What is the Canada-Alberta Job Grant?

Rob Dombowsky, AMTA Industry Advisor, Human Resources & Labour

People in general want to be engaged at work. One of the tools we can use to do that is by providing meaningful investments in training. Unfortunately, employers often struggle to justify spending that kind of money on training. After all, training an employee costs the employer both money and time.

Fortunately, the Government of Alberta has identified the need to provide employers with a solid incentive to help get people trained and enhance the skill and competitiveness of Albertans. This is done through the Canada-Alberta Job Grant. As an employer, it’s important to know that this money is available to help develop your employees’ skills and enhance your business’ competitiveness. Two thirds of total training costs will be covered by the grant, while the employer is responsible for paying for the other one third. The grant provides up to $10,000 per employee or up to $300,000 per year per employer.

The grant has been used successfully by employers to get their workers their Class 1 license, earn their  Certified Transportation Safety Professional (CTSP), pay for tuition at Alberta post-secondary institutions, or pay for other work-related training. The training opportunities are massive, especially for small and medium sized employers. At AMTA, our training programs may be eligible for coverage as well.

The first step for the employer is to create a My Digital ID for Business profile (here). This account should be owned by a person designated by the company, usually in the HR or Accounting departments. After the profile is created, the employer then can submit a grant application online.  The next step will be to identify the training needed and request a quote from the training provider. Many training providers have experience in providing quotes with all the required information.

The employer can apply up to six months in advance of the training. It strongly recommended to apply at least 45 days before the start of training, but you may apply a few days before if required.  Importantly, the application must be submitted before the training begins; however, by submitting on short notice you run the risk of not being approved for the grant and having to bear the full cost of the training.

Once the employer receives the quote, they will need to complete the application process. On average, it takes 30 minutes to complete the process if all the information is readily available. The required information includes the employee’s social insurance number, email, phone number and home address as well as a training provider contact and course specific information. The application portal can be accessed via the Labour Workforce Grants Portal (here).

Once the grant request is submitted, the employee will receive an email confirming the grant application. They will need to confirm their personal information at that time. Approximately 30 days later, the employer will receive a decision on the grant application or be requested to provide additional information.

At this point the employer will pay for 100% of the training costs and the employee will complete the training program. Within 30 days after the training is completed, the employer must submit the proof of completion and proof of payment. At that point, the government will deposit the grant money directly into your company bank account, usually in three to six months.

CAJG Quick Facts

-Each employee may receive up to $10,000 per fiscal year.

-An underemployed or unemployed job candidate may receive up to $15,000 per fiscal year.

-An eligible employer may receive up to $300,000 per fiscal year.

-Eligible employers are required to contribute a minimum of 33% of the total training costs.

-The government will cover 66% of the total training costs.

-Training must be a total of 21 instructional hours or longer per trainee per application.

-Training must start within six months after receiving Canada-Alberta Job Grant approval.

-Training must result in some credential (record of completion, certification, grade, diploma and so on).

Case study 1:

Company Y hired a shop hand two years earlier. He proved to be a hard worker and set a goal to become a Class 1 driver. In the fall of 2020, the company decided to train him as a driver. They applied for the grant and received it. The employee completed the course and earned his Class 1 license. In the end, the company paid approximately $3,100 to train the driver. He’s now on the road on a full-time basis.

Case Study 2:

Employee X from company Y applied for $3,475 in training, by taking five OHS courses at the University of Alberta faculty of extension. The grant was accepted, and the company received $2,293.50 back. In return, the employee completed her OHS certificate and the company continues to be benefited by having a highly qualified HS manager.

Case Study 3:

Company Y uses a Total Quality Management program, following The Toyota Way. Training for this methodology is provided out of Vancouver and costs $13,500 per employee. The company applied for the grant for four employees in 2019 and another four in 2020. Each year the total training cost $54,000 or $108,000 over two years. They received $35,640 in 2019 and again in 2020 for a total of $71,280 over two years. They applied again in 2021 and are awaiting approval.

More information is available in our bulletin (here) or on the CAJG website (here). If you have any specific questions on the CAJG, contact Rob at AMTA (403) 214-3439.