Canada Retraining and Opportunities Initiative - funding program

The Canada Retraining and Opportunities Initiative supports workforce planning and skills training in communities significantly impacted by a mass layoff. It provides funding for community-based projects that help workers develop the skills they need to transition to new jobs.

Application period:

Eligible organizations can apply to this continuous call for expression of interest from October 16, 2024, to March 31, 2025. The call may close earlier if funding has been fully committed.

Who can apply:

Not-for-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, municipal governments, Indigenous organizations or governments, and educational institutions.

How to apply:

If you believe that your organization is eligible based on the criteria outlined below, please email EDSC.DGOP.ICPPPE-CROI.POB.ESDC@servicecanada.gc.ca. Your email must include:

• date of mass layoff(s).
• location(s) of layoff by postal code.
• number of individuals laid off. If your request is for multiple locations, please indicate the number at each location by postal code.
• the three-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code or sub-industry for the business or employer where the layoff occurred. Please refer to Statistics Canada for guidance.

Please note that we can't accept links to cloud or SharePoint versions and password protected applications.

We will confirm your eligibility to submit a project application within 3-4 business days.

Eligible organizations will be invited to apply for funding. Only organizations that meet all the criteria in the Eligibility section will be invited to apply.

Organizations invited to apply must submit a complete application within 20 business days to be considered for this funding opportunity.

We will assess other criteria at the application phase. An invitation to apply does not guarantee success.

On this page

• Application period
• Description
• Objective
• Eligibility
• Contact us
• Key Definitions

Application period

The application period is from October 16, 2024, to March 31, 2025. The application period may close earlier if funding has been fully committed.

Description

Mass layoffs can have long-term effects on local employment in a community. A variety of services and programs exist that can be accessed quickly to help workers affected by a layoff (e.g., Employment Insurance, training and re-employment transition supports, etc.). The Canada Retraining and Opportunities Initiative can be accessed when additional supports are needed within the community. This funding will help communities to identify growth industries and will help transition laid-off workers to new jobs.

Objective

The objectives are to:

• bring together community-based organizations (e.g., employers, training providers and others) to develop a community workforce plan. The workforce plan will identify impacted workers, local employers looking to hire, and the skills required to meet demand;
• help workers develop the skills needed to transition to new jobs through training and work experiences; and
• support employers to fill jobs in demand.

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants

To be an eligible applicant, your organization must belong to one of the following categories:

• not-for-profit organizations;
• for-profit organizations if the nature and intent of the activity is:
  • non-commercial
  • not intended to generate profit, and
  • supports program priorities and objectives;
• municipal governments;
• Indigenous organizations or governments (Indigenous organizations may include, but are not limited to, incorporated for profit and not-for-profit Indigenous controlled organizations, Indigenous controlled unincorporated associations, Band Councils, Tribal Councils, and Indigenous self-government entities);
• educational institutions (universities, colleges, CÉGEPs, school boards/school districts).

Eligible Expressions of Interest

The eligibility of the expression of interest will be assessed based on the following:

• a mass layoff occurred on or after April 1, 2024.

• the number of employees laid off represents at least 5% of the affected sub-industry's total employment in the community.

To help determine whether you might be eligible for funding, answer the following questions:

• Did the mass layoff happen on or after April 1, 2024?
• Were 50 or more people laid off in one establishment within a four-week period?
• Was the layoff permanent (as per the definition above)?
• Was the layoff significant for the local economy?

If you answered yes to the above questions, you might be eligible for funding under the Canada Retraining and Opportunities Initiative.

Canada Retraining and Opportunities Initiative Information Deck [PDF - 308 KB] - This document provides an overview of the Canadian Retraining and Opportunities Initiative.

Contact us

If you have questions or need help, please contact EDSC.DGOP.ICPPPE-CROI.POB.ESDC@servicecanada.gc.ca

Key Definitions

Community workforce plan: A community-level plan that shows the local workforce profile (information on the available workforce within the community). It includes information to inform future demand for workers and skills; and actions that will develop the workforce to meet demand. Activities can include supply/demand forecasting, skills assessment, gap analysis, capacity planning, scenario modeling, performance analytics, etc.

Eligible participants:

In the situation where participants are receiving a wage subsidy, eligible participants must be:

• Legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial and federal legislation and regulations.
• Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and/or persons to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Mass Layoff: A mass layoff is defined as the permanent layoff of 50 or more employees in one establishment, in one community over a four-week period.

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS): An industry classification system developed by the statistical agencies of Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It is designed to provide common definitions of the industrial structure of the three countries and a common statistical framework to facilitate the analysis of the three economies. The structure of NAICS is hierarchical. For the purposes of this funding, the Department will use the three-digit NAICS code (identifying the subsector) to determine eligibility.

Sub-industry (also, subsector): An area of economic activity that forms part of one of the larger areas into which the economic activity of a country is divided. For example, within the manufacturing industry (sector), sub-industries (subsectors) would include food manufacturing, clothing manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, etc.

Work placement: Paid work opportunities related to training that allow participants to practice skills and gain on-the-job experience. Work placement activities can include mentorship programs, co-op placements, practicums, internships, etc. Placements can be full or part-time.