Training grants in New Brunswick — see which you qualify for
Answer a few quick questions and watch the map narrow to the ones your New Brunswick business can actually get — free, no account.
New Brunswick's core training program is WorkingNB Labour Force Training, which replaced the closed Canada-New Brunswick Job Grant. It reimburses 25 to 50 percent of eligible training costs, up to $40,000 per employer per fiscal year (capped at $20,000 per WorkingNB region). Federal programs fill in around it: the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit for Red Seal apprentices, the Student Work Placement Program for co-op hires, and a new Worker Retention Grant for employers using Work-Sharing during a slowdown. Start with WorkingNB, since it's the single delivery point for the province's own program.
What's actually current in New Brunswick
If you've researched New Brunswick training grants before, you may have read about the Canada-New Brunswick Job Grant (CANJBG), a program that reimbursed two-thirds of training costs up to $10,000 per trainee. That program is closed. It has been replaced by WorkingNB Labour Force Training, which works differently: a lower reimbursement share per trainee (25 to 50 percent, not two-thirds) but a much higher annual ceiling ($40,000 per employer, split across up to two regions at $20,000 each), and a non-competitive, continuous intake rather than a fixed pool you compete for.
All of New Brunswick's provincial training and wage-subsidy delivery runs through WorkingNB, the province's unified employment-services network under the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour. WorkingNB has offices across all 15 New Brunswick counties, with service in both English and French.
Ignore any guide, including older editions of this one, that still names the Canada-New Brunswick Job Grant as the program to apply for. Confirm the current WorkingNB Labour Force Training terms directly, Level 1 versus Level 2 reimbursement and the $20,000-per-region cap, before you plan a training budget around it.
The top New Brunswick training programs in 2026
These are the training and workforce programs a New Brunswick employer is most likely to actually use, ordered by how directly you access them. The last three rows aren't direct-application programs for individual businesses. They're included because NB employers run into them and should know exactly how, and whether, they apply.
| Program | What it funds | Amount | Who applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| WorkingNB Labour Force Training | Training-cost reimbursement | Up to $40,000/fiscal year | You, directly through WorkingNB |
| Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit | Wage tax credit, Red Seal apprentices (years 1 to 2) | 10% of wages, max $2,000/apprentice/yr | You, claimed on your T2 or T1 |
| Student Work Placement Program | Co-op / student wage subsidy | $5,000 to $7,000 per placement | You, via an approved delivery partner |
| Worker Retention Grant for Work-Sharing Employers | Wage top-up plus training during a slowdown | $5,000 to $15,000 per worker retained | You, after a Work-Sharing agreement is approved |
| Canada Summer Jobs | Summer student wage subsidy | Up to 100% of minimum wage | You, directly (seasonal intake) |
| Youth Employment and Skills Program | Youth (15 to 30) wage and training support | Up to $25,000 per youth | An intermediary organization; you host the placement |
| Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program | Indigenous worker training and wage subsidies | Varies | Your local ISET agreement holder, not you directly |
| Union Training and Innovation Program | Union training-hall equipment and curriculum | Up to $2 million | Unions, not individual employers |
WorkingNB Labour Force Training in detail
This is the program most New Brunswick employers should understand well, since it's the direct replacement for the CANJBG and the one most SMEs will actually file for. It reimburses 25 to 50 percent of eligible training costs for existing or newly hired employees, up to $20,000 per WorkingNB region per fiscal year ($40,000 total for employers operating across two regions). Training must come from a recognized external provider, with a $1,000 minimum eligible cost per application.
Ask which reimbursement level applies before you budget
Level 1 (50 percent reimbursement) is more generous than Level 2 (25 percent), and WorkingNB assigns the tier based on the training and your business profile. Ask your regional consultant directly which level your planned training falls under before you commit to a provider.
The $20,000 cap is per region, not per employer
A multi-location New Brunswick employer, say with sites in Moncton and Saint John, can claim up to $20,000 in each region for a combined $40,000 in a single fiscal year, provided the training in each region is tracked and documented separately.
Labour Force Training is non-competitive and criteria-based, not scored against other applicants. A WorkingNB consultant checks that your business is established in New Brunswick, that the training comes from a recognized provider with a clear skills outcome, and that training hasn't already started. Approval rates run high, in the 60 to 80 percent range, for applications that meet these criteria, and most decisions land within 2 to 4 weeks.
The most common reason applications fail is timing: submitting after training already began. Other frequent issues are a training cost under the $1,000 minimum, an employer not yet established in New Brunswick, or a participant who isn't legally entitled to work in Canada or based in the province. None of these are hard to avoid once you know them, which is exactly why they trip up first-time applicants.
For most New Brunswick employers training a handful of staff with an outside provider, this is the correct first call. It's non-competitive, processes in weeks rather than months, and most employers realistically recover $5,000 to $15,000 in a fiscal year, well short of the $40,000 ceiling, so budget for that range rather than the maximum.
Funding by what you're trying to do
New Brunswick's training funding sorts cleanly by the situation you're actually in. Match your goal to the program below rather than starting from a program name.
WorkingNB Labour Force Training reimburses 25 to 50 percent of external training costs for existing employees.
Claim the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit on your T2 for years 1 and 2 of an apprentice's wages, no separate application needed.
Apply through a Student Work Placement Program delivery partner rather than a federal portal.
The Worker Retention Grant tops up wages and funds training during an approved Work-Sharing agreement.
Canada Summer Jobs covers summer students, when it's open
It can cover up to 100 percent of minimum wage for a summer student, but the 2026 employer window already closed on December 11, 2025. Watch for the next intake, expected around November 2026.
