Find resources and funding to help train your employees

funding-training-employees

Training your employees is essential to keep up with the constant changes of the Canadian labour market. When you invest in your employees' training to improve their skills, you also invest in your business overall growth.

There are many types of programs and financial assistance available to make training more accessible to businesses that need to upskill and reskill their workforce. Each program has specific eligibility requirements and some are not open all year round. Before you apply for funding, make sure the programs align with your business' training needs and goals.

Find support and incentives

Provincial and territorial programs and initiatives

Here are some provincial and territorial programs and initiatives that provide funding and/or support to help your business with employee training.

Alberta
  • The Canada-Alberta Job Grant is a training program where employers can apply on behalf of their employee(s) for eligible training costs. Employers decide who gets training and what type of training may be needed for their employees.
  • The Indigenous Employment Training Partnerships Program provides funding to Indigenous communities and organizations to deliver group-training projects designed in partnership with employers and other partners.

British Columbia

Manitoba
  • The Workforce Development Program provides funding support for training and human resource (HR) development activities, assists businesses to assess their HR management needs, and more.
  • Canada-Manitoba Job Grant gives financial support to employers to help cover training costs for new and existing employees.

New Brunswick
  • The Labour Force Training program provides funding to employers to train candidates that are being considered for an available job in their organization. It can also be used to improve the skills and opportunities of new or existing employees.
  • The Workplace Essential Skills training is offered free of charge to organizations who are having trouble finding skilled workers and need recruitment support.

Newfounland and Labrador
  • Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Job Grant provides funding to employers to help offset the cost of training for their existing and future employees. The employer must have a job for all participants at the end of training.
  • The Employment Enhancement Program provides funding to employers to create sustainable employment and a training allowance to support new employees in the forestry, aquaculture, agriculture, and fishing sectors.

Northwest territories
  • The Employee Training Program supports employers by funding some of the cost of training their employees. Training includes employee up-skilling due to economic, technological, or organizational change.
  • The Wage Subsidy Program provides funding to employers to hire individuals with minimal work experience and education by offsetting the cost of hiring and training.

Nova Scotia
  • The Workplace Innovation and Productivity Skills Incentive provides funding for training full-time employees to improve productivity and innovation within the organization. It aims to support activities that help businesses to compete outside the province.
  • The Workplace Education Initiative (WEI) helps assess the learning needs of individual businesses or groups of businesses and recommends education programs to fill those training needs. It also assists with the application for funding, which covers the cost of instruction, and provides support while a program is taking place.

Nunavut
  • The Grant for Nunavut Employers supports employers by covering part of the training costs that lead to a new position, a promotion, increased pay within the organization, or regular employment.
  • The Training Assistance Program provides a wage subsidy to small and medium sized employers to help them hire and train unemployed or under-skilled workers. The expectation is that the employer hires the trainee at the end of the training period.

Ontario
  • The Skills Development Fund Training Stream offers funding to organizations for innovative projects in Ontario that deal with the challenges in hiring, training, or retaining workers, including apprentices.
  • The Canada-Ontario Job Grant offers financial support to employers for training new and existing employees.

Prince Edward Island
  • The Workplace Skills Training provides funds for employers to train new or existing employees to develop their skills and align with business needs. The employer determines the type of training and who will participate.
  • The Employ PEI program helps employers create long-term employment opportunities for job seekers. Employers receive a temporary wage subsidy to provide on-the-job training for a new employee who lack the work experience necessary for the position.

Québec

Saskatchewan
  • The Re-Skill Saskatchewan Training Subsidy is a temporary program that provides businesses with financial support for short-term programs to train employees as the province emerges from the pandemic and economic recovery.
  • The Canada-Saskatchewan Job Grant helps businesses and non-profit organizations to train new or existing employees for available jobs.

Yukon
  • The Staffing UP program offers 3 wage subsidy options to employers to help find, hire and keep workers in their organization. Funding offered through the program can help train new and existing workers to meet the organization’s needs, and more.

Related links

Find other types of support

Many other organizations funded by the federal, provincial or territorial government offer different types of support to help businesses with employee training.

All of Canada
  • ECO Canada (Environmental Careers Organization of Canada) provides wage subsidies for green jobs (including internships and student work placements) and offers learning and training programs, such as on-demand workshops and webinars, to equip employees with critical skills and knowledge for green jobs.
  • ICTC (Information and Communications Technology Council) supports employers through wage subsidies, customizable training for employees, and resources for HR teams to gain a competitive edge. Its programs focus on areas like digital skills development, technology adoption, and innovation.
  • Ready, Willing and Able (RWA) works with Canadian businesses who are looking to hire inclusively and build inclusive workplaces. It provides disability awareness information and training for your current employees.
  • Skills in Action is an online portal comprised of a suite of Skills for Success training programs designed to enhance the skill sets of Canadian workers. It offers free online training and management tools for businesses and ongoing support throughout the training process.
  • Trucking HR Canada offers driver training grants to help trucking and logistics employers across Canada hire and train new drivers to support a sustainable supply chain. Employers can access funding to cover the cost of entry-level training and onboard new trained drivers.
  • The Accelerating Manufacturing Performance Upskilling Program will cover 50% of the cost of training for Canadian manufacturers to enroll their employees in selected skills development and certification programs.
  • The AgriWorkplace Skills Training Program supports employers and workers in primary agriculture through training and wage subsidies.

Alberta

Ontario

Tax credits

Employers who invest in training their workforce may be eligible for tax credits at the federal, provincial and territorial levels. Find out which tax credit your organization may be able to claim when it invests in employee training:

Federal

British Columbia

Québec

Did you know?

The Canada Training Credit is a refundable tax credit to help Canadians with the cost of training fees. Eligible workers can accumulate a credit balance at a rate of $250 per year, up to a lifetime training amount limit of $5,000.

Source: Canada Revenue Agency.

Applying for programs that provide financial help for employee training has many advantages for your business. By participating in initiatives and receiving financial grants designed for employee training, you can reduce costs, invest in employee professional growth, improve employee performance and build a skilled team. Financial support can also help your business adapt to new technology and stay competitive in the market. If the financial support aligns with your business objectives and training needs, it is worth taking advantage of it.

Page details

Date modified: