Canada-Alberta Productivity Grant

Overview of the Canada-Alberta Productivity Grant program:

The Canada-Alberta Productivity Grant is an employer-driven program that allows eligible Alberta employers to apply on behalf of their current or future employees to fund training that enhances productivity and builds skills aligned with business needs. The program covers training costs such as tuition, course fees, textbooks, software, exam fees, and certain travel costs when training is provided by a third-party provider. The government provides this funding under the federal-provincial workforce development agreement, with cost-sharing depending on whether the trainee is currently employed or is an unemployed Albertan. Employers must apply before the training begins for the funding to be eligible. The program is designed to help businesses invest in skills that directly improve productivity, allowing them to remain competitive and innovative in Alberta’s growing economy.

Benefits of the Canada-Alberta Productivity Grant program:

• There is cap for reimbursement per employer and trainee per fiscal year (April 1 to March 31)
• There is an individual employer cap of $100,000.
• There are individual trainee caps of:
  • 50 per cent of total eligible training costs up to $5,000 for employed trainees and;
  • 75 per cent of total eligible training costs up to $10,000 for unemployed trainees.

Eligibility criteria of the Canada-Alberta Productivity Grant program:

• Employers must be one of the following eligible types
• For profit businesses (incorporated and unincorporated businesses)
• Non-profit organizations
• First Nations or Metis Settlements
• The following crown corporations located in a rural Alberta community:
• Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC)
• ATB Financial
• Employers must be operational in Alberta for at least one year
• Employers must be registered, have a mailing address, be operational and located as a business in Alberta for at least one year before the Application is submitted.
• If applicable, registered Employers must have an active legal entity status
• Employers must be in good standing
• Employers must carry Workers Compensation Benefits coverage for trainees
• Employers must comply with provincial agreements
• Eligible trainees
• CAPG trainees must be employees (current or prospective) and one of the following:
  • Canadian citizens
  • Permanent residents
  • Protected people under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) who are entitled to work in Canada
• Training Requirements:
  • Must occur in Alberta and involve instructor-led interaction.
  • Must focus on productivity skills (business process improvement, technical, or digital/technological).
  • Must be conducted by a third-party provider distinct from the employer.
  • Cannot include basic, soft, or interpersonal skills, or self-study models.