Hiring & Training Funding

Hiring & Training Grant, Loan, and Funding Programs Mentor Works Can Write for Your Business.

A business is only as strong as its team. If you are planning on expanding or developing your workforce, there are Canadian government grants for small business recruitment activities to ensure they have qualified workers and the requisite skills and capabilities to support ongoing and future business plans. Funding programs can help organizations hire or retrain staff, improve their effectiveness and train their staff in new areas such as advanced technologies or operational processes.

Mentor Works team of Canadian government grant & loan application writers have an average success rate of 86% across all government funding programs and provide our clients with an average of 95% time savings. Speak with a member of our team to find out what programs your business may be eligible for by calling us at 1-888-599-3111 or visiting our Get Funding Help page.

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Use the filtering options below to learn more about hiring and training programs your business could utilize.

Top Funding Programs for Hiring & Training

Canada Job Grant (CJG): Supports third-party skills training to new and existing employees by covering up to 50-100% of eligible costs;
Career-Ready with CTMA: Wage subsidies for new hires or the upskilling of existing employees, funding 30% of wages paid to a max of $3,000 for each placement; and
Mitacs Accelerate: Pairs businesses with Masters, PhD, and PDF interns to overcome challenges. Covers up to 75% of funds to $15,000 per 4-6 month internship.

Click the + button to preview a program and click the program name to view all info

