Sustainable Jobs Training Fund
The Sustainable Jobs Training Fund will support a series of training projects that will help workers upgrade or gain new skills for jobs in the low-carbon economy. The Fund will allocate up to $99.1M for projects from 2024 to 2028. Projects will range from $8M to $15M each, with agreements to start as early as Winter 2024.
We’ll fund a series of projects offering free or low-cost training. This training will help workers upgrade or gain new skills for jobs in the low-carbon economy. Projects must focus on 1 of the following 3 priorities:
low-carbon energy and carbon management
As opportunities grow in a net-zero future to use new and existing technologies, the fund will support projects to help workers develop skills for jobs in energy-related sectors. These sectors include wind, solar, geothermal, hydrogen (including vehicles and related infrastructure) and other low-carbon fuels. It will also support skills development for jobs in carbon management, such as carbon capture, utilization, and storage.
green buildings and retrofits
The Fund will support projects that help train a workforce to build and retrofit homes and buildings to reduce energy consumption and achieve low-carbon performance. This includes, but isn’t limited to, installing low-carbon heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment (including heat pumps), energy efficient components, or renewable energy systems.
electric vehicle maintenance and charging infrastructure
The global and domestic mandates for electric vehicles (EVs) are resulting in the need to build and support charging infrastructure across Canada, as well as offer accessible and affordable automotive maintenance for this new type of vehicle. The Fund will support projects that help train the workforce across Canada to support the country’s transition to EVs with a focus on repairing and maintaining EVs, as well as charging infrastructure.
Funding priorities
The Government of Canada is taking significant action in response to climate change. As new industries emerge and existing industries pivot to reduce emissions, workers will need to adapt and reskill. By directing investments towards the most critical workforce needs within key sectors, the fund can have an impact on important labour supply pressure points.
In order to select a diverse range of projects and ensure that the fund will provide the most important opportunities for the low-carbon economy, we may prioritize projects that:
help ensure the fund has sufficient projects in each priority area
align with federal government economic and climate priorities
target key sectors and/or occupations required for the low-carbon economy
maximize geographic coverage across the country
maximize the number of participants trained through the Fund
increase the participation of Indigenous Peoples and/or members of equity-deserving groups
support the offering of training in both official languages, and
scale up existing successful initiatives