Ontario Apprenticeship Grants: 57 Apprenticeship Grants, Wage Subsidies & Tax Credits for Ontario Businesses
If your organization is thinking about hiring an apprentice or intern, an apprenticeship grant might provide the incentive you need to make the leap. You’ll add extra capacity to your organization at less cost and get ambition, excitement, and new ideas in return. And if all works as it should, you’ll get a long-time, loyal employee in the end.
So read on to see what kind of funding is available to you, whether you’re a potential intern or apprentice or a potential host employer.
What is an Apprenticeship Grant?
The Government of Canada defines a grant as:
a transfer payment subject to pre-established eligibility and other entitlement criteria. A grant is not subject to being accounted for by a recipient nor normally subject to audit by the department. The recipient may be required to report on results achieved.
So, an apprenticeship grant is:
What Can Ontario Apprenticeship Grants Be Used For?
Ontario apprenticeship grants can be used to pay for many aspects of hiring and training apprentices. Here are some of the uses that are covered by programs in our grants database:
See the section below with a complete list of apprentice grants available.
How Much Apprenticeship Grant Money Can I Get for My Business?
In our database we currently have grants ranging from $4,000 to $52,500.
Am I Eligible for an Ontario Apprenticeship Grant? Common Eligibility Criteria
We analyzed the Ontario apprenticeship grants in our database, and these are the most common qualifications we identified:
Note: these are just the most common eligibility criteria – there are many grants with different requirements.
Apprenticeship Grants for Ontario Businesses: Current Grants Available
In the table below we list the apprenticeship grants currently available to Ontario businesses.
To learn more about each program, just click the program name and you’ll be taken to a web page that provides detailed information on the program, including eligibility, the dollar amount of the program, and how to apply for the grant:
Ontario Apprenticeship Grants
How to Apply for Apprenticeship Grants: Follow These 6 Steps
The application process for grants can be complex, but you can increase your chances of getting your application approved by following a formula with a proven rate of success. Here are the steps to get the funds you need for your business:
- Compile a comprehensive list of all current grants. In Canada, hundreds of business grants are available for different industries, demographic groups, and purposes. Learn what is out there and cast a wide net when you apply to maximise your chances of securing funds.
- Focus on grants pertaining to your business industry. Review the application requirements to find out whether your business is eligible. When your business goals fit a particular type of grant, you have better chances of getting matched to it. You want to devote your time and energy to grants where you have the highest potential of winning.
- Reach out to the grant agencies directly. If you want to gain more understanding on what qualities the agencies are looking for in their grant applicants, there is no better way than to go right to the source. Ask the agency staff questions and look for areas where you can stand out from the rest.
- Formalise a plan for grant application. This plan should include a one-page draft of your grant application statement.
- Organise your documents. Grant organisations often ask their applicants to provide a business plan and other pertinent documents. If you organise your documents in advance, you will be ready to submit them when the grant agency requests them.
- Submit a well-thought-out application. If you follow the five steps above, your application will have a good chance of getting approved.
Bonus Tip:
- Don’t miss other kinds of funding. Grants represent just one type of funding, but there are many other types of funding suitable for Canadian business owners. These include wage subsidies, crowdfunding, low-interest loans, and many more.
Other Types of Funding for Ontario Businesses Hiring Apprentices
Our goal is for this guide to be a complete source of funding information for Ontario businesses hiring apprentices and interns. So, in this section you’ll find all the other money programs (besides grants) that are available to Ontario businesses hiring apprentices and interns.
A subsidy is a type of financial assistance – usually provided by the government – to promote a social good or an economic policy. Wage subsidies are the most common subsidies.
