Quebec is pulling out its cheque book for its students. Students of technical colleges, young people aged 17 to 19, and university students in La Belle Province have been receiving thousands of dollars from their government since the start of the 2022 school year.
A college student pockets 3000 Canadian dollars (2052 euros) per year for three years, or 9000 dollars if he completes his training. As for students, their prize money amounts to $ 15,000 for a three-year course and $ 20,000 for four years. But not all disciplines are eligible to collect these thousands of "piastres", as Quebec cousins call their dollars. There is no question of studying art history or law.
A budget estimated at $1.7 billion over the next four years
According to the Ministry of Education, the "financial incentives of Perspective Québec scholarships", as they are called, "aim to increase the number of qualified people in essential public services or in strategic areas where there is a shortage of labour". The program is aimed at students in information technology, software engineering, computer science, teaching, but also candidates for bachelor's degrees in sexology, which Quebec is sorely lacking. Thirty specialties are favored for a budget estimated at $ 1.7 billion over the next four years. This project is part of a larger plan, called "Operation Manpower". The shortage of arms and brains is such in La Belle Province that the unemployment rate fell in April to 1.7% in Quebec City, the absolute record in Canada.
