Editor’s Note: Following up on an announcement that was originally made during a Ministerial visit to St. Clair in January (http://stclair-src.org/news/need-know-news/skills-boost-launched-st-clair), here is more info about the new federal “Skills Boost” program:
Contributed by Employment and Social Development Canada
Making postsecondary education more affordable for Canadians is how we will continue growing our middle class and strengthening our economy. When Canadians have the opportunity to go to school or access training while better balancing family responsibilities, they are better placed to find and keep good jobs.
That’s why Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, recently highlighted expanded access to Canada Student Grants for part-time students; and Skills Boost, a new plan to give adult learners the support they need to succeed in the workforce.
Starting this academic year, nearly 10,000 more part-time students from low- and middle-income families will benefit from up to $1,800 in non‑repayable grants per year and up to $10,000 in loans. Additionally, access to grants for part-time students with children will be expanded allowing them to benefit from up to $1,920 per year in grants.
Expanded access to Canada Student Grants for full-time and part-time students and students with dependants helps more Canadians afford postsecondary education.
These measures will benefit Canadian women in particular, who often strive to improve their career prospects while balancing family responsibilities. Women represent nearly two-thirds of the Canada Student Loans Program’s part-time recipients, while approximately four out of five students receiving the Canada Student Grant for students with dependent children are women.
As well, Skills Boost includes several measures announced in Budget 2017 that will be available for the school year beginning this fall, as part of a $287.2 million, three-year pilot project. Students eligible for the Canada Student Grant for Full-Time Students, and who have been out of high school for at least ten years, will receive an additional $1,600 per school year ($200 per month) in top-up funding. An estimated 43,000 low- and middle-income Canadians will benefit from the top-up funding in the 2018–19 academic year. And, for the first time, working and unemployed Canadians whose employment situation has significantly changed from the previous year can see their current income used to assess Canada Student Grant eligibility. This means a person who experiences a drop in income won’t be unfairly automatically disqualified for assistance based on their previous year’s earnings.
“Helping more Canadians afford postsecondary education will help grow our economy and strengthen the middle class,” Hajdu said. “Far too many Canadians face challenges when pursuing postsecondary education — not only because of the cost of education itself, but also because of the financial pressures and time constraints of supporting our families. Our government has Canadians covered, no matter their circumstance — whether they are going to college or university for the first time, returning to school, or upgrading their skills.”
The Government of Canada is investing:
• $107.4 million over four years, starting in 2018–19, and $29.3 million per year thereafter, to expand eligibility for Canada Student Grants for students with dependants;
• $59.8 million over four years, starting in 2018–19, and $17 million per year thereafter, to expand eligibility for Canada Student Grants for Part-Time Students and to increase the threshold for eligibility for Canada Student Loans for part-time students.
Expanded access to Canada Student Grants for students with dependants, starting in the 2018–19 academic year, allows more:
- full-time students with children to receive up to $200 per month per child; and
- part-time students with children to receive up to $1,920 per year in grants.
