Deadline: 31-Jan-23
The Skills Development Fund (SDF) offers funding to organizations for innovative projects that address challenges to hiring, training or retaining workers, including apprentices to drive Ontario’s economic growth.
SDF supports:
- projects that address the labour shortage and stimulate growth in key sectors of Ontario’s economy
- projects that will increase Ontario’s long-term economic competitive advantage by creating a sustainable and resilient workforce
- projects helping people with prior involvement in the criminal justice system, at-risk youth, those with disabilities, Ukrainian newcomers, and others facing barriers to employment
Objectives
- The main objectives of the SDF are to:
- Support and help develop a resilient workforce by supporting access into the labour market, and/or retention and capacity-building for employers.
- Empower workers and job seekers who face higher barriers of entry, and enhance pathways into meaningful and gainful employment
- Encourage partnerships across the economy and support innovative ideas and training solutions
Target Sectors
- Target sectors and occupations include, but are not limited to the following:
- Skilled trades, other high-skilled, technical occupations, and other occupations in high demand (e.g., heavy-duty equipment technician, technology-related jobs, etc.).
- Sectors experiencing labour market challenges, including those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., those experiencing high layoffs), sectors with unmet demand and talent gaps, as well as other priority sectors such as:
- Manufacturing and advanced manufacturing.
- In-demand health care occupations.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following organizations are eligible to apply to the Skills Development Fund as primary applicants:
- employers with a presence in Ontario
- apprenticeship training delivery agents
- non-profit organizations in Ontario, including Indigenous Band offices and Indigenous Skills and Employment Training agreement holders
- professional, industry, or employer associations
- trade unions or union-affiliated organizations
- municipalities, District Social Services Administration Boards, Consolidated Municipal Service Managers, hospitals
For more information, visit https://www.ontario.ca/page/available-funding-opportunities-ontario-government#section-22