Funding Programs Region Funding Activity Description Learn More Show on Site? Tags
Agriculture Labour Task Force Grant Program (ALTF) Alberta Hiring & Training
  • Supports recruiting, hiring, and retaining workers in the agriculture and agri-food industry
  • Access up to 80% of costs to a maximum $40K per eligible project
 Yes agri, hiring
Alberta Aviation Skills Grant (ASG) Alberta Hiring & Training
  • Employers in the aviation industry can offset training costs to help fill jobs, address skills gaps, and support the expansion of Alberta’s aviation and aerospace workforce.
  • Access up to a maximum of $3 million per application.
 Yes training, aviation, aerospace
APMA: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Fund Ontario Hiring & Training
  • Aims to liaison more young Canadians into the automotive sector by providing participants the opportunity to gain skills training and knowledge through a placement or employment.
  • Up to 800 participants will receive up to $8,000 in training costs
 Yes automotive,
Canada Job Grant (CJG) Canada-wide Hiring & Training
  • Designed to reduce the costs of providing third-party skills training to new and existing employees
  • Up to 50-100% of eligible costs covered in most provinces
 Yes exporting, food, software, manufacturing, auto, northern ontario, cleantech
Canada Summer Jobs Canada-wide Hiring & Training
  • Support for employers providing supervised career-related work experience for youth employees
  • Up to 50% of employee minimum hourly rate; Non-profits can receive grants up to 100% of minimum wage plus Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCs); Amount is capped at a max $300K per employer/province or territory. Maximum 40 hours/week/employee can be included.
 Yes exporting, food, software, manufacturing, auto, northern ontario, cleantech
Career-Ready with CTMA: Expanding Opportunities Ontario Hiring & Training
  • Administered by the Canadian Tooling & Machining Association (CTMA), the hiring grant supports Ontario’s precision metalworking sector with youth hires
  • Funding 50% of wages paid to a max of $5,000 for each placement
 Yes manufacturing, auto, cleantech, non profit,
Community Support, Multiculturalism, and Anti-Racism Initiatives Program Canada-wide Hiring & Training
  • Helps Canadian communities confront discrimination by funding new opportunities, discussions, and research to bring together Canada’s diverse cultures and religions.
  • Up to $1 million in government funding.
 Yes municipality
DELIA – NCFDC Canada-wide Capital & Tech Adoption Business Expansion Hiring & Training Research & Development
  • Is a microloan fund for all Canadian Women entrepreneurs in need of funding support for start up, stabilizations and expansion.
  • Up to $15,000 in low-interest loan support
 Yes food, forest, manufacturing, energy, tech, software, agri
Digital Supercluster Capacity Building Program Canada-wide Hiring & Training
  • Supports Canadian businesses by co-investing in projects that help Canadians develop the skills, leadership and opportunities needed to grow innovative digital enterprises.
  • Funding amounts vary from project to project.
 Yes tech, software
Healthy Hire Manitoba Program Manitoba Hiring & Training
  • Supports employers to hire employees that have received their vaccination
  • Up to $5,000 per employee to a maximum $50,000 for 10 employees
 Yes
Industry R&D Associates Program Alberta Hiring & Training Research & Development
  • Supports hiring an associate to perform technical research and development activities
  • Level 1 – Up to $52,500 annual stipend. Level 2 – Up to $67,500 annual stipend. Additional Expense Allowance of $7,000 annually
 Yes
Jobs and Growth Fund (JGF) Ontario Hiring & Training Business Expansion Capital & Tech Adoption
  • Supporting economic growth and jobs creation projects.
  • Applicants can receive up to 50-90% of costs for economic growth projects.
 Yes cleantech, non profit, manufacturing
Mitacs Canada-wide Hiring & Training Research & Development
  • Support businesses, nonprofits, municipalities, and hospitals by providing funding and connecting them with highly trained researchers.
  • Funding varies by program.
 Yes research, university, collaborative
Mitacs Accelerate Canada-wide Hiring & Training Research & Development
  • Pairs businesses with Masters, PhD and PDF interns to overcome innovation challenges
  • Matching funds from Mitacs up to $7,500 per 4-6 month internship unit
 Yes cleantech,
Museums Assistance Program (MAP) Canada-wide Research & Development Business Expansion Hiring & Training
  • Offers support to workers, collections, skills, and more for museums, heritage institutions, and Indigenous communities.
  • Receive up to 70% of 400K in funding support.
 Yes municipality
NGen Workforce Transformation Program Canada-wide Hiring & Training
  • The Workforce Transformation program provides leadership teams with an affordable and high-value opportunity to participate together in learning and assessment workshops to develop strategic plans.
  • Up to 80% reimbursement for upskilling and training costs.
 Yes training, hiring,
NOHFC - People & Talent Program Ontario Hiring & Training
  • Designed to attract, retain, and develop Northern Ontario’s workforce by creating and sustaining new and existing jobs
  • Receive up to 90% of an Indigenous person's salary of up to $52.5k a year, and up to 90% of other eligible applicants for up to $35k a year
 Yes research, university, manufacturing, media, agri, collaborative, northern ontario, cleantech,
OVIN - Regional Future Workforce Program Ontario Hiring & Training
  • Supports eligible Ontario applicants to develop programs which encourage youth to pursue a future career in the automotive sector
  • Provides non-repayable contributions to a maximum $500,000 towards eligible expenses
 Yes automotive, training, collaborative
OVIN (Main Program Page) - Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network Ontario Hiring & Training Research & Development
  • A collaborative network supporting research, development, validation, testing, demonstration, and prototyping of automotive technologies and services that are tailored to the unique needs of Ontario.
  • Programs offer up to $3 Million in funding.
 Yes ontario, training, automotive, cleantech, software, manufacturing
Palette Skills – Upskill Canada Program Canada-wide Hiring & Training
  • Will support and fund partners in developing short-cycle programs (4 to 16 weeks) that combine specialized technical training, general business training, and interpersonal skills development across key economic sectors.
  • Up to 70% of the total eligible costs.
 Yes hiring, training
SCAP - AgriDiversity Canada-wide Hiring & Training
  • Designed to help organizations with projects that build agricultural leadership and entrepreneurial capacity among under-represented groups.
  • Access up to 70% of eligible project expenses which may amount to a maximum $200k
 Yes agri, hiring
SCAP (Main Program Page) - Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership Canada-wide Business Expansion Capital & Tech Adoption Research & Development Hiring & Training
  • Designed to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation, and resilience of the agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products industriesin Canada.
  • Funding varies by program.
 Yes agri, tech, food, cleantech, research, northern ontario, manufacturing,
Skills Catalyst Fund Ontario Hiring & Training
  • Supports Ontario consortiums in the development and implementation of innovative workforce development projects that test new and emerging ideas and approaches to labour market challenges
  • Up to 80% of eligible training expenses to a maximum $500,000
 No northern ontario,
Skills Development Fund Ontario Hiring & Training
  • Contributes to the development and implementation of innovative workforce development projects to address the challenges of the labour market in Ontario.
  • There is no maximum funding amount for this program.
 Yes ontario,
Women in Skilled Trades Initiative Canada-wide Hiring & Training
  • Supports projects that recruit, retain, and help women apprentices succeed in 1 or the 39 eligible Red Seal Trades.
  • Up to $3M in funding for Canadian not-for-profits, for-profits, unions, and more.
 Yes non profit, municipality
Youth Employment Program (IRAP YEP) Canada-wide Hiring & Training
  • Designed to assist funding of hiring young Canadian post-secondary graduates.
  • Provides up to $30,000 per graduate (up to two) for a period of 6 to 12 months.
 Yes forest, manufacturing, energy, tech, software, covid,
Yves Landry Foundation Funding for Training Via the Government of Canada Ontario Hiring & Training
  • Supports eligible Ontario manufacturing training activities for southern Ontario manufacturers.
  • Provides non-repayable contributions to a maximum $100,000 towards eligible expenses.
 Yes manufacturing, auto, northern ontario, training,
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Hiring & Training Resources

Use the buttons below to navigate to hiring resources and training resources or view an upcoming government funding webinar.

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Hiring Resources
Training Resources

Discover More Funding Resources for Workforce Development Projects

Ready to empower your employees and drive organizational success through hiring and training projects?

Mentor Works hosts a variety of events geared towards hiring & training grants and other key topics that are prime candidates for government funding support, including:

  • Reduce Employee Training Costs by up to 83%
  • Hire and Mentor a Recent Post-Secondary Graduate
  • Access University Researchers and Provide Internships
  • Manufacturing-Specific Training Grants

Register for an upcoming Canadian government funding event to learn more about how funding works, how to navigate the government funding process, and support services to help develop a successful application.

