Canada-Manitoba Workforce Tariff Response Program

How the Program Works

Service delivery partners--including non profits, charitable organizations, sector councils, industry or employer associations, unions and other training providers--partner with employers to design and deliver training solutions that:

1. Support unemployed, tariff-affected workers by providing them with the skills needed to move into available high demand jobs; and/or
2. Respond to the training needs of tariff-affected employers by training or upskilling their workforce.

These partnerships identify workforce needs and develop coordinated training solutions across employers, sectors or industry groups that:

• help businesses strengthen competitiveness and respond to tariff impacts, operational changes or new market opportunities
• support transitions to high-demand occupations for unemployed participants and retention or advancement for employed participants
• are responsive, practical, aligned to labour market needs, and directly tied to Manitoba's economic priorities
• support equitable access to training, including for underrepresented and underserved workers

Program objectives:

• Helping unemployed workers build new skills for in-demand jobs aligned with Manitoba's evolving labour market needs, including sectors experiencing new opportunities due to public and private investment.
• Supporting tariff-affected employers by helping them retrain and upskill their workforce to adapt to changing market conditions and pursue new opportunities.
• Strengthening collaboration between employers and service delivery partners to design relevant, industry-aligned programming.
• Improving access to training for underrepresented and underserved groups, including youth, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, racialized communities and people living in rural and remote areas.
• Aligning training investments with Manitoba government priorities, including Indigenous reconciliation, Northern workforce development, supply chain resilience, global market growth, innovation and technology adoption and Manitoba's commitment to create 10,000 skilled trades jobs over eight years.

How Training Partnerships Support Employers and Workers:

Partnerships between service delivery organizations and employers may involve:

• conducting industry- or sector-based needs assessments with participating employers to identify shared skills gaps
• co-designing training content to ensure relevance and alignment with workplace requirements
• employers offering job placements, work integrated learning or direct employment opportunities for unemployed participants (e.g., guaranteed interviews, conditional job offers, hiring commitments)
• providing flexible training schedules to minimize workplace disruption for employed participants

Employers are expected to participate in project design and help identify appropriate participants.

Unemployed Workers	Employed Workers
Foundational and transferable skills training (e.g., soft skills, skills for success) essential for successful labour market participation. Literacy, numeracy, or language training (English or French) required for employment, workplace performance or job security. Occupational or sector-based skills training aligned with employer identified labour demand, including training on specific workplaces, job roles, tools, equipment or technologies.	Worker upskilling or reskilling must support businesses to respond to tariffs and market shifts, pivot to new opportunities or support organizational recovery. Short term or modular training delivered in response to market disruptions (e.g., new tariffs, supply chain disruptions, etc.).
Expected Outcomes Training must be intended to transition unemployed workers to a high demand job aligned with Manitoba's current and future labour market needs.	Expected Outcomes Training must be intended to achieve one or more of the following outcomes: employee retention transitions to new roles return an employee on a Work-Sharing Agreement to full-time work prepare an employee with new skills required for business opportunities prepare a recently hired employee for a position previously vacated due to layoff

Eligible costs:

Program funding is intended to cover the full cost of delivering eligible activities.

Eligible financial assistance must be directly attributable to the design and delivery of approved training activities and incurred within the approved agreement period.

Eligible training costs include:

• Overhead: Overhead costs related to delivering eligible activities, including facility and training delivery infrastructure rental, communications, material/supplies and refreshments during training activities.
• Staff costs: Staffing costs related to delivering eligible activities, including mandatory employment related costs (MERCs).
• Training costs: Instructional and training costs related to eligible activities, in addition to direct staffing costs, which may include costs to develop curriculum and programming and purchase training materials and equipment to enable training.
• Sub-contracted training costs: Sub-contracted trainers to deliver eligible activities.

Ineligible training costs:

• costs not directly related to approved training activities
• capital assets/purchases over $1,000
• ongoing operating costs unrelated to training

Service delivery partners may claim administration and project management costs of up to 15 per cent of total eligible training costs, as outlined in the approved project budget. These costs must be clearly identified at the time of application and approved as a distinct budget category. These costs are intended to support:

• project management and coordination
• participant recruitment, intake, assessment, and reporting

Manitoba will review administration and project management expenditures as part of financial reconciliation and may adjust reimbursement if costs are ineligible, not sufficiently documented or exceed the approved limit.

Unemployed workers may be eligible for extra supports, such as help with living costs, travel or childcare, provided by the Manitoba government.

Other information:

• There is no maximum funding level per Demand-Led Training project; proposals of all sizes may be considered.
• Funding decisions will take into account the scope, rationale, expected outcomes and overall value of each project.
• For larger proposals, Manitoba may review and negotiate the requested funding amount to ensure it is reasonable, aligned with program objectives, proportionate to the activities proposed and that there is sufficient budget availability.
• Funding agreements must end by March 31, 2028.

