ALBERTA YOUTH
EMPLOYMENT INCENTIVE
- AYEIncentive@nextgen.org
- AYEI line: 587-735-3956
ALBERTA YOUTH
EMPLOYMENT INCENTIVE
Please refer to the ‘Employer Eligibility’ and ‘Youth Eligibility’ sections on our website
Eligible employers may submit one application per site, for up to 10 locations. Each site is eligible for a one-time maximum of $7,500.
If you are applying for multiple locations, complete one application first to create your CAREERS portal account. Then email AYEIncentive@nextgen.org to add additional locations before proceeding with additional applications.
Seasonal positions may be considered; however, the program’s goal is to support long-term youth employment opportunities. Employers are encouraged to use the incentive to help youth gain sustained and meaningful work experience.
The Alberta Youth Employment Incentive program ends on September 30, 2027, and funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
To maximize your chance of receiving funding, begin recruitment and hiring of your youth employee(s) as soon as you are deemed eligible. Youth employee information must be included in your application and approved for eligibility before funding can be allocated.
All youth hours must be worked and declared before September 30, 2027.
Funding can be used at the employer’s discretion to support youth hiring, including:
Applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Due to high demand, the review process can take up to 3-4 weeks, though timelines cannot be guaranteed.
CAREERS reserves the right to accept or deny applications based on eligibility, funding availability or at our discretion.
Any changes to your application status and required next steps will be communicated by email and sent to the email address provided in your application. Employers may also log in to their employer portal at any time to view their incentive and current application status.
Log in to your employer portal.
Select ‘View’ next to your incentive under the My Incentives tab.
Open the dropdown menu and select Add Youth to AYEI. Follow through each prompt and complete all required fields. You will receive an email confirmation once your youth employee information is confirmed and approved for funding.
Note that position(s) must be added to your incentive application before youth information can be entered.
View our resources for a step-by-step guide.
For Eligible applications, youth information is typically reviewed within 1–3 business days.
We advise employers to begin recruiting youth candidates once you receive confirmation that your organization is eligible for funding. You should start your youth employee after your application is fully approved. Approval occurs once you’ve added the youth’s information to your application and the youth’s eligibility has been confirmed.
*Funding is not allocated to your application until youth employee information is approved. Youth employee information is typically reviewed for approval within 1-3 business days
*Review youth eligibility requirements on our website under ‘Youth Eligibility’ tab
To receive funding, employers must ensure that the minimum required hours for their approved funding level are completed. If a youth employee quits or is terminated, it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure the remaining hours are still met. You may either:
Please note that partial or prorated payments are not available for this incentive. Changes to your funding level can be considered, please contact AYEIncentive@nextgen.org for more support.
Please declare hours only once the minimum hour requirement tied to your approved funding level has been met. Hours are a combined total amongst all youth hired. We advise completing the declaration when you can declare for all youth employees.
Your application must be marked as Approved and have all positions filled. A separate declaration is required for each youth employee. Employers can log in to the Employer Portal to access their incentive application, and select “Declare Hours” to initiate and complete the declaration process.
After your declaration is submitted, it will be reviewed for approval by the Alberta Youth Employment Incentive team.
Requirements during the declaration stage include:
Declarations are reviewed in the order they are received. Please allow up to 5 business days for our team to review and verify your submission.
Once your declaration has been reviewed, you will receive an email confirmation with instructions on how to complete your payment request.
You may request payment once: