Last year, Canada’s Economic Action Plan introduced an Apprenticeship Completion Grant, which extended a $2,000 taxable cash grant to apprentices upon completion of their training.

This grant was intended to encourage more Canadians to obtain provincial and territorial Certificates of Qualification in designated Red Seal trades and was implemented July 2, 2009, with eligibility to be retroactive to January 1, 2009.

In the year since the grant was introduced, more than 27,000 apprentices across Canada have collected it. Alberta has received more grants than any other province – 7,500 – while 1,200 have been issued to Saskatchewan residents.

This grant comes as a complement to the existing Apprenticeship Incentive Grant, which gives $1,000 to apprentices upon completion of the first and/or second level of their program. 162,000 of these grants have been issued – 7,300 to Saskatchewan residents – since this program began in 2007.

Both these grants contribute to increasing access to the skilled trades by alleviating costs related to apprenticeship training while encouraging progression through, and completion of, an apprenticeship program.

Apprentices in a designated Red Seal trade are eligible for a total of $4,000 in government grants.

The 50 Red Seal trades account for about 88 percent of all apprentices in Canada. The program promotes a national standard for training excellence in the skilled trades. It facilitates the mobility of trade workers and is recognized by employers throughout Canada for encouraging standardization of training and certification programs among provinces and territories.

In addition, businesses are encouraged to employ certified apprentices through the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit, which provides employers a tax credit equal to 10 percent of the wages paid to apprentices during the first two years of their contract, up to a maximum of $2,000 per apprentice per year.

Tradespersons also enjoy up to $500 in annual deductions for the cost of new tools under the Tradesperson’s Tools Deduction.

This government is helping create an educated, skilled and flexible workforce by investing in programs that help Canadians and Canadian businesses succeed in today’s economy and prepare for the jobs of the future. We encourage more Canadians to complete their apprenticeships in the skilled trades, which offer in-demand, recognized and well-paid career choices.

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