Mentor Works hosts frequent webinars and live events to help business owners and executives further learn about their funding potential. Register for a session to continue exploring business and export expansion funding.

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Hiring Resources for Canadian Employers

Hiring employees can help your business grow to new heights. Regardless of the scale of your hiring efforts, increasing your workforce can lead to significant benefits to organizations profitability and agility. As more employers experience skills shortages on their team, developing and instating an “always hiring” mindset can help your business continuously attract top talent.

What types of employees are you seeking? Find resources to support your upcoming hiring projects by choosing one of the following options:

Hiring Summer Students
Hiring Student Interns
Hiring Recent Graduates
Hiring Professionals

Hiring Summer Students

Summer students are a great source of temporary labour. Positions typically last for six to 16 weeks and are meant to provide the youth hire with valuable job experiences. These types of roles often provide hires with an hourly wage, of which government funding offsets a portion of those employment costs. Explore the following resources to develop a strategic plan for hiring summer students:

Summer-Students

Hiring Student Interns

Student interns can become a powerful part of your business’ talent acquisition and development strategy. As businesses struggle to find experienced workers, many are realizing the potential that lies behind offering internships. Not only can it be a great value and help your company complete projects, but your interns can develop a deep understanding of your business and be able to add more value to it once they’ve graduated. Explore the following resources to develop a strategic plan for hiring student interns:

Student-Interns

Hiring Recent Graduates

Recent graduates that are highly motivated to start their careers are an excellent source of talent. Having graduated from a college or university program, these candidates already possess top skills while also having significant growth potential. Companies can strategically reach out to these types of candidates through job fairs, social media, and job boards targeted towards recent grads. Explore the following resources to develop a strategic plan for hiring recent graduates:

Recent-Graduates

Hiring Seasoned Professionals

Seasoned professionals have the skills and experience needed to take your business to the next level. Having build a solid track record of performance, these employees can draw on past positions and experiences to lead and help organizations succeed. Although Canadian government funding is generally limited when it comes to hiring adults, attracting and retaining these candidates can help your business significantly. Explore the following resources to develop a strategic plan for hiring seasoned professionals:

Seasoned-Professionals

Training Resources for Canadian Employers

Training employees can help your business grow and retain top talent. By investing in the continued growth of your employees, your business can become more productive, skilled, and better able to respond to opportunities and challenges. It also helps employees’ professional development and sense of belonging, which leads to better retention and less time onboarding new employees.

What types of training will your business invest in? Find resources to support your upcoming training projects by choosing one of the following options:

Operations Training
Software Training
Leadership Training
Manufacturing Skills
Project Management

Operations (Soft Skills) Training

Sales, marketing, and other operations training programs can help optimize your team’s performance and enable your business to drive its competitiveness to new heights. Frequent training aimed at these disciplines can give employees across your organization the tools they need to excel and feel empowered. Fortunately, Canadian government funding programs are flexible enough to support this type of training. Explore the resources below to learn more about where soft skills training can improve your organization’s success:

Operations-Training

Software Training

Advanced software systems have the potential to transform Canadian businesses into lean, intelligent machines capable of competing with globally-recognized firms. Using technology to assist employees and improve productivity can have immediate and sustained benefits for your organization, including enabling employees to complete better quality work in less time. With software systems are constantly being improved to enhance user capabilities, frequent training is necessary to ensure your team is getting full value from its software investments. Fortunately, Canadian government grants support many types of software training. Explore the resources below to learn more about where software training can improve your organization’s success:

Leadership Training

Without great leadership, companies lack the direction and drive needed to succeed. Leadership training should be extended to senior roles within your business, but it can also be provided to junior roles with the plan of developing them into tomorrow’s leaders. Government funding programs routinely support employee leadership training, therefore businesses should consider finding a training provider that aligns to their management style and tap into incentives to cover training costs. Explore the resources below to focus your leadership training efforts:

Leadership-Training

Manufacturing Skills Training

Advanced software systems have the potential to transform Canadian businesses into lean, intelligent machines capable of competing with globally-recognized firms. Using technology to assist employees and improve productivity can have immediate and sustained benefits for your organization, including enabling employees to complete better quality work in less time. With software systems are constantly being improved to enhance user capabilities, frequent training is necessary to ensure your team is getting full value from its software investments. Fortunately, Canadian government grants support many types of software training. Explore the resources below to learn more about where software training can improve your organization’s success:

Manufacturing-Skills-Training

Project Management Training

Training employees on project management skills can have wide-reaching benefits for your organization. This area is typically comprised of many areas of business success, including finance, operations, software, and risk management. Developing employees with these broad skillsets can help transition employees to managers, and help management better understand and lead their organizations.  Explore the resources below to learn more about where project management training can improve your organization’s success:

Project-Management-Training

Let’s Find You Funding

You can utilize our grant writing services if your Canadian business is:

  • Incorporated For 2+ Years
  • Positive Net Income
  • Future Projects in Mind
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