Sectoral Workforce Innovation Fund (SWIF)
Latest source updateLast Update: September 17, 2026Latest change: Official SWIF guidance now spells out who can apply, a two-stage declaration-of-interest process, and updated funding conditions including a maximum $10,000,000 request.View change
Overview
The Sectoral Workforce Innovation Fund (SWIF), delivered under Employment and Social Development Canada’s Sectoral Workforce Development Program, supports targeted workforce solutions addressing urgent national and regional labour-market needs. Eligible organizations can request up to $10 million for projects lasting up to 36 months. Projects must scale proven workforce initiatives, build talent pipelines for federal missions and major projects, or mobilize industry co-investment in new skills programs.
At a glance
Funding available
- No objectives are currently available
- Maximum amount : 10,000,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
Eligible candidates
- All industries
- Canada
- Non-profit
- For-profit business
- All revenue ranges
- All organization sizes
- Indigenous Peoples
- All industries
- All the groups
- All structures
- All dimensions
Next Steps
Availability timeline
Activities funded
- Scale or adopt proven recruitment, retention, training, curriculum, certification, credential, digital-platform or labour-mobility initiatives.
- Build and accelerate talent pipelines, rapid training, micro-credentials, industry-academia partnerships and workforce mobilization for major federal projects.
- Develop workforce solutions, training and portable credentials that help sectors adopt emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital twins and other productivity tools.
- Support equity-seeking groups and connect participants to employment, work-integrated learning, onboarding or on-the-job training.
Documents Needed
- Completed application form EMP5741
- Letters of support from participating partners
Official resources
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Not-for-profit organizations.
- For-profit organizations.
- Indigenous organizations, including band councils, tribal councils, and self-governing entities.
- Provincial and territorial governments, post-secondary institutions, training institutions, and Crown corporations.
- Municipal governments.
Who is not eligible
- Organizations that represent the interests of a single company are not eligible.
- Colleges, universities, and provincial or territorial training institutions are not eligible as principal recipients, except for a one-time investment to develop a new program of study tailored to immediate sector needs.
Eligible expenses
Overhead supporting project activities, up to 15% of ESDC funding
Materials and supplies; purchase or rental of tools, equipment, computers and furniture
Wages and mandatory employment-related costs
Professional fees, staff training and professional development
Honoraria, hospitality and travel costs within applicable standards
Printing, communications, computer services, research, evaluation and data collection
Digitization of training, curricula and related resources
Other administrative expenses agreed with ESDC
Participant wrap-around supports, such as accommodation, child care and transportation, up to $2,000 per participant in eligible cases
Ineligible Costs and Activities
Single-company projects without multi-employer sector benefit
Projects limited mainly to one province without national applicability
Ongoing operations or projects creating dependency on federal funding
General awareness campaigns or research without direct training or employment outcomes
Capital construction or renovations and projects focused primarily on infrastructure or equipment
Generic technology training or technology adoption without a workforce-skills component
Projects duplicating existing training, curricula or digital platforms without demonstrated added value or transferability
Eligible geographic areas
Canada
National initiatives or regional pilots with clear potential for national scalability or applicability
Selection criteria
ESDC first screens the Statement of Interest for completeness, applicant and project eligibility, and alignment with program objectives, principles and outcomes.
Priority may be given to concepts supporting federal missions, national projects and strategies; Workforce Alliance recommendations; sector-wide employer collaboration; scalable and transferable solutions; equity-seeking groups; and higher private-sector cost sharing.
Past performance or defaults on ESDC projects and relevant public information may affect eligibility.
How to apply
- Download and complete application form EMP5741.
- Submit your Statement of Interest and all required documents by email to EDSC.DGOP.FIMS-SWIF.POB.ESDC@servicecanada.gc.ca.
- Or submit your Statement of Interest and all required documents by mail to Direction du développement de la main-d’œuvre et de la jeunesse - Surveillance, Unité de coordination, arrêt postal 402, Centre national de prestation des subventions et contributions (EDSC), 140, promenade du Portage, Phase IV, 4e étage, Gatineau (Québec) K1A 0J9.
- If you submit by mail, you will receive an acknowledgement by email within 14 days of receipt.
- Submit only one copy of your Statement of Interest, because duplicate copies or multiple submission methods will cause longer processing delays.
Processing and Agreement
- EDSC may contact applicants for mandatory information missing from the Statement of Interest before eligibility is established.
- If an applicant does not respond to that request, EDSC cannot continue the evaluation of the Statement of Interest.
- Only concepts that meet all eligibility conditions are evaluated.
- Applicants that pass step 1 are invited to step 2 to develop a full project proposal, and only selected applicants receive a response at step 1.
- Funding is awarded only at step 2, not all submissions are selected for funding, and all decisions are final with no appeal process.
Additional information
- Organizations in Alberta or Quebec may need provincial approval before accepting ESDC funding and must indicate whether Alberta’s Bill 18 or Quebec’s M-30 applies.
- Project outputs should be available in both official languages where appropriate.
- ESDC may consult other federal departments and share proposals with federal officials to confirm alignment with government priorities.
- Applicants are responsible for the accuracy, originality and integrity of submissions, including content prepared with digital or AI-enabled tools.