Backgrounder: Apprenticeship Service

Apprenticeship Service

Apprenticeships offer a great way to get the hands-on work experience needed to pursue a career in the skilled trades. Employers play a fundamental role in Canada’s apprenticeship systems; however, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) do not always have the resources to offer apprenticeship training opportunities. 

Organizations funded under the Apprenticeship Service will distribute financial incentives to SMEs that hire apprentices. They will also provide additional supports, such as help navigating the apprenticeship system, onboarding apprentices, and creating welcoming workplaces. SMEs with 499 or fewer paid employees are eligible for the funding.

Under the Apprenticeship Service, SMEs will receive $5,000 for each new, first-year apprentice hired, for a maximum of two eligible apprentices per year. They can use the incentive to pay for upfront costs such as salaries and training. In addition, to boost diversity in the Red Seal trades, this incentive will be doubled to $10,000 for employers who hire from equity-deserving groups, specifically women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous people, members of the LGBTQ2+ communities, newcomers and visible minorities, including Black and other racialized communities. 

Apprenticeship START Plus Project

The Government of Canada is providing over $28 million for the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency’s Apprenticeship START Plus project. The project will provide financial support to SMEs in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Through this project, up to 4,900 agreements with SMEs will be signed from the above-mentioned provinces. Through these agreements, a minimum of 5,200 first-year apprentices in eligible Red Seal trades, including a minimum of 1,190 from equity-deserving groups, are expected to be hired. By province, it is expected that SMEs will hire:

• a minimum of 2,100 in Nova Scotia, including a minimum of 510 from equity-deserving groups;
• a minimum of 1,150 in New Brunswick, including a minimum of 255 from equity-deserving groups;
• a minimum of 1,150 in Newfoundland, including a minimum of 255 from equity-deserving groups; and
• a minimum of 800 in Prince Edward Island, including a minimum of 170 from equity-deserving groups.

In addition to the financial incentives, SMEs will receive additional supports, such as help navigating the apprenticeship system, onboarding apprentices, and creating welcoming and inclusive workplaces. To support diversity in the skilled trades, the incentives are doubled for SMEs that hire from equity-deserving groups, such as women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous people and racialized people.   

The Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency will also work in collaboration with Atlantic apprenticeship authorities, partners, Indigenous communities, equity-seeking groups, industry associations, and SMEs to:

• promote apprenticeship as a viable post-secondary career option throughout Atlantic Canada; and
• create opportunities for new, first-year apprentices in eligible Red Seal trades, with a focus on opportunities for individuals facing barriers to a career in the skilled trades.