Over the past two years, the CLAC Apprenticeship Support Program (CASP) has distributed more than $14 million to small- and medium-sized Canadian businesses that have registered and hired new first-year apprentices. This has surpassed the original goal of $11.5 million that CASP designated.
The two-year incentive program, which ended on March 31, was funded by the government of Canada's Apprenticeship Service. CASP provided $5,000 to construction and manufacturing companies that hired a new first-year apprentice in one of 39 Red Seal trades, and an additional $5,000 when the apprentice self-identified as a woman, a newcomer to Canada, an Indigenous person, a person with disabilities, a person belonging to a visible minority group, and/or a member of the LGBTQ2+ community.
In addition to the funding, CASP team members also:
- Qualified over 2,350 Canadian small- and medium-sized employers for the program, with over 2,000 as CASP agreement holders;
- Supported the hiring of 1,717 new, first-year apprentices from across Canada, with 63 percent of these new apprentices self-identify as belonging to an equity-deserving group; and
- Supported the hiring of 218 new, first-year CLAC apprentices.
"When we initially set out to reach $11.5 million, we weren't sure if we could reach such a high goal," says Colin de Raaf, Ontario training director at CASP. "But through our team's dedication, we met our initial goal two months prior to the end of the program, so Canada's Apprenticeship Service allowed us to distribute another $3.7 million, which we are on track to achieve. I'm extremely proud of the work our team has done in connecting employers with this funding opportunity, and in helping over 1,700 apprentices begin their journey in the trades."
Employers who registered an apprentice before April 1 are eligible to claim an incentive up until June 30, 2024.
