TORONTO- Do you want some extra dollars to fund a company training program? Many Canadian businesses can now submit applications for a training program for future workers, with the feds footing most of the bill: the Canada Job Grant.

Already, a company based in Winnipeg, MB, received the first Canada Job Grant, and now expects to double its workforce. IT firm Oxygen Technical Services Ltd., will use the grant to train 15 current employees and hire another seven, which will allow it to expand its services. 

What is the Canada Job Grant?

The Canada Job Grant is a program introduced by the federal government in 2013. The program helps Canadians get the training they need for available jobs, by providing up to $15,000 per person for training costs, such as tuition or training materials, including up to $10,000 in federal contributions.

The grant requires employers to participate in the skills training systems and in sharing associated costs to ensure training is aligned with job opportunities, especially in sectors facing labour shortages. Yes, that means trucking.

But for an employer to be eligible for the grant, there has to be a job for the trainee and the intention to hire that trainee to fill the available job.

When fully implemented, a total of $300 million per year will be invested in the Canada Job Grant nationally.

Can I apply?

All Canadian provinces and territories except for Quebec have signed on to partake in the Canada Job Grant. (Quebec has signed a special agreement, the Canada-Quebec Job Fund).

But applications are not yet opened in Canada coast-to-coast. Here is a list of the provinces and territories where grant applications are open:

• Ontario; get the application form here; 
• B.C.; here’s how to apply;
• Manitoba; here’s how to apply;
• Alberta; get the application form here;
• Newfoundland and Labrador; get the application form here;
• P.E.I.; get the application form here;
• Nova Scotia: here’s how to apply; 
• Saskatchewan: get the application form here; 
• Yukon: get the application form here.