Skills Development Fund: Capital Stream (Canada)

Deadline: 25-Sep-23

Applications are now open for the Skills Development Fund Capital Stream to build new training centres, upgrade existing training centres or convert an existing building into a training centre.

The SDF Program (an EO initiative) launched in February 2021 as a response to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The SDF Program has continued to focus on investing in enhancements to training, workforce development, and program delivery for workers in Ontario. The SDF Program aims to ensure a resilient workforce by supporting access to the labour market and/or the retention and capacity building of workers in emerging and in-demand sectors and sectors experiencing labour market challenges.

The SDF Capital Stream supports projects that enable education and skills development, enhance training capacity and delivery, and facilitate economic growth in emerging and in-demand sectors of Ontario’s economy and sectors experiencing labour market challenges.

SDF Objectives

• Create or improve physical spaces that increase training capacity/number of trainees, and/or increase retention of trainees for jobs in emerging and indemand growth sectors of Ontario’s economy and sectors experiencing labour market challenges, e.g., build new training centres, upgrade existing training centres, or convert facilities into training centres for in demand jobs in key sectors like the skilled trades.
• The objective of the SDF Capital Stream will support the overall objectives of the SDF Operating Stream by:
  • supporting innovative programs, prototyping and development.
  • attracting and retaining capable and diverse Jobseekers and workers.
  • maximizing the economic potential of the skilled trades.
  • enhancing employers’ capacity to build a talent pipeline that meets their workforce needs now and in the future.

Target Sectors and Occupations

• The target sectors and occupations that the SDF Capital Stream focuses on to support key government commitments and strategies include (but are not limited to) the following:
  • jobs in emerging and in-demand growth sectors of Ontario’s economy including skilled trades, high-skilled technical occupations, construction, manufacturing, and healthcare.
  • sectors experiencing labour market challenges, including those impacted by the pandemic, sectors with unmet demand and talent gaps, as well as other priority sectors.

SDF Capital Participant Groups

• Primary Applicants must describe how the capital asset will be utilized by one or more of the following Participant Groups:
  • Any Jobseekers and/or Incumbent Workers who are at risk of job displacement.
  • Workers that are needed to fill unmet demand and talent gaps.
  • Jobseekers who face higher barriers to employment, including, but not limited to, Women, Youth, People with Disabilities, seniors, francophones, Indigenous Peoples, Racialized Persons, Justice-Involved Individuals, Immigrants, protected persons and those impacted by emergency travel measures enacted by the federal government such as Ukrainians who are in Ontario under the CanadaUkraine Authorization for Emergency Travel.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible organizations to apply as a primary applicant
  • The following organizations are eligible to apply to the Skills Development Fund Capital Stream as a primary applicant:
    • Employers in Ontario, other than the Educational Organizations.
    • Minister approved, non-college apprenticeship program Training Delivery Agents.
    • Non-profit organizations, including Indigenous band offices and Indigenous Skills and Employment Training (ISETs) agreement holders.
    • Professional/industry/employer associations.
    • Trade unions/union-affiliated organizations.
    • Municipalities, District Social Services Administration Boards (DSSABs), Hospitals and Consolidated Municipal Service Managers (CMSMs).
    • Be a legal entity.
    • Be authorized to operate or carry on business in the Province of Ontario.
    • Have a physical presence, and be actively operating or carrying on business, in the Province of Ontario.
    • Ensure the project follows municipal bylaws, and any proposed uses are compliant with municipal zoning requirements.
    • Individually or with the project team, provide demonstrated experience and organizational capacity to deliver the Capital Project and ensure delivery of the Skills Development Activity.
    • Have ownership (joint or shared) of the capital asset being expanded, converted, repaired, retrofitted, renovated, or built upon for the Project Term. Provide a description and supporting documentation confirming and providing details of the ownership, and necessary lender consents for the proposed improvements.
    • Hold a long-term leasehold agreement (joint or shared) for the capital asset being expanded, converted, repaired, retrofitted, renovated, or built upon for the Project Term. Provide a description and supporting documentation confirming and providing details of the leasehold arrangement including terms, current and future intended use, and necessary landlord and lender consents for the proposed improvements.
• Eligible organizations to apply as a partner
  • District School Boards under the Education Act.
  • Publicly assisted colleges, universities, or Indigenous Institutes in Ontario.
  • Private career colleges registered under the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005.
  • Private universities with consent from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to offer degrees under the Post-Secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act, 2000.

For more information, visit SDF Capital Stream.