NOHFC Workforce Development Program
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
- Winning means you must carry a named insurance policy. 3 ask that.
- The work here is mostly writing long answers. For 59%, the job is assembling documents instead.
- Only 4 written answers, against a median of 5.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Northern Ontario employers can receive wage subsidies of up to $35,000 per intern per year to hire new entrants, career-changers, or unemployed/underemployed individuals for 52-week, full-time positions.
Eligibility Requirements
- Businesses, municipalities, Indigenous communities, or not-for-profit organizations located in Northern Ontario
- Northern Ontario is defined by NOHFC as all areas north of, and including, the districts of Parry Sound and Nipissing
- Must have been in operation for at least one year
- Must have a minimum of one full-time employee
- Funding covers up to 90% of an intern's salary plus the employer's portion of MERCs for municipalities, Indigenous communities and non-profits, and up to 50% for businesses, to a maximum of $35,000 per year in both cases
- Interns must be new entrants into the workforce, transitioning to a new career, or unemployed or underemployed and entering a new field
- Interns must not have previously participated in a NOHFC-funded internship
- Interns must be at least 18 years of age
- Interns must reside in, and be legally entitled to work in, Canada
- The position must be a limited-term internship of 52 weeks with at least 35 hours of work per week
- The intern must be provided with direct onsite supervision
- The organization must recruit through a fair and transparent selection process — a job advertisement posted in at least one public forum, with proof of the posting including opening and closing dates; exceptions may be made for apprenticeship internships
- Immediate family members or relatives of owners and directors cannot be hired, except in smaller Northern communities with a limited labour base
- An organization is eligible for two internship positions at a given time; colleges, universities and research institutions may be eligible for up to five research positions in addition
- An employer hiring an apprentice under a registered apprenticeship program is eligible provided all other criteria are met; an extended placement of up to 18 months is considered for apprenticeships, but only 52 weeks of work are reimbursable
- A second year may be available where the intern must complete more than 52 weeks of full-time professional experience for a certification, designation or registered apprenticeship — a separate application is required
- The intern cannot be hired before the application is submitted to NOHFC
- Recipients must carry at least $2 million in commercial general liability insurance, with a certificate naming NOHFC and its staff as additional insureds, a cross-liability clause, contractual liability coverage and a 30-day notice period for cancellations or changes
- Cannabis manufacturing and retail companies do not qualify for NOHFC programs
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to $35K/internUp to $35,000 per intern per year. Covers up to 90% of salary + MERCs for municipalities, Indigenous communities and not-for-profits; up to 50% of salary + MERCs for businesses.
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Provincial
- Deadline
- Continuous intake — no fixed deadline. Funding is limited and subject to NOHFC Board approval.
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Moderate — standard application process
High competition — many applicants
Moderate — standard requirements
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipDesign a 52-week, full-time position that provides direct onsite supervision and is not general labour, clerical, or retail; track salary and MERCs carefully because payments are made on a cost-incurred basis after six months and at completion.
Evaluation Criteria
How NOHFC Workforce Development Program judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 3 source documents, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-07.
3 sources
- People & Talent Program — Workforce Development Program guidelines nohfc.ca
- Workforce Development Program nohfc.ca
- NOHFC online portal home myportal.nohfc.ca
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What NOHFC Workforce Development Program favours
Strong skill development with specific, recognizable transferrable skills◦
“The quality of the skill development opportunity and the potential for the position to provide specific and recognizable transferrable skills”
The form
Application
- 1Applyshort answer
Evaluation criteria
- 2Labour shortage or skilled trade/professionwritten answer
The extent to which the position addresses a labour shortage or supports the development of a skilled trade or profession in Northern Ontario
- 3Potential permanent employmentwritten answer
The opportunity for the placement to result in a full-time, permanent job with the applicant or another Northern Ontario business
- 4Skill development opportunitywritten answer
- 5Work/training plan and supervisionwritten answer
NOHFC Workforce Development Program states no length limits for these answers.
Judged against
- 1
Is this a real Northern Ontario labour shortage?
Show them Name the specific shortage or trade, the trade or profession the position develops, and the local evidence of that need.◦
In the funder’s words · 1
- The extent to which the position addresses a labour shortage or supports the development of a skilled trade or profession in Northern Ontario
- 2
Can this placement become a permanent job?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 3
Will the intern gain transferable, recognizable skills?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 4
Is the training plan and supervision credible?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
Where applicants fail
“Positions that are clerical in nature (e.g. duties such as answering phones, filing, general office work, etc.)”
“Positions that primarily involve retail and general sales”
“Can I hire an intern before I have submitted my application to NOHFC? No.”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 5 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
3 more rules that can reject you · 3 more criteria · 3 more prompts
Do you pass?
Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.
Your business
Northern Ontario employer, one year operating
Businesses, municipalities, Indigenous communities, and not-for-profit organizations located in Northern Ontario that have been in operation for at least one year and have a minimum of one full-time employee.
The trainee
Intern is a new entrant or transitioning
Are new entrants into the work force, are transitioning to a new career, or the unemployed or underemployed who are entering a new field
The money
Cost shareUp to 90% or 50%, $35,000/year
Up to 90% and $35,000/year for eligible municipalities, Indigenous communities and NPOs; up to 50% and $35,000/year for eligible businesses.
Payment timingTwo installments: six months, internship end
Cost-incurred, two installments: after six months and at the internship's end.
Stacking limit50% business, 90% municipalities/NPOs
Combined provincial and federal government sources generally cannot exceed 50% of eligible business costs or 90% for municipalities, Indigenous communities and NPOs.
Stacking50% business, 90% municipalities/Indigenous/NPOs
Combined provincial and federal government sources generally cannot exceed 50% of eligible business costs or 90% for municipalities, Indigenous communities and NPOs.
Costs before approvalCannot hire before applying; early hire at risk
The intern cannot be hired before application submission. Hiring before approval is at the employer's risk and remains eligible only if programme conditions can be proved.
What it pays for · 1
- Salaries/wages and employer’s portion of Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCs) (e.g.: Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance, mandatory minimum vacation pay, as per Employment Standards Act)
What it does not pay for · 2
- Discretionary benefits paid by the employer i.e. sick pay, group medical/dental plans
- Training expenses, computers, equipment, travel and accommodations, etc.
From application to money
- NOHFC agent conversationRecommended: talk with an NOHFC agent
- Apply in the portalApply in NOHFC portal; Ontario.ca login
- Board decisionNOHFC review, then Board decision
- First paymentFirst reimbursement after six months
- Final paymentSecond installment at internship end
In the funder’s words · 5
- NOHFC agent conversation
- A 1-on-1 conversation with an NOHFC agent about the project is recommended.
- Apply in the portal
- Submit through the NOHFC online portal, which requires an Ontario.ca login.
- Board decision
- NOHFC reviews the application against its program guidelines, evaluates it, and the Board decides.
- First payment
- Costs are incurred by the employer and reimbursed in two installments.
- Final payment
- The second installment is reimbursed at the end of the internship.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win NOHFC Workforce Development Program
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 5-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
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 5
Eligible Expenses 5
Ineligible Expenses 7
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
- 5 more application steps
- 3 more required documents
- 5 eligible expenses
- 7 ineligible expenses
- Intake periods
- Deadline notes
- Ineligible organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Stacking partner data not yet available.
Clawback Risk
Low RiskHow NOHFC Workforce Development Program Compares
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about NOHFC Workforce Development Program