If you are thinking about workplace training or professional development opportunities for your employees then it’s worth looking into the Canada Job Grant program.
Haven’t heard of it? Well, you’re not alone, which is why we thought it would be helpful to put together a guide outlining the program to help you understand it and how it can benefit your company.
The Canada Job Grant program is a Canadian Government initiative as part of Canada’s Action Plan. The federal government works in cooperation with provincial and territorial partners to help Canadians get training and achieve the objectives of creating jobs and economic growth.
Let’s take a look at how the program is designed to help companies like yours.
Company Inc. has decided to implement new technology to maintain their competitive advantage in their market space. This new technology means they need to update the skills of their current employees. Skills training will ensure that employees have the skills necessary to get up to speed on the new technology quickly. To accomplish this, Company Inc. estimates its investment in training courses will be $15,000 per employee. The Canada Job Grant could offset this amount by up to $10,000 per employee, a significant savings for Company Inc.
Here’s a quick summary of what you need to know about the program:
- The federal government allocated $500 million dollars in annual funds for skills development to help companies help their employees increase their knowledge
- In each province the program varies so if you need training for employees in multiple provinces you will need to apply for each grant separately and will want to understand the program differences
- In most provinces, the Canada Job Grant covers two-thirds of the cost of training, up to a maximum government contribution of $10,000 per employee. The employer pays the remaining balance of up to $5,000 per employee
- Grants are available for non-governmental organizations of every size and in every industry, whether profit or non-profit
- Training applications need to be submitted by employers
Program exceptions
There are 2 exceptions you should be aware of:
- BC has successfully met its application targets for the Canada-B.C. Job Grant (CJG) for the 2015/16 fiscal year. No new grant applications are being accepted at this time. However, they are expected to reopen the program and anticipate taking applications again in January of 2016.
- Quebec has other training programs in place and is not part of the Canada Job Grant program.
Each province and territory is responsible for the design and delivery of the program in their jurisdiction.
How does the program work in each province? We've created a guide just for you*.
You can also find links to each province with detailed information here.
Did You Know?
The job grant can even be applied to your HCM training – so if you are looking at purchasing a new HCM solution or you have some new team members who would benefit from training in your current solution, it’s a good time to consider this program as it can help offset your training budget significantly.
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*The guide provides the most up to date information based on research from each provincial website at the time of writing.
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