Overview
- The federal government opened applications Thursday for a $430 million, five‑year fund that will be delivered mainly through an expanded Union Training and Innovation Program.
- The money is split into three streams to grow capacity: capital to build or expand training centres, funding for training equipment and support for new recruitment and retention ideas.
- The equipment stream temporarily raises federal coverage to pay for up to 70 percent of training equipment costs, up from the prior 50 percent level, to speed up intake at training sites.
- Ottawa is prioritizing shovel‑ready projects that can begin construction by next spring and is allowing unions and other training providers to apply for capital and innovation projects now.
- The fund is part of the Team Canada Strong pledge to recruit, train and hire 80,000–100,000 Red Seal trades workers by 2030–31 and complements other promised measures such as wage subsidies and apprentice top‑ups that have not yet been fully detailed.