Eligible service delivery organizations include:

• non-profit or charitable organizations
• sector councils
• industry or employer associations
• unions
• training providers, including public or private institutions

Service delivery partners must:

• be permanently established in Manitoba and fully operational for at least one year when they apply
• have experience and expertise in adult education, sector or job-specific training and employer partnerships

Service delivery partners must design and deliver programming in partnership with Manitoba employers, who actively identify skill needs and training requirements and supporting pathways to employment.

Ineligible service delivery organizations:

• organizations with no history of delivering adult education or skills training in Manitoba
• employers training their own employees
• Tariff-affected employers can access support to train their employees under the Employee Training Pathway.
• Employers may also consider the Building Up Manitoba Program (BUMP), depending on their needs.

Employed and unemployed workers must meet the eligibility criteria below.

Unemployed workers must:

• have been laid off on or after January 1, 2025;
• be unemployed at the time of training (individuals who are underemployed or precariously employed may be eligible provided they meet all other eligibility criteria);
• meet the definition of an Employment Insurance (EI) insured participant (includes individuals with a current EI claim, a previous claim in the last five years, or having contributed to EI in five of the past 10 years); and
• meet ONE of the following eligibility scenarios:

Eligibility scenario	Description
1. Laid off from a job in a tariff-impacted sector	The unemployed individual was laid off from an employer in a tariff-impacted sector as defined by the following North American Industry Classifications (NAICS; see eligible NAICS table below).
2. Lives in a tariff-affected community	The unemployed individual lives in Selkirk/East Selkirk or The Pas/OCN, where local economies are directly affected by steel or softwood lumber tariffs.
3. Documented connection to tariff impacts	The unemployed individual can show a reasonable, documented link between their layoff and tariff-related impacts (e.g., employer explanation, industry context, supply chain impacts).

ELIGIBLE NAICS

Category	Eligible NAICS Codes
Steel Industries	3311: Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing 3312: Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel
Softwood Lumber Industries	113: Forestry and Logging 1153: Support Activities for Forestry 321: Wood Product Manufacturing 322: Paper Manufacturing
Other Tariff-Impacted Industries	11: Agriculture 23: Construction 31-33: Manufacturing 41: Wholesale Trade 48-49: Transportation and Warehousing

The Manitoba government will confirm eligibility of unemployed workers prior to the start of training.

Employed Workers:

Employed workers may be eligible if their current employer is in a tariff-impacted sector, as defined by the eligible NAICS listed above.

Service delivery partners are responsible for confirming that the employer's NAICS code is eligible to receive payment for the training costs for that participant.

Workers on Work-Sharing Program Agreements are eligible for training under Demand-Led Training.

Service delivery partners are responsible for delivering projects in accordance with program requirements and their funding agreement, including meeting reporting and accountability requirements.

• Funding is provided for eligible costs that are incurred, paid and supported by appropriate financial documentation. Service providers must maintain accurate and complete financial records.
• Participant and employer information must be collected, used and stored only for program purposes and in accordance with provincial privacy requirements.
• All participants must meet program eligibility requirements. Required participant information and documentation must be collected prior to the start of training.
• Service providers must submit quarterly progress reports and a final report. Reports include information on project activities, participation and results.

Additional program requirements and guidance will be provided as part of the application and agreement process.

What kind of employers can take part in the Demand-Led Training Program?

The program is open to Manitoba employers that have been directly or indirectly affected by tariffs or related market shifts and need to upskill or retrain workers. Employers who are planning to hire or train a cohort of workers to directly support efforts to respond to tariff-related impacts may also be eligible to participate.

Who can participate in the training?

The program is for both unemployed and employed workers.

Unemployed workers may be eligible if they lost their job on or after January 1, 2025, because of tariffs or related market changes, live in a tariff-impacted community or worked in a tariff-impacted sector.

Employed workers may be eligible if they work for an employer in a tariff-affected sector and their employer endorses the training.

Note: The Manitoba government will confirm participant eligibility of unemployed workers prior to the start of training.

What kind of training and costs can be funded?

The program can fund training that helps workers move into high demand jobs or helps businesses adapt to market changes, shift to new opportunities or support their recovery through workforce training.

This includes training that:

• teaches job specific or broader technical skills
• is short term or delivered in small modules

Funding can cover:

• trainers and instructors
• training materials
• curriculum development
• space needed to deliver training

Unemployed workers may be eligible for extra supports, such as help with living costs, travel or childcare, provided by the Manitoba government.

How are applications assessed?

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis using the program's proposal form. They are reviewed individually based on merit and considered in the context of previously approved projects to ensure training is equitably offered in different sectors and regions.

Not all applications will be approved. Funding is limited.

1. Intake Form
   If you have reviewed the eligibility criteria (Who Can Apply) and believe your organization may benefit from demand-led training, complete the intake form. Submitting this form is a mandatory step in the application process.
2. Eligibility Screening and Consultation
   A contact from the Manitoba government will review your intake form and follow up with you to discuss eligibility and program alignment.
3. Invitation to Apply
   Applicants that meet program criteria will be invited to submit a proposal and application for consideration.