Updated July 2026 · Verified against Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale (MESS) / Services Québec guidelines
✓ First-Timer Friendly Reimbursement
Grant Provincial Active

Québec — Programme de formation de la main-d'œuvre (MFOR-E, volet Entreprises)

Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale (MESS) / Services Québec
Maximum Funding
Up to $100K per agreement
No fixed deadline; applications are handled continuously through Services Qué...
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Difficulty
Moderate
Payment
Reimbursement
Trend
Stable
First-Timers
Friendly ✓
Co-Funding
75%
Québec — Programme de formation de la main-d'œuvre (MFOR-E, volet Entreprises) provides up to $100K per agreement. Québec workforce training support that reimburses eligible training costs for SMEs and other employers, with higher rates for technology, green economy, and literacy training. The program covers up to 75% of eligible costs. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

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Eligibility & Details

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Program Description

Québec workforce training support that reimburses eligible training costs for SMEs and other employers, with higher rates for technology, green economy, and literacy training. Open to private enterprises, cooperatives, non-profits, self-employed workers, and band councils located in Québec.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Be an employer located in Québec: private for-profit enterprise, grouping of private for-profit enterprises, cooperative, non-profit organization, self-employed worker, grouping of self-employed workers, or community/band council
  • Hold a Québec business number (NEQ)
  • Public bodies, para-public organizations (Investissement Québec, Hydro-Québec, SEPAQ, SADC/CAE), public and private educational institutions, health and social services organizations (CIUSSS, CISSS, CHSLD, GMF), and political parties or associations are NOT eligible for their own employees' training (they may act only as delegated bodies or service providers)
  • Municipal and para-municipal administrations are excluded from funding their own employees' training
  • Not be listed on the Registraire des entreprises non admissibles aux contrats publics (RENA), and have no unrepaid debt to the Ministère
  • Not have failed to meet obligations on a previous Ministère subsidy after being formally put on notice
  • Not be engaged in activities the Ministère could not reasonably be associated with (the guide names recreational cannabis), and not be stopped by a strike or lock-out
  • If subject to the francisation requirements of the Charte de la langue française (Chapter V of Title II), be in compliance with them
  • Training must develop competencies tied to the job held or a task required by the employer, and the skills must be qualifying and transferable
  • Supported training must be delivered in French only, apart from the exceptions set out in the guide's section on languages other than French
  • The employer must submit a detailed training plan (positions and workers covered, objectives and expected results, activities, hours, schedule, trainer or institution, pedagogical supervision, costs, the attestation to be issued to workers, and follow-up and evaluation) and demonstrate to the Ministère's satisfaction how the training will keep the workers in employment
  • The employer chooses the trainer, subject to Ministère approval; an external trainer should not be related to the owner or directors, and organizations that are themselves ineligible under the measure should not be used as external trainers
  • Teleworkers must be domiciled in Québec; those residing outside Québec are not eligible
  • Since February 1, 2025, temporary foreign workers cannot participate except those employed by an agricultural enterprise
  • Owners, directors and strategic workers are eligible only if they are paid by the organization employing them and actively work there
Provinces
Quebec
Industries
All
Business Stage
Startup Growth Established

Quick Assessment

Difficulty
Moderate
Competition
Low
First-Timer
Friendly

Funding Details

Amount
Up to $100K per agreementGenerally up to 50% of eligible expenses (not exceeding 75% except for literacy); bonified to 75% for new equipment/technology, community, IT, green economy plan, and customized diversification training; literacy training covered at 100% including participant wages up to $25/h; contribution generally capped at $100,000 per agreement except for major projects, online training, and forestry training
Type
Grant
Level
Provincial
Co-Funding
Up to 75% of eligible costs
Deadline
No fixed deadline; applications are handled continuously through Services Québec business advisors

Program Scorecard

Competition, effort, and approval at a glance

Competition
Low
Deadline
Ongoing
Approval
Varies
Accessibility
3/5

Moderate — standard application process

Competition
2/5

Below average competition

Difficulty
3/5

Moderate — standard requirements

Processing Time
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How to Win

Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like

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Insider Tip

This measure is primarily aimed at SMEs with 6–99 employees.

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Evaluation Criteria

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How Québec — Programme de formation de la main-d'œuvre judges your application

What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.

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ApplicationNo written form
Judged on15 criteria
Can reject you13 rules
To attach4 documents

Distilled from 6+ source documents, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-10.

6 of the sources

What Québec — Programme de formation de la main-d'œuvre favours

Show training keeps targeted workers employed; provide detailed plan◦

“L'entreprise doit fournir un plan de formation détaillé et démontrer, à la satisfaction du Ministère, de quelle façon cette formation permettra à l'entreprise de maintenir en emploi le ou les travailleuses ou les travailleurs visés par cette dernière.”

2 more, in their words

The form

There is no application form: you contact the Services Québec business advisor for your region and negotiate a training plan and its eligible costs into a signed entente.◦

Judged against4 questions · 15 criteria

  1. 1

    Will this training keep those workers employed?

    Show them For each targeted position, name the change that forces the training and show the skills are qualifying, transferable and attested.◦

    In the funder’s words · 5
    • Maintien en emploi
    • Compétences qualifiantes et transférables
    • Résultats escomptés
    • Impact sur l'emploi
    • The advisor must be satisfied, and must record on file, that the training will keep the targeted workers in employment and that the skills are qualifying and transferable.
  2. 2

    Is the need real and a priority here?

    What to show, and the funder’s 4 criteria behind it in Premium

  3. 3

    Is the plan concrete and deliverable?

    What to show, and the funder’s 4 criteria behind it in Premium

  4. 4

    Do the costs add up and can you pay?

