Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program

Insider Tip

This is NOT a program businesses apply to directly. If you are an employer wanting to hire Indigenous workers, contact your local ISET agreement holder — they may offer wage subsidies to offset your hiring costs. Search 'ISET agreement holders' + your province on the ESDC website for a directory. If you are an Indigenous entrepreneur, your local agreement holder may fund entrepreneurship training, certifications, or startup supports.

Rejection Pitfalls 5

• Business or non-Indigenous organization applies directly to ESDC — ISET is only for designated Indigenous service delivery organizations
• Individual is not Indigenous (self-identification requirements vary by agreement holder)
• Requested activity falls outside ISET eligible expenditures

Success Profile

Not applicable for businesses as direct applicants. Successful ISET agreement holders are Indigenous-controlled organizations (First Nations bands, Tribal Councils, Inuit/Metis organizations, Friendship Centres) with governance capacity and community reach. Successful individual clients are Indigenous people (particularly youth, persons with disabilities, and those facing employment barriers) seeking skills training or employment support.

Evaluation Criteria

Not applicable in a competitive sense — there is no national application scoring. Individual agreement holders assess client eligibility (Indigenous self-identification, employment barriers, catchment area residency) and employer partnerships based on job quality, training commitment, and likelihood of sustained employment outcomes.

Application Steps

Eligible Expenses 8

• Tuition and training fees at accredited institutions
• Books, supplies, and required equipment (PPE, tools, safety tickets)
• Living allowances during training
• Travel and transportation for training participation
• Childcare costs during training
• Wage subsidies to employers hiring and training Indigenous workers
• Entrepreneurship training and small business startup support (varies by agreement holder)
• Professional certification preparation costs

Ineligible Expenses 5

• Activities not directly related to employment and training outcomes for Indigenous clients
• Funding for non-Indigenous individuals (self-identification required)
• Activities outside the agreement holder's distinctions-based mandate
• General business operating costs unrelated to training or employment
• Activities delivering primarily commercial profit to a for-profit entity without an employment training nexus

Intake Periods

Continuous — agreement holders operate year-round within their 10-year contribution agreements (signed 2019, expiring 2029). Individual agreement holders may have budget constraints at certain points in the fiscal year.

Deadline Notes

ISET operates through pre-established 10-year agreements signed in 2019 with ~110 Indigenous service delivery organizations. There is no open application process for new agreement holders. Individual Indigenous people seeking services should contact their local ISET agreement holder. Employers seeking wage subsidies should contact their local ISET agreement holder directly.

Open Application Portal →

Ineligible Organizations

• Non-Indigenous individuals and organizations applying directly to ESDC
• For-profit businesses applying directly to ESDC for funding (must access through agreement holders)
• Organizations seeking to replace or become agreement holders outside the formal ESDC procurement process
• For-profit organizations accessing funding for primarily commercial activities without an Indigenous employment training mandate

Compatible Programs

Clawback Risk

Low Risk

Low for employers. Wage subsidies are paid based on verified payroll — clawback would only apply if fraudulent claims were made. Agreement holders themselves face clawback from ESDC for ineligible expenditures, but this does not typically affect employer wage subsidy recipients.