Canada opens apprenticeship calls under $430-million training plan

Ottawa has opened three apprenticeship-training funding streams within a planned investment of more than $430 million over five years in the Union Training and Innovation Program.

Employment and Social Development Canada announced the calls on October 15. Organizations seeking support to expand training infrastructure can submit an expression of interest by November 12 for projects that could begin in spring 2027.

A second call, closing December 17, covers innovative approaches to recruit pre-apprentices, help apprentices progress toward certification and support journeypersons upgrading their skills.

A third, open-ended call covers training equipment. The federal government temporarily increased the maximum contribution rate for equipment purchases from 50% to 70%, citing higher equipment and material costs.

The department describes the overall figure as an investment over five years. Individual awards will depend on applications and program decisions; the announcement is not confirmation that the full amount has already been distributed.

Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, apprenticeship-training funding announcement, published October 15, 2026.

Featured image: Illustrative stock photo of vocational metalwork training, not a funded Canadian project. Photo by Septian Setiawan via Unsplash; cropped and resized by West Island Blog.