2025 Student Opportunities

Summer Employment Opportunities Program (SEO)

The SEO program is the largest annual OPS recruitment campaign and provides up to 4,000 high school and post-secondary students and recent graduates with paid employment over the summer months. Students must meet the following eligibility criteria by the first day of employment:

  • currently enrolled in a secondary or post-secondary institution or graduated from either within the last six months
  • minimum of 15 years of age
  • live in Ontario for the full duration of the summer placement
  • legally entitled to work in Canada for full duration of employment

SEO offers a Diverse Talent Stream for candidates identifying as Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, or Inuk), Black, a person with a disability, or bilingual (English/French). Each year, positions are reserved to support the recruitment of students and recent graduates through this stream. Candidates must comply with the general SEO eligibility criteria and demonstrate the skills required for the available positions to be considered.

Applicants can apply through the SEO job board on the OPS Careers portal. Job ads have staggered closing dates with opportunities beginning as early as April 2025.

Ontario Internship Program (OIP)

The OIP provides up to 265 recent post-secondary graduates with rewarding one-year paid internship opportunities in one of seven key focus areas. Candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria by the first day of employment:

  • (1) graduated within the past two years from a recognized or legally authorized college or university or; (2) graduated within the past five years from a recognized or legally authorized college or university for candidates who identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, or Inuk), Black, a person with a disability, or bilingual (English/French)
  • live in Ontario for the full duration of the internship placement
  • legally entitled to work in Canada for the full duration of employment
  • not be a current or previous OIP intern

OIP offers dedicated streams for persons with disabilities (Ability Internship Stream), Black persons (Black Internship Stream), and Indigenous persons (Indigenous Internship Stream to be launched in 2025-26). These streams aim to increase diverse representation and reduce barriers to employment by providing candidates with tailored supports throughout the recruitment process and during the placement such as specialized accommodation, mentorship, and career coaching.

Applicants can apply through the OIP application portal. Job ads will close on January 31, 2025, with placements beginning in August 2025.

Masters-Level Policy Co-op Program (MLPC)

The MLPC program provides up to 150 paid co-op placements for policy graduate students to fulfil their requirements for graduation. To be eligible, candidates must be enrolled in one of six partnering Ontario universities that offer public policy focused masters programs.

Applicants can apply through the MLPC job board on the OPS Careers portal. The deadline to apply is January 31, 2025, with placements beginning in April/May 2025.