Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Yes. Federal departments and agencies within the broad Public Service, including those not governed by the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA), referred to as separate employers can use the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) to hire students.

2. Can I re-employ a former FSWEP student?

Yes. The Public Service Commission (PSC) may authorize the re-employment of a student into an identical or similar job in the same department if he or she:

• was initially selected through FSWEP, the Research Affiliate Program (RAP) or the Post-Secondary Co-operative Education (Co-op) and Internship Program in a fair, transparent, equitable and non-partisan manner;
• meets all of the requirement of the job; and
• continues to meet the eligibility criteria described in the Student Employment Policy

The PSC may authorize the re-employment of a student from another department where the conditions noted above are met and the hiring department provides a rationale for re-employment. For example:

• there is a structured student development program involving assignments in two or more departments; or
• the initial hiring department is unable to re-employ a high-calibre student but feels his/her talents should be retained in the Public Service and has brought the case to the attention of another department.

Procedures on how to re-employ a former FSWEP student are outlined in the "Hiring Process" section

3. What is a departmental program?

A departmental program allows organizations to create customized programs to recruit students for specialized jobs. Organizaitons work in conjunction with the PSC to develop a detailed advertisement outlining the specific requirements of the departmental program (i.e. academic level, specialized fields of study).

Students must identify the departmental program(s) for which they want to be considered on their FSWEP application form. Only students who meet the requirements of the departmental program will be referred to the department. Only departments that develop their own departmental program can use it.

4. What is a non-academic term?

A non-academic term is the period in which a student is not in school (e.g. summer break).

5. What is the maximum hours of work allowed for full-time FSWEP jobs?

The maximum time allowed for a full-time FSWEP job is 37.5 hours per week.

6. What is the maximum hours of work allowed for part-time FSWEP jobs ?

The recommended maximum hours of work allowed for part-time FSWEP jobs is 25 hours per week to allow students to balance their work, studies and personal lives.

7. Is there a maximum duration for a student's work term?

The maximum duration of a student's work placement under FSWEP is one academic term. For example, assuming a three term academic year of Fall, Winter, and Summer, students may only be hired for the length of one term (i.e. 4 months). After this term is over, you may continue to re-employ this student for as long as they remain eligible under the program. All re-employments are processed by completing and submitting a request for re-employment. The PSC will not accept any requests beyond one academic term.

8. What are my options for an area of selection in FSWEP?

Depending on the type of job you wish to staff and where the job is located, there are several area of selection options.
The best option is to choose the widest area of selection possible. This allows you to respect the staffing values and principles related to this program (e.g. transparency, representation, etc.).

In the following situations, your area of selection may be limited to a local search:

• If you are looking for part-time positions;
• If you are looking for high school students; or
• If you wish to hire a student full-time during a non-academic term and subsequently re-employ that student into a part-time job during their academic term.

There are also scenarios when the area of selection must include local students as well as students who have indicated a mobility to your work location:

• hiring of any post-secondary student for a full-time job within the scope of a departmental program
• hiring a post-secondary student for a full-time job in the National Capital Region during a non-academic term

Should you have any questions regarding the area of selection for FSWEP, please contact your local PSC regional office.

9. What happens after I receive my referrals?

Once you receive your referrals, you should begin the assessment by contacting each student and requesting resumes and arranging for interviews. Interviews can be conducted by telephone or in person. The department must then complete the referral results form (which is sent along with the list of students) and submit it to the PSC.

10. Do I have to contact everyone on my referral list?

Yes. You must contact and assess all students on your referral list.

11. Do I have to submit the referrals results back to the PSC?

Yes, you must submit the referrals results back to the regional PSC office that processed your request as soon as your assessment has been completed. This information is essential not only for statistical purposes, but also to facilitate future re-employments.

12. At what rate can I pay my students?

Rates of pay for students are determined by the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada (PSHRMAC) in the Terms and Conditions of Employment for Students and are subject to change.

Secondary (high school) students must be paid at the regional hourly pay rate. Rates for post-secondary students are based on the student's current academic level (i.e. college, university- undergraduate, master's, doctorate).

Please consult the Rates of Pay section for more information.

13. Can I pay a post-secondary student at the secondary pay-rate?

Yes. Post-secondary students may be paid at the secondary rate of pay in the case where you cannot find any secondary level students to perform the job. Only those post-secondary students who have indicated on their applications that they are willing to accept the secondary level rate of pay will be referred to you. A post-secondary student must be willing to accept the secondary level rate of pay before the job start date.

14. What is a bridging mechanism?

The bridging mechanism is a staffing tool provided to managers to facilitate the hiring of exceptional FSWEP, RAP or Co-op/Internship students into term or indeterminate positions in the federal Public Service after the completion of their studies. For more information on bridging, please see the Bridging Mechanisms section.

15. How does bridging work?

The advertised bridging mechanism consists of conducting a formal staffing process through your departmental HR Advisor. The following conditions apply:

• the student(s) must be currently occupying an FSWEP, RAP or Co-op/Internship position within your department
• the staffing notice must include FSWEP, RAP and/or Co-op/Internship students in the area of selection section (please consult your departmental HR Advisor)
• the student(s) must have completed their studies prior to appointment to a term or indeterminate position

The non-advertised appointment framework within each organization may support the integration of students formerly hired through a TBS approved Student program. Speak to your HR Advisor for more information.

16. Who can use bridging?

Student bridging mechanisms are available to those departments and agencies governed by the PSEA as well as federal organizations (including separate employers) with signed reciprocity agreements (i.e. Parks Canada). Student Bridging is not currently available to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).