Investing in your employees’ education can increase productivity and your competitive edge in the market. Finding the money to finance that education, however, can be a challenge. This is why the Government of Canada has created the Canada-B.C. Job Grant.
This cost-sharing program will help you offset the expense of your employee’s training, providing up to two-thirds of the cost of each individual, to a maximum of $10,000 per grant. Individual employers can receive grants up to a maximum total of $250,000.
Is Your Business Eligible?
To be eligible to apply for this grant, your business must meet this criteria, including:
- Be a private sector or not-for-profit business
- Registered on the Corporate Registry in BC for at least a year at the time of application
- Have a position available in BC for the participant at the end of training
Your business must also be operating in one of the following sectors:
- Agrifoods
- Aboriginal Peoples and First Nations
- Forestry
- Manufacturing
- Mining and Energy
- Natural Gas
- Small Business
- Technology and Green Economy
- Tourism
- Transportation
Who Can Receive the Training?
Your Employees
You can apply to upgrade the skills of a current employee or to train a new employee for a future job. If you are looking for funding for a new employee, you must have a guaranteed job available once the training is complete.
Self-Employed Business Owners
You can apply for the grant on your own behalf if you are self-employed. To apply, you must be able to demonstrate how the training will benefit your business and meet the same eligibility requirements as all employers.
Co-op Students and Interns
If you are intending to employ the student or intern at the end of the training, you may apply for the grant. For help completing the application for a co-op student or intern, contact cjginfo@gov.bc.ca for further advice.
Temporary Foreign Workers
Temporary Foreign Workers are not eligible for funding. Participants must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or Protected Persons Entitled to Work in Canada, as designated by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).
How Many of My Employees Can Receive the Grant?
You can apply for the Canada-B.C. Job Grant for as many employees as you want, up to a maximum of $250,000 total.
What Type of Training Can Your Employees Receive?
Training can be delivered in-person or online. However, it must be delivered through a third-party trainer. This can include universities, community colleges, industry associations, trade union training centre or a private trainer, such as Small Business BC.
Types of eligible training for the grant include:
- Essential skills training
- Soft skills training
- Technical training
- Business training
- Management and leadership training
What Does the Grant Actually Cover?
Grant money can be used for tuition fees, or the fees of the trainer, textbooks and required materials and examination fees. All training must be completed within one year of approval.
How To Apply and Receive Payment
Once you have confirmed both your business, your employee and the chosen training eligibility, you and your employee will need complete the application forms. The forms must be completed electronically, then printed and signed.
TIP: It’s important to complete the forms electronically because all the questions will not appear on the form, if you print before completing them.
Once completed, you must scan the forms and email them to cjginfo@gov.bc.ca. The province will then respond to you within 60 days of receipt to confirm if the training has been approved.
If approved you will then need to sign an agreement with the province, outlining each of your responsibilities, and agree to the terms and conditions of the grant.
You will be required to pay for the full training in advance. However, once the employee has completed the training, you will need to submit a reimbursement request, along with the receipt of payment and proof of completion.
If your employee does not complete the training your company will be responsible for paying the full training amount and you will not be reimbursed.
Find Out More
To find out more about the Canada-B.C. Job Grant visit the WorkBC website, or contact one of our Business Advisors at Small Business BC.
And don’t forget, all of Small Business BC’s seminars (from over 40 subject areas) are eligible under the program criteria. It’s a great opportunity to improve your business education.