Prepare to apply

What is your organization's legal name? The legal name is usually:

• the name on your registration with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) or provincial/territorial equivalent, or
• the name used on funding cheques, bank accounts, etc.

What is the operating (or common) name of your organization (if it differs from the legal name)?

What is your 15-digit Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business number? (For example, 123456789 RR 0001).

For registered charities and not-for-profit organizations, what is your registration number?

You can find your CRA business number on tax-related documents or written communications from the CRA.

For more information, please visit CRA.

If you don't have a:

• CRA business number, or
• not-for-profit registration number

You may be required to provide one of following documents:

If incorporated:

• a copy of letters of patent
• articles of incorporation
• certificate of incorporation
• memorandum of association
• your rules, by-laws, or constitution

If not incorporated:

• a copy of your rules, bylaws, council resolutions, or constitution

Choose one of the following.

• Not-for-profit

  Not-for-profit organizations are established for purposes other than financial gain for their members. They primarily receive Provincial/Federal government funding (supplemented by fundraising and fees), often rely on volunteers to deliver programs, and are often governed by a Board of Directors or a Committee.

• Public sector organizations

  All companies and agencies under the jurisdiction of the Government of Canada are classified as public sector organizations. For the purposes of certain statutes, various agencies, such as school boards and hospitals, are considered part of the public sector. They are often referred to as parapublic organizations. Public sector organizations can be large or small, though often have numerous employees and are governed by Public Policy mandates.

  When a public sector organization uses a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) registered charity business number, it does not change the organization's designation to a not-for-profit.

• Private sector organizations

  Private sector organizations are established to generate a profit or to provide an economic advantage to their proprietors, members, or shareholders. They primarily operate through company profits, but can be supplemented by Provincial/Federal government funding. These organizations are privately owned and are independently managed. Note that volunteers may deliver some programs, and a Board of Directors may govern the business.

Select the most appropriate category from the following based on what you chose in Question 4.

• Not-for-profit sector

  • Local community, charitable, or voluntary
  • Provincial non-governmental organizations
  • National non-governmental organizations
  • Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) with a focus on encouraging employment
  • Unions
  • Associations of workers and/or of employers
  • Indigenous not-for-profit groups

  Note: Organizations managing training funds for Red Seal trades workers must answer this question with “Associations of Workers and/or Employers”

• Private sector

  • Businesses, bodies incorporated or unincorporated
  • Private universities or colleges
• Public sector

  • Public degree school boards / school districts
  • Public community colleges and vocational schools
  • Public degree-granting universities
  • Public degree-granting colleges
• We may give priority to projects that:

  • are submitted by unions representing workers in the Red Seal trades or organizations managing training trust funds for unions representing workers in the Red Seal trades, for example:
    • a joint training fund set up by a union, or
    • a union and an employer association

What year was your organization established?

What is your organization's address? Give a complete address in a format recognized by Canada Post. For more information, please visit Canada Post website.

What is your organization's telephone number, website (if it has one), and email address?

What is the mailing address of your organization (if it differs from your organization's physical address)?

Indicate "not applicable" for Questions 15 to 19 if the mailing address is the same as the organization address.

What is your telephone number (if different from your organization's telephone number)?

What are your organization's main activities, including your mandate, mission, and objectives?

Select the target group(s) that best aligns with your organization's mandate (you can select more than one).

• seniors
• newcomers
• racialized individuals
• youth
• women
• 2SLGBTQI+
• people with disabilities
• low income
• remote or rural
• individuals experiencing homelessness
• official language minority communities
• Indigenous (specify)
  • First Nations
  • Inuit
  • Metis
  • Urban or non-affiliated
• other (specify)
• not applicable

Note: Your answer to this question won't impact the assessment of your proposed project.

Who is the main contact person for the proposed project in respect to your application for funding? Provide their contact information where we can reach them during business hours. Include the following details:

• Question 22: Given (first) name and surname (last name)
• Question 23: The title of the contact person named in question 22. For example:
  • Business Owner
  • President
  • Executive Director
• Question 24: What official language would your contact person prefer to use in written and spoken communications? Choose either English or French.
• Question 25: Indicate if your address is the same as the organization address and the organization mailing address, or different. If it is different, provide the following for the primary contact person (questions 26 to 32):
  • Question 26: Street address (Questions 26 to 31 are mandatory if different from Organization address or number)
  • Question 27: City or Town
  • Question 28: Province or Territory
  • Question 29: Country
  • Question 30: Postal Code
  • Question 31: Telephone number, including extension
  • Question 32: Email address (note this is where we'll send all correspondence)

If we can't reach the main contact, who else can we contact? Provide the person's full name, telephone number where we can reach them during business hours and email address.

