Quebec training grants: how your region shapes the MFOR

Why your region matters

The Workforce Training Measure (MFOR) is not a universal tax credit managed centrally in Quebec City. It is a grant set out in a negotiated agreement between an employer and the Services Québec office for its administrative region.

The Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale decentralizes the business component to its regional directorates across Quebec’s 17 administrative regions. Under sections 2.2 and 2.4 of the Guide des mesures et des services d’emploi, training interventions are carried out based on priorities set at the regional and local levels. The Ministère states that it reserves the right to decide which businesses receive assistance first according to those territorial guidelines.

The location of your establishment decides three things in your application:

• Your office: you must deal with the Services Québec office serving the territory where your employees work.
• The available budget: section 2.6.1.8 of the official guide makes assistance subject to the region’s budget availability for the current fiscal year (April 1 to March 31).
• Fit with local economic priorities: a project that targets a regional priority tends to get faster attention and better negotiating conditions.

Knowing your region lets you time your application with your business advisor’s budget calendar. To estimate the grant before you call, use the MFOR calculator.

The 17 administrative regions

Quebec has 17 official administrative regions. Each has a Services Québec regional directorate and local offices (formerly called local employment centres) that welcome employers and assign business advisors.

Four regions account for a large share of businesses and training requests: Montreal, Laval, Montérégie and Capitale-Nationale. Each has a detailed guide below.

For the other thirteen regions, contact your local office directly through the official Services Québec office locator.

What changes from one region to another

The eligibility rules in the provincial MFOR guide apply across Quebec, but a business’s actual experience varies with its location. Three factors create the main differences:

• Annual budgets: each regional directorate receives a fixed budget on April 1. Availability varies by region and by the point in the fiscal year.
• Local industry priorities: each region favours particular skills. Each region sets its own priorities; check them with your office.
• The advisor’s room to negotiate: the provincial guide sets maximum rates (generally 50 %, 75 % in enhanced streams, 100 % for literacy) but no minimum. The business advisor can adjust the percentage based on the employer’s finances and what is left in the budget.

In practice, a file accepted at a favourable rate in an outlying region could face tighter negotiation in a large urban centre.

Multi-region projects and large training projects (MFOR-E)

Businesses with locations across Quebec face specific rules when planning training. When participants come from establishments in several administrative regions, the employer must find the right office:

• Projects under $100,000: negotiation usually takes place with the Services Québec office where the business’s decision-making head office is, or the establishment with the most employees involved. If needs differ from one plant to another, separate regional agreements can be signed with each directorate.
• Projects of $100,000 or more: section 2.6.1.8 of the official guide provides that requests reaching this threshold fall under large training projects (MFOR-E). They are not decided by the local advisor but assessed directly by the Direction des mesures et services aux entreprises (DMSE) at the provincial level.

For remote workers, section 2.3 of the guide states that employees living in Quebec who telework for a Quebec business are eligible. Remote workers located outside Quebec are excluded.

Applying through your regional office

An MFOR application in the regions follows a careful sequence with your local office:

1. Find the right office: use the official Services Québec locator to identify the local office serving your establishment’s postal code.
2. First contact: ask to speak with a business advisor before you choose providers or sign quotes.
3. File the application and training plan: send a complete file with the needs analysis, external trainers’ quotes and the projected budget, using the Ministère’s templates.
4. Negotiate and sign the agreement: agree on the reimbursement rate and the funding ceiling before courses begin.

Nothing can start before the agreement is signed. Expenses incurred before that date are refused. Allow six to eleven weeks of administrative time for these steps. For the documents to provide, see our guide on how to apply for the MFOR, and for the cost rules, MFOR eligible costs. Sector rules are covered in the MFOR for manufacturers and the MFOR for technology companies.

How we help with regional applications

We help Quebec employers prepare their MFOR file for their regional Services Québec office. We identify your office, time your filing with regional budget availability and organize your training plan by the Ministère’s official categories. We support you during exchanges with your regional business advisor and check your supporting documents so the funds can be paid at the reporting stage.

What Canadian Funding Partners does

Canadian Funding Partners helps businesses identify relevant funding programs and coordinate their applications with specialized partner firms. Where a file needs accounting or engineering expertise, that work is done by qualified professionals at those firms. We do not administer the MFOR and do not represent Services Québec. We do not promise any financial result; grants remain entirely at the discretion of public authorities. Our aim is to present a complete, solid file from the first submission. To check your approach in your region, book a free eligibility assessment.