MFOR in Montreal: funding employee training

MFOR in Montreal at a glance

The Workforce Training Measure (MFOR), business component, supports skills development for employed workers on the island of Montreal. It is delivered by Services Québec under the Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale. The rules are the same across Quebec, but how they play out depends on the local economy and on the regional budget.

According to the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ), the Montreal administrative region (region 06) had 2,172,259 residents in 2025 and about 1,144,600 jobs in October 2026, with an unemployment rate of 8.9 %. Revenue from manufactured goods reached about $62.7 billion in 2024. The island combines professional services, a large information technology sector and an industrial base, so training requests cover everything from cloud skills to new production equipment.

Funds are committed throughout the government fiscal year, which runs from April 1 to March 31. Late in the year, available funds can run short, which lengthens reviews or reduces the amounts granted. Starting in the spring is the safer plan.

As in every Quebec administrative region, the MFOR is not an automatic tax credit. It is a discretionary grant negotiated as a prior agreement with a business advisor. No expense incurred before the agreement is signed can be reimbursed.

Services Québec offices on the island of Montreal

To apply, an employer contacts the Services Québec office that serves the territory where its establishment is located. The network was long known as the local employment centres (CLE); business services now operate under the Services Québec name.

Montreal has several business service points spread across the island. Your advisor is assigned by the civic address of your business, so confirm your office with the official Services Québec office locator before you call.

At the first contact, the business advisor checks basic eligibility: a valid Quebec enterprise number (NEQ), real operations on the island, and no listing on the register of businesses ineligible for public contracts (RENA).

Key sectors and eligible training

The official MFOR guide sets the level of assistance by the kind of learning. In Montreal, three types of projects come up often.

Information technology and digital transformation

Under section 2.6.1.8 of the official guide, information technology can qualify for an enhanced rate of 75 % of eligible costs. Typical training includes:

• cloud architecture (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud);
• data science and machine learning;
• applied cybersecurity and vulnerability management;
• modern development practices (DevOps, containers).

Our guide to the MFOR for technology companies covers these rules in more detail.

Francization in the workplace

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), and the MFOR can no longer support it. The 100 % rate remains for literacy (reading, numeracy and digital literacy); these projects must include employee wages, up to $25 an hour.

Manufacturing and new equipment

In the island’s industrial areas, training made necessary by automation or robotic cells can aim for the enhanced rate of 75 %. For general management or professional development training, assistance is generally up to 50 %. See the MFOR for manufacturers for the equipment rules.

Worked example: a Montreal technology SME

Take an IT services business in the Mile-End with 30 employees. To support its growth, it plans advanced cloud training for seven software engineers over four months.

If the advisor approves this rate, the non-repayable contribution could reach $14,400. The business covers the balance of $29,300, mostly the engineers’ time in training. Wages could be added up to $25 an hour, but they are not granted automatically. The project stays under the $100,000 cap. You can run your own figures in the MFOR calculator.

Stacking with other programs

An MFOR file often sits inside a wider public funding plan. Coordinate each source carefully so that no expense is funded twice.

The 1 % Law on workforce skills

Quebec employers with a payroll above $2 million are subject to the Act to promote workforce skills development and recognition. Only the employer’s net share in an MFOR agreement, after the grant is deducted, counts toward that obligation.

Provincial tax credits (R&D and CDAE)

Many Montreal technology businesses also claim the e-business tax credit (CDAE) or scientific research and experimental development credits (SR&ED in Quebec). Expenses already funded by the MFOR cannot be included in the base for these refundable credits. Clean bookkeeping lets you claim the MFOR on pure training costs and keep development wages for the tax credits.

Large training projects

Where the assistance requested reaches $100,000 or more, the file moves to large training projects (MFOR-E), assessed centrally rather than by the local advisor.

Timing

The fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31. Regional funds are limited, and the Ministère sets priorities at the regional and local levels; spring and early-autumn submissions usually find more room than February or March. Plan six to ten weeks between the first exchange with Services Québec and the signed agreement.

Preparing and filing your MFOR application in Montreal

We help Montreal employers design and negotiate their files with Services Québec, across the whole funding cycle:

1. Review of training needs and basic eligibility against the priorities set for Montreal.
2. A structured training plan, with a budget broken down to match section 2.6.1.7 of the guide, and qualified trainers.
3. The technology or sector case supporting the 75 % enhanced rate, or 100 % funding for literacy.
4. Support during exchanges with the business advisor until the agreement is signed.
5. Compliance at the reporting stage (attendance sheets, paid invoices, completion certificates) so the grant can be paid.

Businesses next door will find their own regional rules on our pages for Laval and Montérégie. The full rules are in our MFOR program guide, and the steps are in how to apply.

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 at the discretion of public authorities. To check where your project stands, book a free eligibility assessment.