Manufacturing Business & Workforce Retention Grant Pilot

The grant may be used for training new hires, upskilling current employees, and building training systems, with a focus on manufacturing positions, as outlined below:

New Employee Training

• Supports onboarding and initial job training to ensure integration and productivity
• Eligible Costs:
  • Onboarding program development and delivery
  • Job-specific trade/technical training, both in-house and with external providers
  • English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction or other job-related training
  •  Wages during training period
• Funding Cap
  • Up to $3,000 per new hire for classroom or On-the-Job-Training (OJT)

Retraining & Upskilling Existing Staff

• Supports incumbent worker development for operational efficiency and internal advancement.
• Eligible Costs:
  • Cross-training for multiple functions
  • Training on how to use specific equipment, new procedures, processes, etc. Both in-house training and external providers are eligible
  • Industry-recognized certifications for manufacturing production roles (e.g., OSHA, food safety, welding certification, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining, etc.)
  • Supervisory or leadership development
  • Wages during training period
• Funding Cap:
  • Up to $3,000 per existing employee

Employee Training Systems

• Improves in-house capacity to deliver ongoing in-house training programs for upskilling employees.
• Eligible Costs:
  • Hiring external trainers/consultants
  • Subscribing to training platforms or e-learning tools
  • Creating manuals, standard operating procedures (SOPs), or custom training content
• Funding Cap:
  • Up to $10,000 may be used for infrastructure