• Question 33: Given (first) name and surname (last name)
• Question 34: What is the title of the contact person named in question 33? For example:
  • Business Owner
  • President
  • Executive Director
• Question 35: What official language would your contact person prefer to use in written and spoken communications? Choose either English or French
• Question 36: Indicate if your address is the same as the Organization Address, same as the Organization Mailing Address, or different. If it is different, provide the following for the secondary contact person (Questions 37 to 43):
  • Question 37: Street address
  • Question 38: City or Town
  • Question 39: Province or Territory
  • Question 40: Country
  • Question 41: Postal Code
  • Question 42: Telephone number, including extension
  • Question 43: Email address

Not applicable for this funding opportunity.

Answer this question with “No” and indicate “not applicable” in the text box.

Not applicable for this funding opportunity.

Answer this question with “No” and indicate “not applicable” in the text box.

Not applicable for this funding opportunity.

Answer this question with “No” and indicate “not applicable” in the text box.

Not applicable for this funding opportunity.

Answer this question with “No” and indicate “not applicable” in the text box.

Not applicable for this funding opportunity.

Answer this question as “N/A”.

Not applicable for this funding opportunity.

Answer this question with “No” and indicate “not applicable” in the text box.

If applicable, please include any past experience with ESDC or experience in delivering projects that support training of pre-apprentices and apprentices in the skilled trades.

If “Yes”, complete the fields for each amount owing. We will not reject your application for this reason. However, you must provide detail as to the type of debt and the arrangements you have for repayment.

Give a short title that describes your project.

State the planned start and end dates of your project.

Projects cannot exceed 36 months.

The purchase of training equipment and materials (see Glossary) should occur in the first 12 months of the project. The 24 months following the purchase date are to report on performance indicators outlined in the agreement.

We will notify you by email of the outcome of the review of your application. You cannot begin any of the proposed activities or incur any expenses until a Funding Agreement has been signed by both you and the Department. Do not assume any commitment until the signing of the Funding Agreement. If you purchase anything for the project after the approval but before the signing of the Agreement, you do so at your own risk.

Outline the objective(s) of your project. Your objective(s) must be clearly linked to the objectives of the program to which you are applying.

Describe the objective(s) of your project by:

1. clearly outlining how your project will help you address the need for training equipment and materials to meet industry standards or invest in new technology for pre-apprentices and apprentices in the Red Seal trades
2. providing information that shows that the training equipment and materials will support training in the designated Red Seal trades. A list of Red Seal trades is available in the glossary
3. identifying which of the 54 eligible Red Seal trades you are targeting
4. identifying how many pre-apprentices and apprentices your project will aim to reach

   *Note: Projects must target training for apprentices. Pre-apprentices can be included in the project but are not required

We may give priority to projects that:

• are submitted by unions representing workers in the Red Seal trades or organizations managing training trust funds for unions representing workers in the Red Seal trades, for example:
  • a joint training fund set up by a union, or
  • a union and an employer association
• purchase equipment and materials that support the development of environmental skills for pre-apprentices and apprentices in Red Seal trades
• support the training of pre-apprentices and apprentices in one of 30 Red Seal trades linked to the residential construction sector
• support current and emerging Government of Canada priorities (as these may change over time, please visit this page regularly to stay updated on current priorities)

Describe, in full detail, the proposed project activities by:

1. breaking down activities into clear steps and explaining why those activities are essential to your project by including:
   1. important project milestones
   2. tasks needed to achieve the milestones
2. presenting them in a logical sequence to demonstrate progress
3. linking activities with your project objectives
4. indicating clear and feasible timelines for each step

Please use the following example to show how activities are planned for the full duration of your proposed project.

Example of activity timelines:

• months 1 to 12
  • Order the equipment and materials
  • Receive the equipment and materials
  • Equipment and materials ready for training
• months 12 to 35
  • Collect data or information on pre-apprentices and, apprentices trained on the equipment, materials, or in the new technology, and prepare reports
  • Provide annual reports on Results Measurement Indicators
• month 36 (last month of the project)
  • Prepare and submit a final report

Eligible activities:

• purchase of equipment (new or refurbished) and materials directly related to training pre-apprentices and apprentices in a designated Red Seal trade
• the collection of data and reporting of results

Note: Training equipment and materials must meet industry standards applicable to the job site. Used equipment is not eligible, but refurbished equipment that aligns with industry standards is eligible.

