Apply for funding to support workers and employers towards economic recovery - Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program

Application period

Description of the funding

The Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program (SWSP) helps key sectors of the economy to develop and implement solutions to address current and emerging workforce needs.

The Program will support projects that focus on a range of industry-driven activities such as training and reskilling workers, helping employers retain and attract a skilled and diverse workforce and other creative solutions to help sectors address labour market needs. Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with other sectoral stakeholders and provincial or territorial governments to implement wide-scale industry solutions.

Eligible organizations could apply for funding at a minimum of $5,000,000* and maximum of $50,000,000.

We expect that successful projects will begin as early as fall 2022 and must end by March 31, 2024.

Eligible organizations could only submit one application for funding.

Objective

The objective of this open call was to provide support to organizations to implement industry solutions that support skills and employment needs.

Projects needed to focus on addressing workforce challenges in one or more of the following 3 policy priority areas.

1. Building Talent for the Clean Economy:

   To contribute to Canada’s Climate Action Plan and Just Transition by supporting workforce development needs in sectors that are directly or indirectly involved in protecting the environment, oceanic or aquatic ecosystems, managing natural resources, and/or contribute to the low carbon economy in key areas, such as:

   • Agriculture and agri-food
   • Clean technology
   • Construction (building retrofits/energy efficiency)
   • Natural resources and environment
   • Transportation

2. Supporting Demand-Driven Solutions for Sectors Hardest Hit by the Pandemic and Those Key to Recovery

   To support demand-driven initiatives that can be established quickly and launch activities within 2 months of project start, that support the workforce development needs of workers and employers in key sectors.

   Sectors that may be prioritised for funding include:

   • Agriculture and agri-food
   • Construction
   • Information and communications technology
   • Manufacturing
   • Natural resources
   • Tourism and hospitality
   • Transportation

3. Investing in the Health Care Sector:

   To address challenges faced by in-demand health care occupations, such as:

   • Skills and labour shortages
   • Labour mobility
   • Workforce mental health needs
   • Labour market integration of internationally trained health care professionals

Priorities

Project proposals may be prioritized according to the following:

• to ensure that program objectives in the three policy priority areas are met
• to ensure program results by maximizing targets for training participants, including the participation of equity-deserving groups
• to ensure geographical and sectoral representation
• to support alignment with workforce development needs of other federal departments or agencies
• to support projects that focus on increasing the participation of equity-deserving groups in their sector(s)

Eligibility

To apply for funding under this competitive process, applications must have met all of the following eligibility criteria.

Eligible applicants

Organizations must have been one of the following:

• Not-for-profit organization
• For-profit organization
• Municipal government
• Indigenous organization, including:
  • band council
  • tribal council
  • self-government entities
• Provincial or territorial government body such as an:
  • institution
  • agency
  • Crown corporation

Eligible recipients

We accepted proposals from organizations who:

• had capacity and readiness to establish a project quickly and demonstrate how activities will be undertaken promptly
• had an in-depth knowledge of skills issues in a sector or multiple sectors, for example:
  • current and upcoming labour market needs
  • sector-specific labour market information
  • labour market forecasts
  • cross-sectoral common needs and challenges
• had established partnerships with national, provincial, and/or regional sectoral stakeholders. These partnerships can include cross-sectoral partners, to ensure that projects are employer or industry-driven and meet sectoral needs

Eligible projects

Applications must have:

• been completed and submitted by March 18, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. EDT
• requested between $5,000,000* and $50,000,000 in funding with the project starting as early as fall 2022 and ending by March 31st, 2024
• focused on one or more of the identified policy areas of this funding process (post-pandemic recovery projects must launch project activities within 2 months of project start date)
• targeted a minimum of 250 participants (for projects focused on the delivery of training or transition initiatives)*. Training and transition initiatives could have included various types and forms of training (for example online or in-person), worker transition activities, upskilling, credential or certification programs, work-integrated learning or placements, job matching, recruitment and other skills development activities. Activities could also include wage training subsidies. For further information please see eligible activities
• targeted a minimum of 50 employers* participating in and/or benefitting** from the project (particularly for projects whose focus is not on participants)**
• described what measures will be taken to embed diversity and inclusion in the project design, activities, and results. Where applicable, this may include a project plan to support the participation of equity-deserving groups
• provided or funded the provision of wraparound supports, as needed, to project participants who are facing barriers to participation, particularly but not exclusively for equity-deserving groups. This requirement applied to projects that have individual participants only
• have had in-kind and/or cash contributions from sources other than ESDC equal to or more than 10% of the total project costs*

Equity-Deserving Groups

All projects should have included diversity and inclusion principles in their design. We will give priority to applications that demonstrate how their proposal will increase the participation of equity-deserving groups in their sector or sectors.