In the table below you’ll find the wage subsidies currently available for Ontario businesses hiring apprentices:
Wage Subsidies for Ontario Businesses Hiring Apprentices
A tax credit reduces the tax that a business pays on its taxable income. There are a handful of tax credits available for apprentices:
Tax Credits for Ontario Businesses Hiring Apprentices
| Name of Program | Amount | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario Ministry of Finance - Regional Opportunities Investment Tax Credit | $90000 | Tax Credit |
| Ontario Co-operative Education Tax Credit – Ontario Ministry of Finance | No Fixed Amount | Tax Credit |
| Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit – Canada Revenue Agency (2022) | No Fixed Amount | Tax Credit |
Best Ontario Apprenticeship Grants, Subsidies & More
While there are lots of good programs available, below we highlight some of the best grants, subsidies, tax credits & more for Ontario Apprenticeship businesses:
Best Government Apprenticeship Grants
FedNor – Youth Internship under the Northern Ontario Development Program (NODP) and under Regional Economic Growth Through Innovation (REGI)
If “FedNor” didn’t give it away right away, this 2-part funding program is only for those organizations located in Northern Ontario and whose projects result in either improving the economic development of Northern Ontario communities and businesses under NODP and the development and commercialization of innovative technologies, products, services and processes under REGI.
Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development – Achievement Incentive (AI)
The Achievement Incentive is a grant program that helps employers train apprentices by reducing some of the cost of training and that supports apprentice progression by giving grant payments to employers when their apprentices reach major milestones. The program offers up to $17,000 to eligible employers when apprentices meet training and certification milestones.
Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) – People & Talent Program: Workforce Development Stream
The intent of the Workforce Development Stream is to strengthen and develop Northern Ontario’s workforce through business partnerships by offering internships.
Best Government Apprenticeship Subsidies
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) – Housing Internship for Indigenous Youth (HIIY)
CMHC’s Housing Internship for Indigenous Youth (HIIY) program provides financial assistance to help businesses and organizations create housing-related internships for Indigenous youth.
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) – Student Work Placement Program
The Student Work Placement Program provides wage subsidies to employers that offer quality student work placements. It gives post-secondary students across Canada paid work experience related to their field of study.
National Research Council of Canada (NRC) – NRC IRAP Youth Employment Program (YEP)
The NRC IRAP Youth Employment Program offers financial assistance to offset the cost of hiring young talent (ages 15-30) to work on projects with R&D, engineering, multimedia or market analysis components or to help develop a new product or process.
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) – Science and Technology Internship Program: Green Jobs
The Science and Technology (S&T) Internship Program provides wage subsidies to encourage organizations to hire and mentor interns and invest in the workforce of tomorrow.
It also provides opportunities for youth to gain relevant work experience and skill development in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields in the natural resources sectors: energy, forestry and mining, earth sciences, and clean technology.
Best Apprenticeship Tax Credits
Canada Revenue Agency – Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit
Any business in Canada that hires a registered apprentice can claim this tax credit when they file their business taxes.
You can hire and claim as many apprentices as you like, but they must be in the first 2 years of their contract and they must be working in one of the Red Seal Trades.
If you’ve hired some apprentices that fit this description though, you’ll qualify to claim 10% of the wages/salaries of your apprentices to a maximum of $2,000/apprentice.
Ministry of Finance – Co-operative Education Tax Credit (CETC)
The Co-operative Education Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit available to employers who hire students enrolled in a co-operative education program at an Ontario university or college. Most work placements are for a minimum employment period of 10 weeks up to a maximum of four months.
Best Non-Profit Apprenticeship Grants
Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks (CENGN) and Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) – Next Generation Network Program (NGNP) TalentEdge Internships
Take special note Ontario SMEs: if you’re developing or implementing next generation network technologies in your products or services and have in-house research and development capacity within Ontario, this grant will be of interest to you. Hire an Ontario undergraduate, master’s, or PhD student (or any one of these who’ve graduated in the last 3 years) as an intern on your project and you could get $10,000 in funding to help with the cost of both the intern and your project.
Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) – ENCQOR 5G TalentEdge Internships
The ENCQOR 5G TalentEdge Internships provides support for current college and university students and recent undergraduate or Masters graduates, to work on industry-driven research and development projects related to 5G, wireless and digital technologies at Ontario-based SMEs, preferably using the 5G Innovation Platform as a Service (iPaaS) testbed.
Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) – Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) – TalentEdge Internship Program (TIP) Stream
The TalentEdge Internship Program (TIP) stream of Ontario’s Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) program provides support for current college and university students and recent undergraduate or Masters graduates, to work on industry-driven research and development projects related to automotive and smart mobility technology such as Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (C/AV) technologies, Electric Vehicles (EV), battery technologies, metallurgical (metal & mining) sector technologies and other related areas.
Best Non-Profit Apprenticeship Subsidies
Some of the subsidies below are related to the government subsidies mentioned above. These non-profits are the government’s delivery partners for their programs. Businesses who want to apply, must check the specific eligibility criteria and apply to these non-profits. So, check their details and apply!
BioTalent Canada – Career Starter Program
The Career Starter Program will facilitate the transition of barriered youth into the labour market and increase their knowledge of the sector’s needs through recent and practical work experience.
Career Starter provides bio-economy employers with 50% of a youth’s salary to a maximum of $20,000 in wage subsidies for a three to nine-month job placement. This will help the employer adopt a diverse and inclusive work culture while satisfying their need for skilled labour.
Canadian Tooling and Machining Association (CTMA) – Career-Ready with CTMA: Expanding Opportunities
The Career-Ready with CTMA: Expanding Opportunities program provides non-repayable contributions to eligible employers to subsidize the wages of new hires or the upskilling of existing employees that meet the program eligibility. Funding is 50% of wages paid to a maximum of $5,000 for each experiential work placement.
Clean Foundation – Science Horizons
The Science Horizons Internship Program, generously funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada, is a wage subsidy initiative that matches graduates, under the age of 30, with positions across Canada that help combat climate change.
Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) – ImpAct Internships
Through this program, Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) will contribute up to 100% of the salary or participation fees, to a maximum of $10,000, for youth to become Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) ambassadors.
Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC) – Discovering Potential Program
The Discovering Potential Program supports employers who provide youth with green work experience through internships and on-the-job training. Positions in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and/or relating to electricity, renewable energy, environment, and natural resources can qualify.
Environmental Careers Organization of Canada (ECO Canada) – Digital Skills for Youth (DS4Y)
The Digital Skills for Youth program allows you to leverage the knowledge of a tech-savvy, educated youth population to future-proof your business.
The Digital Skills for Youth program is a wage subsidy provided to SMEs that covers 80% of wages up to $18,000 for environmental jobs that require digital abilities.
Examples of eligible roles include: digital marketers, developers, GIS specialists, drone operators, data analysts or IT specialists with an environmental focused role.
MAGNET (Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network) – Magnet Student Work Placement Program (SWPP)
The Magnet Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) provides employers with wage subsidies to hire post-secondary students for paid work experiences. Students in turn benefit with quality work experience so they can secure employment in their chosen fields of study.
Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) – Métis Wage Subsidy Program
MNO’s Métis Wage Subsidy Program is designed to help Métis individuals secure long-term employment through direct work experience opportunities by encouraging employers to hire Métis apprentices and other workers and provide on-the-job experience.
Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) – Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Digital Subsidy
ICTC’s WIL Digital is an innovative Work Integrated Learning program that helps employers grow their businesses by providing financial assistance for hiring post-secondary students.
ICTC’s WIL Digital supports Canadian businesses that offer student work placements within the Digital Economy.
Tourism HR Canada – Propel Student Work Placement Program
Funded by the Government of Canada through the Student Work Placement Program, Propel offers registered Canadian businesses, startups, and not-for-profits related to the tourism and hospitality sector a subsidy on each qualifying student’s wages. The wage subsidy can be accessed by businesses from all facets of the visitor economy: accommodations, food and beverage services, recreation and entertainment, transportation, and travel services.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line here is loud and clear. It’s financially feasible to become an apprentice, and it’s both rewarding and financially smart to hire an apprentice.
Trades are important, even integral, to our economy, and when you train to become one, you can make money at the same time. And working within a trade is satisfying, fulfilling, and a smart decision long term. Taking advantage of these funding programs will even take the sting out of starting out. Look closer at entering the trades. You’ll be glad you did, especially when you get your money from some of these programs.
