Ottawa, ON — The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF) is aiming to help employers hire apprentices by offering $20,000 in grant money per year.
The Canadian Apprenticeship Service (CAS) program will offer grants to small- and medium-sized employers who hire first-year apprentices in one of the 39 Red Seal construction and manufacturing trades.
Funding will be available for up to two new apprentices per year in the eligible trades. This breaks down to around $5,000 per apprentice and $10,000 for apprentices who identify as being within an equity-deserving group.
In addition to financial incentives, resources and training are provided to assist with recruiting, onboarding, and retaining apprentices. This includes access to a mentorship course and a mentorship app for apprentices and journeypersons.
Eligible businesses must be classified as either micro (between one to four employees), small (between five to 99 employees), or medium-sized (between 100 to 499 employees).
Businesses will have access to a matching service, which goes by region and trade. Workers and businesses can be matched by the service or job developers.
The CAS program is administered in partnership with the CAF, Aboriginal Apprenticeship Board, Canadian Construction Association, BuildForce, SkillPlan, and Apprenticesearch.com.