BC Small Business Grants in 2026: Training Grants

I have a love/hate relationship with grants. The good? Free money. The bad? Bureaucracy. Most BC small business owners leave a ton of money on the table because they either don't know support is available or don't have the time to jump through the hoops necessary to capitalize on the opportunities. Below, I have compiled a list of available BC small business training grants for 2026, links to apply, my commentary, and a difficulty score out of 10.

If you find this useful, let me know, and I will provide you with information on some of the other 86+ BC small business grants currently available to business owners in the province.

BC Employer Training Grant (ETG)

The BC Employer Training Grant is one of the most widely used and accessible BC small business grants in the province. If you aren't utilizing this grant, you are missing out. It is the morphed government version of the old BC Microbusiness Training Program.

The BC Employer Training Grant provides funding to small, medium, and large enterprises to support skills training for their workforces, including prospective new hires. The Province reimburses employers 80% of eligible training costs, with a maximum of $10,000 per participant and $300,000 per fiscal year (April 1 – March 31).

Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees get 80% coverage, while larger employers get 60%. Training must be delivered by eligible third-party trainers.

Priority is given to first-time applicants, small businesses, and sectors or regions facing significant labour market challenges. Employers must pay training costs upfront and submit a reimbursement claim within 30 days of the start of training.

Commentary: It's a good BC small business grant, but it has some real drawbacks.

The Good:

1. Business owners can get themselves some much-needed training on core business concepts. Focus on areas that will significantly improve your business skills: bookkeeping, marketing, sales, and operational training.
2. You can upskill critical employees within your business. It's a good way to show a couple of your key staff members how important they are and that they will grow with your success.
3. The paperwork isn't terrible for a government program. The key is to make sure you process your financial reimbursements on time.

The Bad:

1. You have to pay for the training upfront and wait to be reimbursed. This is a deal breaker for some small business owners - and those are likely the owners who need the training the most.
2. Coaching is not eligible. From my perspective, this is the most impactful training you can get for your business. The issue is that coaching is wildly unregulated, and there are many bad coaches out there. There is an easy fix for this moving forward: look to a governing body like the International Coaching Federation and approve only certified business coaches in the future.
3. The amount of available funding and an overly bureaucratic process favour larger businesses. The oil companies don't need as much training support as the micro business owners in this province do.

Difficulty Score: 4/10 - it's about as straightforward as working with the government ever gets.

How to apply: Through WorkBC's Skills Training Grants System using a Business BCeID account. Note: this BC small business grant frequently runs out of funding by August-September, so apply in the first week of April for the best chances.

Step-by-Step Guide to Apply:

Step 1: Set up your Business BCeID account - Do this first, before you do anything else. A Business BCeID is the government's login system and it can take up to two weeks to arrive. Go to bceid.ca and register. Don't wait until you have training lined up - get this done now so it's not holding you up later.

One important note: you cannot hire a grant writer or consultant to apply for you. The government is strict about this. The application must come from you and be submitted using your own account.

Step 2: Identify your training need and choose a provider - Figure out which employees need training and what problem you are solving. The BC Employer Training Grant requires that training lead to a better job, more job security, or employment for someone who is currently unemployed. It has to be a real skills gap, not a nice-to-have.

Your training provider must be a third party - you cannot train employees in-house and claim it. Also, the program does not cover diploma or degree programs, and training cannot exceed 52 weeks.

Step 3: Have each employee complete their Participant Information Form - This is the step that catches people off guard. Before you can submit your application, each employee you include must complete their own Participant Information Form in the Skills Training Grants System. You cannot do it for them. Get this sorted before you try to submit, or your application will be stuck.

Step 4: Submit your application - Log into the Skills Training Grants System with your Business BCeID and submit the application. Apply before training starts - not after, not during. Most decisions come back within two weeks. Apply in April, because funding runs out fast.

You can technically start training before you receive a decision, but if your application gets denied, you are on the hook for 100% of the costs. My advice: wait for approval unless you have a hard start date you cannot move.

Step 5: Pay the training provider in full - You pay the full cost out of pocket upfront. The grant reimburses you after the fact. Employees cannot cover any portion of the cost - it has to come from the employer.

Step 6: Submit your reimbursement claim within 30 days - Once training starts, you have 30 days to submit your reimbursement claim back in the Skills Training Grants System. This deadline is not flexible - miss it and your agreement gets cancelled. Have your receipts ready and submit as soon as training kicks off, not at the end.

Step 7: Submit a completion report when training wraps up - Once all employees have finished training, you need to file a completion report through the system. Expect follow-up surveys for both you and your employees. It's straightforward, just don't ignore it.

We are all lifelong learns and training is at the heart of making us successful entrepreneurs. Have you applied? Have you used this program in the past? I would love to hear your feedback in the comments, as other BC business owners will benefit from your experience.