There’s no shortage of resources available for founders – one you’ve likely heard us mention before is the Canada Alberta Job Grant. Under this grant, the government contributes two-thirds of training costs to a maximum of $10,000 per trainee per year, which is pretty incredible, right?  

321 courses have always been eligible for this grant, but there are some program changes that you need to know.  

So, who can apply?

Eligibility for the program has changed for the next while. The list of people who are eligible will now include:  

  1. Employed family members of eligible employers 
  2. Business owners with 4 or fewer employees, including the owner

You read that right: founders/owners of small Alberta companies are eligible – there’s no better time for founders to level up their game. 

Eligible training costs include course tuition or instructional fees.  

Good to know info:

  • Training can start once an application has been submitted (and all trainees have signed it) 
  • Meeting eligibility criteria does not guarantee funding approval 
  • When you apply can matter – the turnaround times vary. They recommend submitting at least 30 days in advance of the start of training.
  • If your application is successful, all your company’s participants must complete the training in full, in order to receive payment. 

How does this work with 321’s courses?  

When you’re ready to apply, get in touch with us – we’ve got some course info that you’ll need to submit with your application. 

What’s the process? 

1: Read the Canada-Alberta Job Grant Applicant Guide 
2: Complete the correct application for your trainees: Go to Labour’s Workforce Grants Portal  to complete 

  • To access the portal, you must have a MyAlberta Digital ID for Business account; first-time users will be prompted to create an account. 
  • You only need to submit one application for all trainees taking the same training at the same time.  

How to get payment: 

Employers pay 100 percent upfront and receive reimbursement for up to two-thirds of eligible costs as verified by receipts after program completion. (You can also apply to have 2 payment installments). 

1: Read the Training Completion Form Checklist 
2: Fill out the Training Completion on the Labour’s Workforce Grants Portal within 30 days of program completion. Remember, all your company’s participants must complete the training in full to qualify for payment.

I have more than 4 employees, what can I do?  

Sadly, as an owner of a larger company, you can’t get funding for your own training under this grant – but you can still leverage this program to get your team ready to rock.  

What if we’re not Alberta-based?  

No sweat! Though the job grant in other provinces hasn’t been amended to include founders, it’s still a great resource to fund employee training. Check out these programs in other provinces:  

We’re here to help if you have any questions – reach out anytime.