Ambition-Compétences — Training for resilience and competitiveness in employment

Who is eligible?

• For-profit private companies located in the primary, manufacturing, or logistics sectors, identified by specific NAICS codes.
• Cooperatives operating in eligible sectors.
• Non-profit organizations active in eligible fields.

Who is not eligible

• Municipalities.
• Ministries, organizations, and state corporations of the Quebec government.
• Ministries, organizations, and state corporations of the Canadian government.
• Companies or organizations funded more than 50% by public funds, with certain exceptions (e.g., sectors under the social economy, culture, and certain long-term care centers).
• Political parties or associations.
• Companies or organizations with an outstanding debt to the Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity, unless there is a signed repayment agreement.
• Companies or organizations engaged in controversial activities that would be unreasonable to associate with the Ministry or CPMT.
• Companies or organizations whose activities are halted due to a labor dispute (strike or lock-out).
• Companies or organizations subject to the French Language Charter that have not obtained their francization certificate.
• Employers in a non-eligible sector.

Eligible expenses

• Needs analysis and development or adaptation of new training at 100%.
• Delivery of training, including participant wages, at 85%.
• Expenses related to project administration at 100%.
• Base salary of participants in the context of a pilot project, maximum of $25/hour.
• Professional fees for consultants, trainers, maximum of $150/hour.
• Base salary of trade experts, maximum of $150/hour.
• Costs related to the development or adaptation of teaching materials at actual cost.
• Travel, meal, and accommodation expenses according to the Treasury Board rates.
• Updating training materials, actual cost.
• Base salary of the internal trainer at actual cost.
• Teaching materials at actual cost.
• Room rental at actual cost.
• Equipment rental at actual cost.
• Classification test fees at actual cost.
• Salary (hourly rate) of the internal resource assigned to the project, actual cost.
• Promotional expenses at actual cost.
• Reimbursement of taxes when applicable, actual cost.
• Project management fees, maximum of 10% of the grant amount.

Eligible geographic areas

• Companies located in Quebec.

• Clarity and feasibility of the project in relation to the objectives and expectations of the call for projects.
• Accountability that demonstrates the achievement of objectives and the impact on the participating individuals and businesses.
• Ability to meet the needs of multiple workers from at least two businesses.
• Proposal of concrete measures for improving or acquiring skills for the participants.

• Step 1: Identification of the promoter
• Ensure you are an eligible promoter with a Quebec business number and that you are a permanent grouping of organizations.
• Confirm that you are among the eligible groupings such as employer associations, sectoral workforce committees, etc.
• Step 2: Project preparation
• Design a project involving at least two companies with measurable objectives.
• Plan the necessary training steps and the project structure.
• Prepare the required documents, including a list of participating companies with their NAICS codes.
• Step 3: Creating the application
• Fill out the application form that will be sent.
• Include a accountability section and arrange documents to demonstrate the project's impact.
• Step 4: Submission of the application
• Send your application by email to: partenaires@mess.gouv.qc.ca.
• Step 5: Follow-up on the application
• Regularly check your email for communications from the ministry following the submission.

• An example of a project that might be funded is one offering training to sawmills in response to U.S. tariffs on softwood lumber, which includes 80 participants from 10 businesses.
• The aim is to enable companies to maintain their workforce while adjusting production in light of tariffs, potentially offering improved future performance.
• The program is primarily targeted at structured training activities and skills upgrading, excluding self-directed learning or informal workshops.
• Applications are evaluated on a rolling basis, subject to fund availability or the end of imposed tariffs.
• The maximum average subsidy per company is expected to be $20,000 during the grant review process.