Workbased Training for the Unemployed

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Training

• Funding will be provided to employers who train unemployed Saskatchewan residents for new positions that offer strong prospects of ongoing, full-time employment
• Training for full-time, seasonal or permanent part-time employment may also be considered
• Training must be portable andrecognized by industry and/or a public training institution or government.  SIAST will review training proposals to determine whether SIAST credit can be given
• Training must occur primarily at the work site or on-the-job
• Hiring should not take place prior to approval
• Excludes training that leads to displacement or a reduction in the number of hours worked of other employees

Eligible Employers

Employers can include registered businesses, industry associations, non-government organizations and local governments.

Eligible Trainees

Eligible trainees must be:

• unemployed and at least 18 years of age
• legally eligible to work in Canada
• a resident of Saskatchewan
   and
• trainee can not be an immediate family member of the applicant.

Preference may be given to proposals which include training and employment for the following designated groups:

• youth
• women
• First Nations and Métis and Aboriginal people
• people with disabilities
• visible minorities
• social assistance recipients

To recruit trainees, approved businesses are encouraged to use existing referral agents such as:

• Canada-Saskatchewan Career and Employment Services
• First Nations and Métis Employment Centres
• Community organizations that serve designated groups

Individuals interested in accessing training under the program should contact the nearest SIAST campus, their Web site at http://www.goSIAST.com  (call toll-free 1-866-467-4278) or for Regional Colleges, see the document Saskatchewan Regional Colleges.

Training opportunities will also be posted at Canada-Saskatchewan Career and Employment Services Centres.

Eligible Training Costs

• Employee/trainee wages and benefits
• Instructor salary and benefits, including employees reassigned to deliver the training
• Training-related materials and supplies used exclusively for training
• As applicable, classroom training costs

Summary

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

• To assist employers in providing workbased training for the unemployed
• To provide an expanded range of training options that will lead to ongoing, full-time employment
• To develop new approaches to workbased training that meets the needs of industry
• To develop recognition for workbased training by industry and/or public training institutions or government
• To provide support from public training institutions for workbased training
• To encourage employers to hire a diverse workforce

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

• For employers with less than 100 employees the program will provide up to 50% of the approved training costs to a maximum of $5,000 per trainee
• For employers with 100 or more employees the program will provide up to 50% of the approved training costs to a maximum of $3,500 per trainee
• Additional funding and/or support may be available to meet the needs of trainees who require more assistance or special aids to complete the training.   Normally the maximum available will be $1,000.00 per trainee.  These requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis
• The program reserves the right to limit the amount of funding available to any one employer
• Normally, the maximum funding available to any one employer is $100,000.00 per year

PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT

Training proposals must include the following:

• Rationale - Why is this training necessary?
• Objective - What do you hope to accomplish?
• Description - What will be done?
• Training outline - What skills will be taught during the course of the training?  What training approaches or methods will be used?
• Timeframe - When and for how long will the training be?
• Employment - What type of employment will the training lead to (full-time, seasonal etc.)?  Is the job sustainable?
• Budget - Provide a detailed listing of projected expenditures, including any other sources of funding.
• Evaluation - How will the training be evaluated in the short and long terms?
• Trainee Recruitment Plan - How do you plan to recruit new trainees?
• Recognition Process - How is the training recognized by industry and/or a public training institution or government?
• Partnerships - Who are the other partner(s) assisting you in providing the training and what is their role or responsibility?
• Union and management confirmation.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

• Training proposals will be accepted until all funding has been committed
• Training proposals should be submitted to the appropriate training institution, please see contact information below .
• It is the responsibility of the submitting employer to ensure all of the components of the proposal are complete and submitted to the training institution
• SIAST campuses, see the document Saskatchewan Institute Of Applied Science and Technology - SIAST  or Regional Colleges, see the document Saskatchewan Regional Colleges will make training consultants available to assist employers with the development  of proposals, training plans and recruitment
• SIAST/Regional Colleges will submit workbased training proposals to Saskatchewan Learning for approval

Saskatchewan Contact(s):
Career Information Hotline
Saskatchewan Learning
Toll-free (information): 1-888-775-3276
Web site: http://www.sasklearning.gov.sk.ca/branches/programs/jobstart.shtml