INVESTING IN
    THE FUTURE   OF UNIONIZED SKILLED TRADES

Unionized contractors must meet the following program requirements to participate:

• Have less than 500 employees at the time of application
• Hire a first-year apprentice in one of the 39 approved trades
• Legal agreement must pre-date the hiring of the first-year apprentice

“New first-year apprentice” refers to any person registered as an apprentice by the apprenticeship authority in their Province or Territory and in the first year of their apprenticeship training.

A list of the 39 eligible Red Seal trades can found online at the following link: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/apprentice-service-program.html

Yes

Yes

Yes – As long as the employee is not currently employed by another contractor at the time that the small and medium-sized contractor hires them, and they still qualify as a first-year Red Seal apprentice.

The list of groups where the additional $5,000 applies includes:

• women,
• persons with disabilities,
• Indigenous peoples,
• Members of the LGBTQ2+ communities,
• newcomers, and
• visible minorities.

The contractor is eligible for the additional funds if the first-year apprentice is from at least one of the equity-deserving groups.

Contact your contractor association and local union to review hiring procedures and ratio compliance. This is a Canada-wide initiative and pathways for apprentices entering the trades may be different for each province or territory.

If the employer is the union (paying the apprentice’s salary), then the union would receive the financial incentive, provided they meet all program requirements. If the contractor is paying the apprentice’s salary, then the contractor would receive the financial incentive and additional supports.

The first payment of $5,000 made to the employer after:

• The contractor has completed the initial application through the In The Trades online portal
• The first-year apprentice has completed the mandatory SkillPlan training modules, and their proof of completion has been uploaded to the online portal by the employer
• The contractor has signed the legal agreement and a new first-year apprentice is hired

The second payment of $5,000 will be made to the contractor if the first-year apprentice is from at least one of the equity-deserving groups

Yes – Each division of your company would require a separate Business Registration Number with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and have 499 paid employees or less to qualify for funding.

Funding is available for two first-year apprentices for each year of the program:

• June 17, 2022 – March 31, 2023
• April 1, 2023 – March 2024

The CBTU has partnered with SkillPlan (skillplan.ca) to provide workplace diversity, inclusion, and mentorship training. SkillPlan is a nationally recognized leader in workforce development programming. With over 30 years of experience, SkillPlan provides workforce developing services and resources to the construction industry, with a focus on pinpointing foundational skills problems, addressing learning challenges and delivering industry-specific educational programs to help workers succeed in technical training and on the job.

Grant Application Checklist

Contractor:

• Business Name & Address
• Provincial Registration Number
• Number of Employees
• Years in Business
• Signed agreement
• EFT information

Apprentice:

• Name & Date of Birth
• Email Address
• Apprenticeship ID Number & Trade
• SIN Number
• Email Address
• Union Local
• Gender & Equity Deserving Status
• Proof of completion of the two mandatory SkillPlan training modules