You don't apply to the funder directly here
The Youth Employment and Skills Program and the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program both work through funded intermediary organizations. Find one active in your region and offer to host the placement, rather than searching for an employer application form that doesn't exist.
Training funding, tax credit, or a delivery partner: which door
New Brunswick training money comes through three genuinely different mechanisms, and knowing which one you're reaching for changes both where you apply and what to expect.
WorkingNB, Canada Summer Jobs, Worker Retention Grant
You apply straight to the program. Approval comes first, then training or hiring happens, then you claim reimbursement or receive the subsidy.
Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit
No application. You claim it on your corporate or personal tax return for a qualifying apprentice's wages, with no deadline to apply.
Student placements, youth, Indigenous training, union halls
You don't apply to the federal funder directly. You work through an approved delivery partner, a funded community organization, or your union training hall instead.
Most first-time applicants assume every program looks like Door 1. The programs that trip people up in New Brunswick are almost always Door 3, where the instinct to search for an employer application form leads nowhere because the application sits with an intermediary, not with you.
Who qualifies
Eligibility varies by program, but the direct-application programs share a common core. You're generally in scope for WorkingNB Labour Force Training if:
- Your business is a private-sector employer, non-profit with board authorization, or First Nations organization established in New Brunswick.
- Training participants are legally entitled to work in Canada and work in New Brunswick on a permanent basis.
- Training comes from a recognized external provider, with total eligible costs of at least $1,000 before tax.
- You apply before training starts, since retroactive claims aren't accepted.
The Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit is broader: any employer, corporation, sole proprietor, or partnership, with a Red Seal apprentice in their first two years qualifies. The Student Work Placement Program and Canada Summer Jobs both require a genuine, paid, meaningful placement for a student, arranged through the right channel for each. The Youth Employment and Skills Program, the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program, and the Union Training and Innovation Program don't have an employer-eligibility test in the usual sense, since employers don't apply to them directly.
How to apply
There's no single New Brunswick training portal. The right path depends on which program fits your situation.
- Start with WorkingNB Labour Force Training for existing or new staff. Contact your regional WorkingNB office, get a quote from a recognized external training provider, and submit your application before training begins.
- Claim the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit separately. If you employ a Red Seal apprentice in years 1 or 2, claim the credit on your T2 (or T1 for sole proprietors) at year end. No standalone application is required.
- Go through a delivery partner for a co-op student. Apply through an approved Student Work Placement Program partner, such as Magnet for general hires or a sector-specific partner, rather than directly to the federal government.
- Get a Work-Sharing agreement first if you're managing a slowdown. Apply to Service Canada for Work-Sharing, then apply for the Worker Retention Grant with a training plan covering at least 40 percent of the covered weeks.
- Watch the calendar for Canada Summer Jobs. The employer window runs roughly once a year and was closed for 2026 as of December 2025. Confirm the next opening before planning seasonal hiring.
- Partner rather than apply for youth or Indigenous wage support. For the Youth Employment and Skills Program or the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program, find a funded intermediary organization or your local ISET agreement holder and offer to host a placement.
Common first-timer mistakes
- Assuming the Canada-New Brunswick Job Grant still exists. It's closed. The current program, WorkingNB Labour Force Training, has different terms, a lower per-trainee share but a higher annual ceiling.
- Starting training before approval. WorkingNB Labour Force Training, like its predecessor, doesn't accept retroactive claims. Submit before day one of training.
- Assuming an internal trainer qualifies. The program is built around recognized external training providers. Confirm with your regional office if your situation seems like an exception.
- Submitting a claim under the $1,000 minimum. Applications below this threshold are ineligible outright.
- Applying directly to the Youth Employment and Skills Program or ISET. Neither takes employer applications. You access them by hosting a placement through an already-funded intermediary.
- Missing the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit. It's automatic for any employer with a qualifying Red Seal apprentice, yet many New Brunswick trades employers never claim it.
What's changed in 2026
The Canada-New Brunswick Job Grant is gone. WorkingNB Labour Force Training replaced it, with a lower per-trainee reimbursement share (25 to 50 percent instead of two-thirds) but a much higher annual ceiling ($40,000 per employer instead of $10,000 per trainee) and continuous, non-competitive intake.
A new wage-and-training program arrived in response to tariffs. The Worker Retention Grant for Work-Sharing Employers launched in February 2026 as part of Canada's tariff-response package. It pairs a wage top-up with a training commitment for employers using Work-Sharing to avoid layoffs during a temporary slowdown, and it can be stacked with WorkingNB Labour Force Training for different cost categories.
Youth employment funding is set to expand, but not for direct employer applications. Budget 2025 allocated $307.9 million over two years starting in fiscal year 2026-27 for the youth employment strategy that funds the Youth Employment and Skills Program. New calls for proposals for intermediary organizations are expected, though individual employers still won't apply directly.
Canada Summer Jobs stays on its usual annual cycle. The 2026 employer window closed December 11, 2025, with the next intake expected around November 2026, in line with the program's historical pattern.
Sources: GrantCompass catalog records, verified 2026-06-25 and later; Government of New Brunswick; Employment and Social Development Canada.FAQ
Does the Canada-New Brunswick Job Grant still exist?
What does WorkingNB Labour Force Training actually pay?
Can I train my own staff in-house and still qualify?
Can I apply directly to the Youth Employment and Skills Program or the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program?
What is the Worker Retention Grant for Work-Sharing Employers?
Is Canada Summer Jobs currently open for applications?
Can I stack WorkingNB Labour Force Training with the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit?
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