Getting the wheels rolling

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This article was published 09/11/2021 (1434 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In a push to upgrade Manitobans’ skills, the province is reimbursing businesses who pay for their employees’ training.

Retrain Manitoba, a program announced Monday, will reimburse local companies up to $2,500 per newly trained staff member, with a ceiling of $75,000.

Economic Development Winnipeg and the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce have allocated $12.5 million of the province’s $50-million long-term COVID-19 recovery fund to the project.

“We hear what keeps (businesses) up at night, and talent is their No. 1 concern coming out of the pandemic,” said Dayna Spiring, Economic Development Winnipeg’s president and CEO. “I think this is going to be a great opportunity for them to upskill their employees and be ready to go and be competitive in a global marketplace.”

Eligible businesses can apply funding to in-person, online and industry-recognized courses. The programs must be offered by third-party groups.

“We’ve watched businesses have to adapt,” Spiring said. “We’ve watched them have to understand how to deal in the digital world… A lot of staff need training on that.”

However, courses don’t need to relate to digital literacy — they can be, pretty much, whatever the employer wants, provided it’s relevant to the job.

“It would be a very, very rare case where we wouldn’t reimburse companies for training that they’re providing to their employees,” Spiring said.

Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Manitoba is expecting an uptake of its courses, according to divisional vice-president Ron Koslowsky.

He knew about Retrain Manitoba before the announcement and had been telling local organizations about it. Already, folks have expressed an interest in the CME’s offerings, such as leadership and advanced manufacturing courses.

“It’s a win-win,” Koslowsky said. “Trying to address both the intake of talent, as well as the development of talent in the workplace… is very, very important.”

Around 60,000 Manitobans are employed in manufacturing. It’s been increasingly difficult finding workers with the proper skills, Koslowsky said.

“What we’re missing is an ability to bring people at work to a place where they can be really productive and help us to be competitive,” he said.

Active companies with valid Manitoba business numbers — and who are in good standing with the Manitoba Companies Office — are eligible. Non-profits and charities with active business numbers are included.

Businesses who receive more than 50 per cent of their funding from the province, or have government-appointed boards, are not eligible. Neither are those who haven’t rectified arrears for taxes owing on March 20, 2020 (this doesn’t include companies who’ve deferred tax remittances incurred between April to September of 2020 and January to May of 2021).

Retrain Manitoba isn’t a silver bullet to labour shortages, Spiring said.

“This is one component,” she said.

In October, Manitoba had the lowest unemployment rate among the provinces — 5.3 per cent. Unemployment has decreased by 1.7 per cent over the past year. However, the province ranked ninth among other provinces in employment growth.

Darren Klassen, the vice-president of real estate management services for Colliers International, hopes Retrain Manitoba will help his company in hiring people they otherwise wouldn’t. He’s hoping to fill various property management positions.

“We find a lot of people want to come into the industry, but they don’t have a lot of experience,” he said. “This is going to be a great opportunity to get some resources, to help them train.”

Businesses must submit grant applications by March 31. Forms are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Employees must begin their funded courses by Aug. 31. The training doesn’t need to come from a Manitoban institution, but travel expenses for training aren’t covered.

“We hope to go about (this) quickly,” Spiring said, adding if a company were to apply on a Tuesday, Economic Development Winnipeg would aim to have the money in their bank account by the following Friday.

Shaun Jeffrey, executive director and CEO of the Manitoba Restaurants and Foodservices Association, applauded the program. The restaurant and accommodation sector has been hard-hit, with a reported 3,900-worker deficit in October, according to a provincial bulletin.

“In a time where our profit margins continue to be stretched very thin, this additional funding to carry forward additional training for our staff is a step in the right direction,” Jeffrey wrote in an email.

Workers accessing Retrain Manitoba’s training don’t need to be full-time. Companies can register at retrainmanitoba.com.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com