Grant
Provincial
Active
Employee Training Program (Canada-Manitoba Workforce Tariff Response Program)
Government of Manitoba, Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation (Canada-Manitoba Workforce Tariff Response Program)
Maximum Funding
Reimbursement of up to 100 per cent of direct training costs for…
Ongoing. Manitoba states applications will be accepted on a continuous basis.
Difficulty
Moderate
Payment
Reimbursement
Trend
New Program
First-Timers
Friendly ✓
Co-Funding
100%
Employee Training Program (Canada-Manitoba Workforce Tariff Response Program) funding amounts are set out in full under Funding Details below. Manitoba reimburses up to 100 per cent of direct training costs for employers hit by tariffs or related market shifts, so they can retrain or upskill staff instead of laying them off. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
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Program Description
Manitoba reimburses up to 100 per cent of direct training costs for employers hit by tariffs or related market shifts, so they can retrain or upskill staff instead of laying them off. Employers whose revenue has fallen at least 10 per cent over the past 12 months because of tariffs can also claim up to 100 per cent of an employee's wages for the time spent in training, where that employee is at risk of job loss. Eligible employers are permanently established in Manitoba, have been fully operational for at least a year, can show a tariff or market impact, and work in one of the named NAICS groups: steel, softwood lumber and forestry, agriculture, construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, or transportation and warehousing. Training delivered from April 1, 2026 onward qualifies. Applications are accepted on a continuous basis, starting with an intake form rather than a full application.
Eligibility Requirements
- Be permanently established in Manitoba
- Have been fully operational for at least one year when they apply
- Identify whether they are participating in a Work-Sharing Agreement with the Government of Canada
- Demonstrate how their business and workforce have been impacted by tariffs or related market changes, for example material cost increases, lost contracts or reduced export opportunities
- Demonstrate how the proposed training aligns with the program's objectives to support business adaption and recovery in response to tariffs or market changes
- Demonstrate that the training will support at least one of five outcomes for employees: retention in their current job, transition to a new job, return to full-time work if on a Work-Sharing Agreement, preparation with skills for new business opportunities, or preparation of a recently hired employee for a position previously vacated due to a layoff
- Operate within one of the eligible NAICS codes: steel industries (3311, 3312); softwood lumber industries (113 forestry and logging, 1153 support activities for forestry, 321 wood product manufacturing, 322 paper manufacturing); or other tariff-impacted industries (11 agriculture, 23 construction, 31-33 manufacturing, 41 wholesale trade, 48-49 transportation and warehousing)
- Training participants must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act who is entitled to work in Canada
- Training participants must currently reside in Manitoba and be a current employee of the applicant employer at the time of training, including eligible recently hired employees filling roles impacted by tariff-related changes
- Wage subsidies only: the employer must demonstrate at least a 10 per cent revenue decline over the past 12 months linked to tariffs
Provinces
Industries
Business Stage
Quick Assessment
Difficulty
Moderate
Competition
Moderate
First-Timer
Friendly
Funding Details
- Amount
- Reimbursement of up to 100 per cent of direct training costs for eligible activities to retrain or upskill the workforce. Separately, up to 100 per cent of employee wages during training may be reimbursed to the employer if the employee is at risk of job loss; Manitoba states wage subsidies are only available to employers who demonstrate at least a 10 per cent revenue decline over the past 12 months linked to tariffs. Training that takes place starting on or after April 1, 2026 is eligible for funding. Funding agreements cannot exceed 12 months in length. Manitoba publishes no per-employer or per-project cap, and states that proposals of all sizes may be considered, with funding decisions based on the project's scope, rationale and expected outcomes.
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Provincial
- Co-Funding
- Up to 100% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Ongoing. Manitoba states applications will be accepted on a continuous basis.
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Competition
Moderate
Deadline
Ongoing
Approval
Varies
Accessibility
3/5
Moderate — standard application process
Competition
3/5
Moderate competition — prepare a strong application
Difficulty
3/5
Moderate — standard requirements
Processing Time
Budget Trend
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How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
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Insider TipIf you are looking for Retrain Manitoba, Manitoba no longer publishes a page for it and this is the province's current training-cost programme.