    What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium

4 questions the reviewer answers about you, in Premium.

Where applicants failin Québec — Programme de formation de la main-d'œuvre’s words

“Ces activités ne constituent pas, selon les orientations de la mesure, une démarche de formation suffisamment structurée pour répondre à des besoins de formation précis de travailleuses ou de travailleurs en emploi.”
“Ainsi, la MFOR-E ne peut plus être utilisée pour soutenir cette activité.”

3 more, in the funder’s words

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11 more rules that can reject you · 10 more criteria · 3 more pitfalls

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Do you pass?13 checks

Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.

Your organisation

  • Eligible employer type

    Employer types: private for-profit businesses and groups of them, co-operatives, non-profits, self-employed workers and groups of them, collectivités and band councils

  • Not to train public bodies' staff

    No MFOR-E funding for their own employees: municipal/para-municipal administrations, para-public bodies, educational institutions, health-network bodies.

11 more checks

2 things this funder says you do NOT need, in Premium.

Documents to attach4

Ticks are kept on this device.

The money

Maximum per agreementup to 100 000 $

Par ailleurs, la contribution du Ministère ne peut généralement dépasser 100 000 $ dans une entente avec une entreprise, sauf pour les projets suivants

Standard aid rateup to 50 %; 75% cap

Le niveau d'aide financière du Ministère s'élève généralement jusqu'à 50 % des dépenses admissibles, sans dépasser 75% hormis pour les activités d'alphabétisation qui demeurent soutenues à 100%.

Training wage capup to 25 $/h

wages of workers in training up to 25 $/h reimbursable

What it pays for · 8
  • Analyse des besoins de formation
  • Bilan des compétences
  • Élaboration et adaptation de contenus de formation
  • Achat de formation
  • Outils d'évaluation
  • Salaires ou honoraires des formateurs
  • Frais généraux pour personnes handicapées
  • La portion des taxes non remboursée pour les OBNL
What it does not pay for · 2
  • Salaires de la ou du personnel de l'entreprise affecté à la gestion du plan de formation.
  • La portion liée aux avantages sociaux, lorsque les salaires sont retenus comme dépense admissible.

From application to money

  1. Contact the advisorContact the advisor
  2. Build the training planBuild the training plan
  3. Sign the ententeSign the entente
  4. Training is deliveredTraining is delivered
  5. Follow-up and evaluationFollow-up and evaluation
In the funder’s words · 5
Contact the advisor
Ask the conseiller aux entreprises at your regional Services Québec office to look at your training need.
Build the training plan
You and the advisor analyse the situation and the needs, set training priorities and negotiate the eligible costs into the plan.
Sign the entente
La durée maximale d'une entente est généralement d'un an, mais elle peut être prolongée jusqu'à un total cumulatif ne dépassant pas trois ans.
Training is delivered
Activities run off production, on the job or online, with pedagogical supervision and an evaluation of the learning.
Follow-up and evaluation
The trainer issues written recognition of the training and you check that the learning transferred to the job.

Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.

What's in this Playbook

Everything you need to win Québec — Programme de formation de la main-d'œuvre

Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.

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Application Playbook

Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses

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Application Steps

1 Contact a business advisor at your regional Services Québec office There is no online application. A conseiller aux entreprises works through your situation with you and proposes options — technical support, financial support, or both.

Required Documents 4

✓ Training plan / project description
✓ Québec business number (NEQ)

Eligible Expenses 13

Ineligible Expenses 5

Intake Periods

Deadline Notes

Ineligible Organizations

Premium The full guide for this program also covers:
  • 5 more application steps
  • 2 more required documents
  • 13 eligible expenses
  • 5 ineligible expenses
  • Intake periods
  • Deadline notes
  • Ineligible organizations

Funding Stack Strategy

Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential

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Clawback Risk

Low Risk

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How Québec — Programme de formation de la main-d'œuvre Compares

Side-by-side with similar programs

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Program Amount Difficulty Payment Deadline
Québec — Programme de formation de la... up to $25 Moderate Reimbursement No fixed deadline;...
Quebec R&D Tax Credit (CRIC — Researc... 20-30% tax credit (CRIC) Hard Tax Credit Offset Ongoing
Investissement Québec — Project Finan... Varies Hard Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) Ongoing
Canada Economic Development for Quebe... Varies Moderate Reimbursement Ongoing
PME MTL - Fonds Jeunes Entreprises Up to $25,000 Moderate Reimbursement Ongoing

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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about Québec — Programme de formation de la main-d'œuvre

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What share of my training costs will Québec actually cover?
Generally up to 50% of eligible expenses, and never above 75% except literacy training, which stays at 100%. The 75% rate applies to training driven by new equipment or technology, the community sector, IT, the Plan pour une économie verte, and custom training for market diversification.
Is there a maximum amount per business?
The Ministère's contribution generally cannot exceed $100,000 in an agreement with a business. Larger amounts are possible for major projects, online-training projects and silviculture training, which are assessed by the Direction des mesures et services aux entreprises.
Can I claim my employees' wages while they are in training?
Yes, to a maximum reimbursable rate of $25 per hour, excluding benefits, commissions and dividends. It is not automatic — the advisor decides based on the file, the orientations in force and budget availability. For literacy training, wages must be included at 100%.
Which employers cannot use this measure for their own staff?
Municipal and para-municipal administrations, provincial and federal para-public bodies, public and private educational institutions, health and social services bodies, government departments, and political parties. They may still act as a delegated body or service provider.
How do I apply — is there an online form?
No. You contact a business advisor at the Services Québec office for your region. The advisor analyses your needs, proposes options, and the training agreement and amount are negotiated from there.

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