Clearly give details on:

• the approximate number of the following your project aims to target:
  • pre-apprentices
  • apprentices

Tell us how this funding will improve the quality of training for pre-apprentices and apprentices in the Red Seal trades.

Describe the expected results of your project. The expected results of the project must be clearly linked to the project objectives. The expected results must also be specific, concrete, and measurable (qualitative or quantitative) and must be defined as outcomes.

Outcomes are the short-term and intermediate changes that are expected to occur as the result of the project (more than one outcome could be directly related to an objective). They answer the questions “How do we know the project is successful?” and “How do the activities lead to improvements for the beneficiaries?”

Outputs are tangible products, including goods and services that will be produced to generate the desired outcomes; several activities could contribute to one output.

Your answer to this question must be “yes”.

Describe how you plan to gather, measure, monitor, and report on results achieved by your project.

A performance indicator provides evidence that results have or have not been achieved. They ensure a proper assessment of the progress achieved towards the intended outputs, outcomes, goals, and objectives of the project. Applicants must provide performance indicators, which will clearly demonstrate how they will measure each anticipated result and ensure their project is progressing as planned.

Measuring results ensures that you know how your project is progressing towards meeting the expected results. The Department (ESDC) uses the information you provide in this section to assess your capacity to demonstrate results.

If we select your project for funding, you will be required to provide information about the results of your project, including:

• number of individuals participating in funded projects that participate in skills training activities
• number of individuals participating in funded projects reporting an increase in skills after program intervention
• number of individuals participating in funded projects who report they are employed in a skilled trade
• number and type of project partners, such as:
  • Unions
  • Employers
  • Indigenous organizations
  • Educational institutions
  • Non-profit organizations
  • For-profit organizations
  • Provincial or territorial government
  • Municipal governments

For all results data collected on individuals (listed above), you will be required to indicate the number of participants by equity-deserving groups listed below, based on voluntary self-identification by participants themselves:

• youth
• women
• persons with disabilities
• Indigenous people
• members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities
• racialized individuals
• newcomers

We will use this data to monitor the results of your project over the two years following the purchase of training equipment and materials.

Not applicable for this funding opportunity.

Answer this question as “No” and indicate “not applicable” in the text box.

If "Yes", give the main address first and then add other addresses.

If you have more than 5 locations, please continue your answer in Appendix A.

We may give priority to projects that:

• have activities in a variety of regions (except Quebec). This includes projects with activities taking place in remote locations.

We commit to enhance the vitality of the English and French linguistic minorities in Canada. We support, assist, and foster the full recognition and use of both official languages in Canadian society. Official language minority communities are English-speaking communities established within the province of Quebec and French-speaking communities established outside the province of Quebec.

Answering "No" to this question will not invalidate your application.

If your proposed project involves official language minority communities, you should answer "Yes" to this question.

Please provide the following information:

• identify the linguistic profile of the pre-apprentices and, apprentices in the Red Seal trades targeted by your project
• identify their specific needs and how your project will meet these needs

Answering “No” to this question will not invalidate your application.

If "yes", select the specific target group(s) that applies to your project.

• seniors
• newcomers
• racialized individuals
• youth
• women
• 2SLGBTQI+
• people with disabilities
• low income
• remote / rural
• individuals experiencing homelessness
• official language minority communities
• Indigenous (specify)
  • First Nations
  • Inuit
  • Metis
  • Urban/non-affiliated
• other (specify)
• not applicable

Not applicable for this funding opportunity.

Answer this question as “No” and indicate “not applicable” in the text box.

Not applicable for this funding opportunity.

Answer this question as “No”.

Tell us the names of all the organizations that will contribute a cash contribution to this project, including your organization, if applicable.

Tell us what type(s) of organization(s) is (are) providing the cash contribution from the following options:

• not-for-profit organizations
• municipal governments
• provincial and territorial governments, institutions, and Crown Corporations
• Indigenous organizations including:
  • band councils
  • tribal councils
  • self-government entities
• international organizations
• coalitions, networks, or committees
• research organizations or institutes
• educational institutions
• for-profit organizations

You must have a cash contribution equal to or more than 50% of the cost of new, up-to-date equipment and materials. This must come from sources other than the Government of Canada. You can determine the amount to be provided as a cash contribution by using the calculator. Tell us how much cash contributions you will receive.

We'll accept a 30% cash contribution if you can clearly demonstrate that a minimum of 50% of your project's activities are affected by any of the following challenges:

• remote location
• limited access to infrastructure, or
• limited partnership opportunities

If any of the above apply, you must demonstrate how you face one or more of these challenges in Appendix A of the application form

NOTE:

If we select your project, we'll ask you to submit a letter confirming the cash contribution from a source other than the Government of Canada. That letter will need to confirm that the cash contribution will be available when you'll begin the project.