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Rejection Pitfalls 11
- NAICS code outside the eligible steel, softwood lumber and other tariff-impacted lists
+10 more pitfalls
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Success Profile
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Evaluation Criteria
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All 11 pitfalls, the checklist and the reviewer notes are in the Playbook below. See what it includes ↓
What's in this Playbook
Everything you need to win Employee Training Program
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 11 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 6-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 6-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 3-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
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Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
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6 steps
6 docs
Application Steps
1
Check your NAICS code and your year in business You need to be permanently established in Manitoba, fully operational for at least a year, and inside the steel, softwood lumber or other tariff-impacted NAICS lists.
Required Documents 6
✓ Intake form describing the business and the proposed training (the first step; a full application follows only by invitation)
✓ Evidence of the tariff or market impact on the business and workforce, such as material cost increases, lost contracts or reduced export opportunities
Eligible Expenses 6
Ineligible Expenses 6
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
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The full guide for this program also covers:
- 5 more application steps
- 4 more required documents
- 6 eligible expenses
- 6 ineligible expenses
- Intake periods
- Deadline notes
- Ineligible organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
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3 partners
Compatible Programs
Building Up Manitoba Program (BUMP)
Work-Sharing (Employment and Social Development Canada)
Manitoba Trade Resilience Loan Program
Combined Funding Potential
See your total funding potential
Clawback Risk
Low Risk
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How Employee Training Program Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
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| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employee Training Program (Canada-Man... | Reimbursement of up to 100 per... | Moderate | Reimbursement | Ongoing. Manitoba states... |
| Building Up Manitoba Program (BUMP) —... | Up to $10,000 | Easy | Reimbursement | Continuous intake.... |
| Worker Retention Grant for Work-Shari... | Weekly per-worker income top-up | Moderate | Milestone-Based | Application period:... |
| Manitoba Trade Resilience Loan Program | up to $50 million | Moderate | Loan | Ongoing, while funds are... |
| Strategic Response Fund (formerly Str... | Minimum $10 million contribution | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing — continuous... |
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Frequently Asked Questions
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What does the Employee Training Program pay for?
Up to 100 per cent of direct training costs: external provider fees, mandatory student fees, textbooks, software and training materials, exam fees, and the wages of an internal trainer. Employers who show at least a 10 per cent tariff-linked revenue decline over the past 12 months can also recover up to 100 per cent of an at-risk employee's wages during training.
Which Manitoba employers are eligible?
Employers permanently established in Manitoba, fully operational for at least a year, who can demonstrate a tariff or market impact, and who operate in one of the named NAICS groups: steel (3311, 3312), softwood lumber and forestry (113, 1153, 321, 322), or agriculture, construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, and transportation and warehousing.
Is this the same as Retrain Manitoba?
No. Retrain Manitoba ended in 2022. The Employee Training Program is a current program under the Canada-Manitoba Workforce Tariff Response Program, aimed specifically at employers affected by tariffs or related market shifts.
How do employers apply?
By submitting an intake form describing the business and the proposed training. A Workforce Development Consultant reviews it, discusses the eligibility assessment, and invites applicants who meet the criteria to submit a full application. Applications are accepted on a continuous basis.
What training is not eligible?
Leadership training, and professional development that is not job-related such as consulting, coaching, mentorships, subscriptions, trade shows, conferences, annual meetings, networking and seminars. Also excluded: trainers related to the employer, providers that train only one employer unless the subject is proprietary, and training already funded for the same participant by another federal or provincial program.
Can an in-house trainer deliver the training?
Only for onboarding or for training on proprietary products or internal processes. All other training must come from an external provider who is unrelated to the employer, has relevant education or experience, and delivers training as their main business activity.
Which employees can be trained?
A Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person entitled to work in Canada, who lives in Manitoba and is a current employee at the time of training, including a recently hired employee filling a role affected by tariffs. Temporary foreign workers, international students and other temporary residents are not eligible, nor are workers who hold full-time permanent employment with another company.
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Full Playbook: Employee Training Program
6 steps · 6 docs · reviewer insights