Workplace Insurance for Students on Placement

All students who complete unpaid work placements as part of their academic program, on a required or optional (not to be confused with volunteering) basis, and are placed with employers to obtain work skills and experience, but who are not paid by the employers, are classified as “learners” by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA).

All students who participate in placements as part of their academic program must be covered under an appropriate workplace insurance policy either through the MTCU, the placement site, or the University. This means that in the event of a placement-related injury or illness, students would be eligible for benefits from WSIB or equivalent benefits through the private insurance carrier. Some of these benefits might include: health care costs, rehabilitation costs, and in some cases, compensation for future lost earnings.

To determine whether your placement falls under the workplace insurance covergae of the MTCU or if other arrangements for coverage will need to be made please review the following criteria:

Students, including international students, who are in a post-secondary education and/or training programs which receive funds through MTCU operating grants are automatically eligible for insurance coverage (WSIB or ACE-INA) through the MTCU provided that:

The work placement is unpaid
The work placement is a requirement of the student’s academic program
The work placement is conducted outside of the classroom portion of the program

Students are not eligible for workplace insurance through the MTCU program if:

Their program does not receive funding through MTCU operating grants
The work placement is not a required part of the student’s program
The student organizes their own work placement outside of their academic program
The students are paid a salary by the placement employer
The students are taking part in a placement with the University of Toronto, (This includes students who do unpaid research for the University)