If you are asked to sign an attestation on behalf of MacEwan or a student, please connect with Chloe Chalmers, Interim Director, Careers & Experience or Tracy Whatmore, Supervisor of Work Integrated Learning so we can ensure they are eligible.  

 

Background:

As we expand WIL opportunities in support of Teaching Greatness, we are seeing more students in paid internships, work placements and practicums. Some of those paid opportunities may be funded, in part, through the federal Student Work Placement Program (SWPP), also known as Magnet funding.

Employers receiving SWPP funding must submit attestations signed by their students’ post-secondary institution to the funder. These attestations are considered proof that the students are undertaking a placement that is recognized as work-integrated learning in connection with a course, degree, certificate, diploma, or other recognized program offered by the institution – an eligibility criterion for the SWPP funding. Increasingly, staff and faculty across MacEwan are being asked to sign attestations for employers receiving this funding.

For the purpose of SWPP funding, paid WIL opportunities must be part of the student’s curricular education and fulfill a WIL requirement for their program of study. So, while many students accept positions with titles like “intern” or “summer student,” the position may not necessarily be eligible for SWPP funding.

From Careers & Experience