect, while employers hesitate to hire workers who lack that experience—a cycle that leaves both sides frustrated.
The situation is even more acute for under-represented youth. Without targeted support, these groups risk being permanently excluded from high-growth industries that urgently need their skills.
In short, the problem of youth unemployment is getting worse, and if we don't address it we risk losing the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs and skilled workers that Canada needs to compete.
The student work placement program is an important part of that solution. SWPP helps employers create paid, career-relevant placements for students before they graduate, giving young people experience, income and confidence, while giving businesses access to the talent they need to innovate and grow.
The government's investment in SWPP and in the broader network of sectoral-academic partnerships that deliver it has also fostered innovation and proven itself as a conduit for national and industrial economic recovery. During COVID-19, these partnerships helped sustain key industries and connect employers with urgently needed talent. That same infrastructure can serve as the delivery mechanism for future talent pipelines and targeted economic investments aligned with national priorities.
Since 2017, BioTalent Canada alone as an association has facilitated over 16,000 student placements across every province and territory. To understand the impact, there are only 200,000 people employed in Canada's bio-economy, so student placements represent 8% of the entire employment capacity of Canada's bio-tech industry. Nationally, there are 17 delivery partners doing similar work in other sectors—from digital technology to manufacturing to finance.
The majority of employers participating, about 70%, are small and medium-sized enterprises. These are the drivers, as we all know, with huge growth opportunities of employment now and in the future. Those placements simply would not exist without SWPP.
The results of SWPP are measurable and consistent. SWPP and the innovative work-integrated learning program have been incredibly effective at delivering student placements, because they're deeply connected to Canada's small and medium-sized businesses. These programs have allowed for the creation of long-standing relationships with tens of thousands of employers, which is why satisfaction is so high. In fact, 98% of employers report being satisfied with the SWPP program. One-third of employers say the position would not even exist without the program, and another 6% expanded their hiring because of it.
Beyond the numbers, the program delivers what governments often seek but rarely achieve— immediate, scalable impact.
The benefits ripple well beyond individual placements. By linking post-secondary institutions with industry, SWPP helps align education with labour market needs directly. It exposes employers to the next generation of talent and gives students a pathway to permanent work. Many go on to be hired full-time after their placements end.
In communities across the country it builds local capacity, keeps young Canadians in their regions and strengthens our innovation ecosystem.
The risk of letting the SWPP program lapse is significant. The infrastructure that makes it effective, like employer networks, post-secondary partnerships and digital systems, cannot be turned on and off without serious cost. If support is interrupted, students lose opportunities, employers lose confidence and the country loses momentum in closing the youth employment gap.
Mr. Chair and members, the government has committed to double down on what works in youth employment and skills development. SWPP has proven in almost every network that it works. It's cost-effective, measurable and directly tied to job creation. It ensures that young Canadians are ready for the workforce and that the workforce is ready for them.
Making the student work placement program a permanent and predictably funded part of, and the foundation of, Canada's youth employment strategy would not only help thousands more young people launch their careers, but it would strengthen Canada's resilience, productivity and competitiveness for the long term.
I thank you for your attention to this matter. I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.
