Workbased Training for the Employed

Workbased Training for the Employed will provide funding support to Saskatchewan employers in the manufacturing, processing and agri-value sectors who need to retrain existing permanent employees in order to maintain or increase their competitive position.

The program will also provide retraining support for employees facing permanent layoff or employees moving from part-time to permanent full-time employment.  This part of the program is open to all employers.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible retraining:

The program will provide re-training assistance for the following situations:

• The adaptation or implementation of new manufacturing and processing technologies in the workplace.
• The operation of new equipment.
• The implementation of new product lines or new work processes.

Excludes:

• Training required under government legislation.
• Upgrades in office technology.
• Training normally provided by a supplier for the introduction and maintenance of new product lines.
• Training that leads to the displacement of other employees.

Eligible employers - Registered Saskatchewan businesses

Non-eligible employers - Federal and provincial government departments, crown corporations and agencies.

Eligible Trainees - Current employees of the applicant.

Eligible Training Costs

• External instructor costs (such as public training institutions and private trainers), including travel, meals and accommodation if applicable.
• In-house instructor costs where in-house instructors are critical to the success of the training.
• Employee wages where employees are removed from production to undertake training.
• Training materials, including multimedia, used exclusively for training.
• Facility and equipment rental.
• Tuition.
• Travel and accommodation for off-site training of staff or instructors (train the trainer).

Exludes:

• Wages and benefits of employees involved in daily production.
• Wages of instructors involved in production activity.
• Capital costs.
• Computer software.

Summary

Program Objectives

• Increase training opportunities for current employees of Saskatchewan businesses who need retraining as a result of technological and workplace change;
• Increase industry investment in training to improve competitiveness and support economic growth and job creation;
• Support the portability of skills and the mobility of workers;
• Support worker adjustment through retraining;
• Improve the collaboration and partnership between employers, employees and training deliverers in addressing skills training needs.

Financial Assistance   

• For businesses with less than 100 employees, the program will provide up to 1/3 of the approved training costs to a maximum of $1,500 per trainee.
• For businesses with 100 or more employees, the program will provide up to 1/3 of the approved training costs to a maximum of $1,000 per trainee.
• Normally, the maximum funding available to any one employer is $25,000 per year.
• Employers will be required to submit a training proposal.
• Training should not commence prior to program approval.
• The employer will be reimbursed by the program after the training period.

Application

Employers must include the following information on their application form:

• Name and location of the company and contact person
• Type of business
• Rationale for the training, its impact and expected outcome
• Outline of training to be done
• Number of employees (full-time and part-time)
• Type of training required
• Training commencement date and duration
• Name of training deliverer
• Location of training
• Detailed Budget

In workplaces where a collective agreement is in place, a confirmation of support from both management and the union should be provided.

Submission Process

• Applications will be accepted until all funding has been committed.
• Applications should be submitted to the appropriate training institution, please see contact information listed below.
• It is the responsibility of the submitting employer to ensure all of the components of the application 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