In-kind contributions are not eligible under the funding opportunity.

Answer this question as “0”.

Indicate the amount of confirmed cash contributions.

In-kind contributions are not eligible under the funding opportunity.

Answer this question as “0”.

Summarize your project's budget by using the Budget Detail Template (PDF format).

We can only pay you back for eligible cost. Eligible costs must directly relate to your project activities.

You can apply for up to $5,000,000 per organization per fiscal year.

Here are some examples of eligible costs:

• purchase of equipment (new or refurbished) and materials to be used for the training of pre-apprentices and apprentices in a designated Red Seal trade, such as (but not limited to):
  • technology, including software and simulators, for example:
    • a tower crane
    • backhoe
    • virtual reality simulator
  • advanced welding technology
  • geothermal training systems
  • milling/bevelling guns
  • electric hoists
  • sheet metal for use in training activities (for example, welding)
  • trailers to transport equipment for mobile classrooms in remote locations
  • electric vehicles to train automotive service technicians
  • computers, tablets, and laptops used exclusively to operate technology for training purposes only
  • mandatory protective equipment for training purposes only
• Staff wages or professional fees (including mandatory employment-related costs) to support reporting only (a maximum of $3,900 per project can be requested

The ineligible costs are any other costs, such as:

• purchase or lease of used equipment
• transportation, such as:
  • vehicles (excludes electric vehicles used to train automotive service technicians)
  • trailers to transport equipment (excludes mobile classrooms used for remote locations)
  • shipping and delivery of equipment
• development and delivery of training program and related learning materials, such as:
  • workbooks
  • digital content
• installation of equipment, including warranties, electrical upgrades and maintenance
• storage, such as:
  • cabinets and shelving
  • tool storage
  • outdoor storage
• training facility improvement or expansion, such as:
  • renovations and upgrades
  • building expansions
  • facility renovations
• staff wages for the development and delivery of in-person, online or virtual training
• participant costs
• set-up of classrooms (excludes mobile classrooms used for remote locations), including:
  • office supplies
  • desks and furniture
  • computers, laptops and tablets
• purchase or lease of real property, such as buildings or land

Include costs related to the reporting of the results of your project. The amount should be no more than $3,900 for the duration of your project. If we select your project for funding, we'll review this amount with you.

Give the total planned spending from all sources, including us, for each cost category. The amounts should align with those that you put in Part 3 Section A - Anticipated sources of funding of your application for funding form.

73: Planned spending from ESDC funding

74: Planned spending from Other/cash contributions

75: In-kind contributions are not eligible under this call for proposals

"Other" means a cash contribution from sources other than ESDC.

Check all statements that apply to your planned spending of the funding from us.

In carrying out the project, you may need contractors or third parties (outside providers) to carry out part of the project activities, such as reporting.

"Associated businesses or individuals" means:

• an officer, director, or employee of your organization, or a member of their immediate family
• a business in which an officer, director, or employee of your organization, or a member of their immediate family, has a financial interest
• a business connected to your organization

Third Party: a person or organization that has signed an agreement with the organization under the terms and conditions of a master agreement between the organization and the federal government.

Indicate Yes or No.

If yes, explain how your project will benefit from the purchase of capital assets. A disposal plan for the capital assets should also be included.

A capital asset is any single or composite asset with a purchase value of more than $1,000 (before taxes) that is not physically incorporated into another product and that remains functional at the end of the project.

A composite asset is a collection of unique assets that form one identifiable functional unit, where all components are required for the asset to be functional. The collection of assets is treated as a single capital asset if the total cost of all individual items together is greater than $1,000 (before taxes).

For example, a personal computer, composed of a hard drive, a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, and cabling, is a composite capital asset. Four $300 chairs are not capital assets because each chair is functional on its own as single units and fall below the established threshold of $1,000 (before taxes).

If your organization receives a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) tax rebate for the purchase of equipment and materials, this amount should be deducted from the total cost. It's your responsibility to claim your CRA tax rebate.

Provide a breakdown of your total costs per fiscal year (April 1 to March 31), by project activity and cost category. List all activities and cost categories.

As an example, this could be the breakdown for a 3-year project with $53,900 in eligible costs:

• April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026: $50,000
  • Purchase of equipment and materials: $50,000:
    • cost category X: $20,000
    • cost category Y: $30,000
• April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2028: $3,900
  • Reporting: $3,900