In the project description, projects must have described what measures will be taken to embed diversity and inclusion in the project design, activities and results. Project plans may have included but were not limited to:

• strategies to overcome barriers
• measures to improve access to training and/or work experience
• initiatives to increase employer capacity to attract, develop, and retain equity-deserving group members in their workforce

For projects involving training, priority may be given to applications that focus on increasing the participation of equity-deserving groups in their sector(s). Equity-deserving groups include:

• women
• persons with disabilities
• Indigenous people
• Black Canadians, and other racialized communities
• newcomers, and
• LGBTQ2 communities

Project Scope

This funding will support large-scale, high-impact projects that must have been either:

• National - with project activities occurring in at least 3 provinces/territories (PT)
• Regional - where project activities occur in a province/territory, major economic hub*, or key sector-based cluster. To have been considered for funding, regional-based projects can address sectoral workforce needs by pursuing more than 1 of the 4 project activities identified below, however one of these project activities must have been ‘Creative Solutions’

*Economic hub refers to a city or region where there is a dense area of workplace activity consisting of multiple large sectoral or cross-sectoral organizations.

How we assess your application

Organizational capacity

• Demonstrate that your organization has the knowledge of the specific skills issues in your sector (or across multiple sectors) required for this project
• Describe your current partnerships at the national, provincial, and/or regional levels (including cross-sectoral partners) that would demonstrate your ability to carry out this project
• Demonstrate that your organization has recent experience, within the last 5 years, delivering initiatives that support skills and workforce development
• Demonstrate that your organization has effective governance structures, including oversight committees, to support project management

Project objectives

• Identify and clearly state which of the three policy priority areas your project will focus on and clearly identify the primary one and any secondary ones:
  • Building Talent for the Clean Economy
  • Supporting Demand-Driven Solutions for Sectors Hardest Hit by the Pandemic and Those Key to Recovery*
  • Investing in the Health Care Sector
• Describe what issue(s) your project will address, in which sector(s), and how its project objectives will be achieved
• Demonstrate how your proposal will increase the participation of equity-deserving groups in your sector or sectors and include diversity and inclusion principles in the design.

Project activities

• Identify and clearly state which of the following four types of project activities will be included in your project:
  • Training and Reskilling
  • Solutions for Employers
  • Sector-wide Standards and Tools
  • Creative Solutions
• Provide a clear and relevant description of the project activities
• Provide clear and feasible timelines to complete the project activities
  • Describe how the partner(s) will be involved in this project
  • If applicable, describe how Provincial and Territorial Governments will be engaged

Project Results

• Describe how the sector(s) will benefit from the project
• Describe the expected results of your project. They must be specific, concrete and measurable
• Describe how you plan to gather, measure and report on results achieved by your project

Cost effectiveness

• Provide a brief and clear justification of how you intend to use the project funds
• Demonstrate that the costs are reasonable and support the project activities

Steps to apply

Gather your supporting documents and information

Decide how to apply (online, email or mail)

Gather your supporting documents and information

• Completed application form (PDF format)
• Completed Budget detail template (PDF format)
• letter from partner(s)

If we select your project, we will ask you to submit a letter confirming the cash, or in-kind contribution from a source other than us.

Decide how to apply (online, email or mail)

After you’ve applied

Contact us

We answered questions sent before March 16, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. EDT.

We accepted accessibility requests until March 16, at 3:00 p.m. EDT.

Information sessions

We held information sessions on February 15th 2022. One session in each official language.

Glossary

Wraparound Supports

A set of supports or services provided to an individual, particularly, though not exclusively from an equity-deserving group, that are necessary to remove barriers to their participation in the project. The types of supports or services provided depends on the individual’s level of need, as determined by the project proponent. Wrap-around supports may include but are not limited to:

• Temporary childcare and/or dependent care costs
• Temporary accommodation
• Public transportation to and from project activities
• Access to technology relevant to project participation

Equity-deserving groups

Communities who have faced significant systemic inequality or other barriers to full and equal participation in the labour market and society. For the purposes of the SWSP, equity-deserving groups include women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, racialized Canadians or visible minorities, newcomers and members of the LGBTQ2 community. Racialized communities are also often referred to as visible minorities, or under-represented groups, and are considered to be an equity-deserving group.

Economic Hub

A city or region where there is a dense area of workplace activity consisting of multiple large sectoral or cross-sectoral organizations.

Milestones

Significant events or points of progress during the project.

Outcomes

The short-term and medium-term changes that you expect the project to deliver. You can link more than one outcome to an objective. Outcomes answer the questions, “How do we know the project is a success?” and “How do the activities address the workforce needs of Canadian workers and employers?”

Outputs

Direct products or services that you will produce to get the outcomes you want. They answer the question, “What will the project produce?”

End-users of program products

Participants who ultimately use or intend on using the program product.

Performance Indicators

Measurable values that shows the progress of the project towards its expected results.

Small, medium or large enterprises

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are businesses with up to 500 employees. Large-sized enterprises are businesses with more than 500 employees.

Industry-driven/demand-driven solutions

Industry-driven/demand-driven solutions refers to initiatives designed to help employers attract and retain skilled workers or that help workers obtain skills through targeted training, services or tools developed in direct response to the unique needs of a given sector or industry.

Newcomer

An immigrant or permanent resident who has been in Canada for less than 5 years.