MFOR in Laval: funding your employees’ skills

MFOR in Laval: how it works

The Workforce Training Measure (MFOR), business component, gives Laval employers direct financial help to develop their teams. Formerly delivered under the Emploi-Québec name, it now falls under Services Québec and the Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale.

Laval is an unusual territory. According to the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ), it is both an administrative region (region 13) and a single MRC on one island. It had 461,509 residents in 2025 and about 232,100 jobs in October 2026, with an unemployment rate of 7.9 %. Revenue from manufactured goods was about $5.0 billion in 2024. Laval has its own regional MFOR budget.

Access to the grant is not automatic. Unlike a tax credit claimed at year end, the MFOR rests on a formal agreement negotiated before any training starts. A Services Québec business advisor reviews your request, confirms the training approach, sets the rate and commits funds within the regional budget. How other territories operate is covered in our MFOR by region guide.

The government fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31. Because regional funds are limited, projects filed in the spring or autumn usually find more room than those filed in February or March.

Services Québec offices serving Laval businesses

Laval employers are served by more than one Services Québec office, and your file goes to the office that covers the postal code of your establishment. Confirm which one with the official Services Québec office locator.

At the first contact, have your Quebec enterprise number (NEQ) ready and a short description of your training project. The business advisor is your single point of contact: they check that your plan meets the provincial guide and set the level of assistance. If your business has several establishments in Quebec, the file is usually handled by the office where training takes place or by the one for your head office.

Rates by type of training

The official MFOR guide sets three levels of reimbursement depending on the skills being developed:

How these rates apply to common Laval activities:

• Life sciences and medical equipment: training made necessary by new analytical equipment or laboratory technology can aim for the 75 % enhanced rate.
• Logistics, transport and distribution: training on a new warehouse management system, sorting robots or automated inventory can qualify for 75 %, as explained in our guide to the MFOR for technology companies.
• Food processing and greenhouses: projects tied to new automated packaging equipment or greenhouse modernization can be funded at up to 50 % or 75 %, under the rules of the MFOR for manufacturers.
• Retail and services: customer service, team management or standard digital marketing fall under the general rate, generally up to 50 %.

Francization, temporary workers and literacy

Francization is not eligible for the MFOR. Since November 1, 2023, francization of workers falls entirely under the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI). Since February 1, 2025, temporary foreign workers can no longer take part in funded activities, except those employed by an agricultural business.

The 100 % rate remains for literacy (reading, numeracy and digital literacy). These projects must include employee wages, up to $25 an hour, without payroll charges.

Eligible costs and the funding cap

The provincial rules apply the same way in Laval. The contribution generally does not exceed $100,000 per agreement for an SME. Above that, the project falls under large training projects (MFOR-E). The full list is on our MFOR eligible costs page.

Costs the advisor can accept include:

• professional fees or wages of qualified external trainers;
• wage costs of an internal trainer assigned to structured training;
• preparation, adaptation and design of teaching materials;
• rental of equipment or rooms needed for learning;
• travel, accommodation and meals for trainers and participants, at government rates.

Costs that are excluded:

• the part of participant wages above $25 an hour (below that maximum, wages are eligible but not automatic);
• francization, which has fallen under the MIFI since November 1, 2023;
• welcome activities, seminars, conferences and symposiums;
• in general, strictly mandatory training such as CNESST or WHMIS courses, except in exceptional circumstances;
• payroll charges for the business’s employees;
• expenses incurred before the agreement is signed.

Worked example: a Laval distribution SME

Take a food distribution business along Highway 440 in Laval. To support growth and cope with staff shortages, it installs a voice-directed order picking system and must train 14 warehouse workers and 2 supervisors.

Because the training is required by a new automation technology, the advisor can apply the 75 % enhanced rate. The grant could reach $17,250, which is 75 % of $23,000. The employer pays the remaining training costs ($5,750) and the wages, which could be added up to $25 an hour, with no certainty. The final amount is paid after proof of expenses and signed attendance sheets are filed. Try your own numbers in the MFOR calculator.

Steps for an MFOR application in Laval

The process follows five steps, set out in our guide on how to apply for the MFOR:

1. First contact: call the Services Québec office for your area to present your project and confirm basic eligibility.
2. Needs assessment: a business advisor reviews your situation, the change or shortage you face and the skills gaps to close.
3. Detailed training plan: you submit the plan, target skills, the provider’s quote, the list of participants and the schedule.
4. Negotiation and signature: the advisor sets the accepted expenses, confirms the rate (generally up to 50 %, 75 % in an enhanced stream, 100 % for literacy) and drafts the agreement both parties sign.
5. Delivery and reporting: training follows the schedule. At the end, you send paid invoices, proof of payment, attendance sheets and training certificates to receive the agreed reimbursement.

Expect six to eleven weeks between the first exchange with the advisor and the signed agreement. Nothing spent before signature can be reimbursed retroactively.

Other funding to combine

The MFOR fits inside a wider funding plan for Laval businesses:

• 1 % Law: employers with an annual payroll above $2,000,000 must spend at least 1 % of payroll on eligible training. The net, unreimbursed share of an MFOR agreement counts under the Act to promote workforce skills development and recognition.
• Quebec tax credits: for technology or life sciences businesses, training projects can sit alongside R&D credits (SR&ED in Quebec) or the e-business credit (CDAE), as long as the expenses claimed under each are kept strictly apart.
• Large training projects (MFOR-E): where reskilling affects many employees and the assistance requested reaches $100,000 or more, the file goes to the Direction des mesures et services aux entreprises.

Preparing your MFOR application in Laval

A complete file makes the advisor’s review easier. For Laval employers, we help at each step:

1. Defining the training plan to meet Services Québec requirements.
2. Breaking down the budget by the eligible cost categories in the official guide.
3. Preparing the case for the 75 % enhanced rate in technology or automation.
4. Coordinating the MFOR with other programs and the net share to report under the 1 % Law.
5. Support at the reporting stage so the contribution can be paid in full.

To compare with other regions, see our pages on the MFOR in Montreal and the MFOR in Capitale-Nationale.

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; approval and rates remain at the discretion of public authorities. To check your eligibility, book a free eligibility assessment.