The Yves Landry Foundation’s Achieving Innovation and Manufacturing Excellence (AIME) Global initiative, a program supporting employee training to support innovation, has opened once again as of December 1, 2014. The federal government has recently injected $9M in funding to the program, on top of the original $6M invested, to help southern Ontario manufacturers achieve a competitive advantage and ensure they have skilled and knowledgeable employees. The Yves Landry AIME Global fund looks to support 200 manufacturers through AIME and create and maintain 2,000 manufacturing jobs while training 7,000 more. Administered by FedDev Ontario and the Yves Landry Foundation, the program will provide 25-50% of training costs up to $50,000, with the applying companying providing the remaining funds.
Companies interested in applying must be manufacturers making to-market products and have 10-1000 employees operating in southern Ontario, and they must have been in business for at least three years, with strong financials over that period. First time applicants to the program are eligible to have 50% of their costs covered, while applicants who applied more than 24 months ago are welcome to apply again, but are only eligible for 25% of their costs matched. The fund will cover both direct and indirect training costs, including trainer fees, trainee wages, accommodation costs, and material costs.
In terms of eligible training, the program will support training in relation to the adaption of new technology or procedures that support innovation and increase global competitiveness through new domestic or export markets. Also, training that provides high-value skills (such as new engineering, software, manufacturing methods, or technologies) to employees in order to increase global competitiveness will also be covered. The key factor in determining eligibility is the creation of new global markets or export opportunities, in order to demonstrate southern Ontario’s growth and strength as a manufacturing centre.
We here at NorthBridge have experience with the Yves Landry program and can help you through each step of the process, from project identification and feasibility assessment through to the a preliminary evaluation, and then a full application as appropriate. For more information, please contact us at info@northbridgeconsultants.com.