Employment and Social Development Canada announced April 11 that 1004 students will be employed in the financial services sector through a partnership between the Toronto Financial Services Alliance’s ASPIRE Work-Integrated Learning in Financial Services project, and the federal government’s Student Work Placements Program.

The project is receiving two million dollars in government funding.

"The Toronto Financial Services Alliance is delighted to partner with the federal government and to have its support for ASPIRE, our financial services work-integrated learning project,” said Jennifer Reynolds, president and CEO, Toronto Financial Services Alliance. “The funding will allow us to reach more young Canadian students and provide them with valuable work experience in the financial services sector, while at the same time growing the sector's early-stage talent pipeline. A win-win outcome."

A smart investment for the long term

"Toronto is one of the best places in the world to live and work, and the city's strong and growing financial services industry is a big part of that success.  With this investment, we will be helping more young people get the work experience they need to find and keep good, well-paying jobs. It's a smart investment today – and for the long term," said Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance.

The Toronto Financial Services Alliance is a public-private partnership which aims to grow the Toronto region’s financial services cluster by collaborating with industry and government.