Backgrounder: Canada Retraining and Opportunities Initiative

The new Canada Retraining and Opportunities Initiative provides supplemental support to organizations helping workers and local communities affected by an unforeseen economic event, including mass layoffs of an exceptional nature.

A mass layoff is defined by:

• 50 or more employees permanently laid off in one establishment in one community during a four-week period;
• significant job loss impact (as a proportion of the community’ s labour force); and
• challenging local labour market conditions, making it difficult for affected workers to transition to new jobs.

Objectives
The objectives of this initiative are to:   

• bring together community-based organizations, employers, training providers and others to develop a community workforce plan that identifies impacted workers, local employers looking to hire, and the skills required to meet demand. 
• help workers develop the skills needed to transition to new jobs through training and work experiences; and 
• support employers to fill jobs in demand. 

Application Process
Eligible organizations can apply through a two-phased process.

An expression of interest phase:  Only organizations that meet the criteria in this  phase will be invited to submit an application.

An application phase:  The Department will assess other criteria at the application phase. An invitation to apply does not guarantee success.

Applications will be accepted between October 16, 2024 and March 31, 2025. The call may close earlier if funding has been fully committed.