Our StrongerBC future skills grant programs have reached their capacity for fall 2023 and are no longer accepting StrongerBC future skill grant registrations. See information below regarding Ministry funding for StrongerBC future skill grant for 2024.
The StrongerBC future skills grant (FSG), is open to most British Columbian residents aged 19 years or older – regardless of financial need – and covers up to $3,500 in eligible short-term skills training at public post-secondary institutions.
Winter (January – March) 2024 Semester Funding
Funding under the future skills grant program will be available in the winter 2024 semester for only those learners who initiated a program of study in the fall 2023 semester using their future skills grant funding of $3,500 and whose program extended beyond that first semester (midstream learners).
- UBC Extended Learning will reach out directly to qualifying learners midstream in ExL eligible programs. If you qualify you should hear from us by Dec 21.
Definitions: Winter 2024 semester eligible midstream learners
Midstream learners are those learners who took a future skills grant funded program in the fall of 2023 and require additional courses or programming in the winter of 2024 to complete that programming. Only learners defined as midstream learners will have access to the remaining funds in their lifetime grant in the winter 2024 semester. Those learners who are not defined as midstream learners will need to await future semesters to continue using or begin using their grant.
Midstream learners’ eligibility criteria for future skills grant funding for the winter 2024 semester are as follows:
- You must have started a future skills grant-funded program in the fall 2023 semester and need to take more courses to complete the original program.
- Only courses that start in the winter 2024 semester, between January 1, 2024 - March 31, 2024, and are required to complete a program or credential that has already started are eligible for future skills grant funding in the winter 2024 semester.
- You must continue with the same program and study at the same institution where you began your program. You cannot switch to a different program or a different institution and retain access to your future skills grant funding for the winter 2024 semester. Funding will be available in fall 2024 semester if you wish to consider other programs or institutions that may be available in the fall 2024 semester.
- You must not have already exceeded your future skills grant lifetime maximum allotment of $3,500.
Future Learners
For other students or prospective future users of the future skills grant, we are pleased to confirm there will be funded programs available in the fall (September) 2024 semester. This funding will be available for new learners who have not yet accessed future skills grant funding, and for those who have already accessed future skills grant funding with remaining funds still available to them from their $3,500 lifetime maximum.
Please stay tuned for the refreshed list of program offerings, for fall 2024, which will be posted in mid-late spring 2024.
About StrongerBC future skills grant
The StrongerBC future skills grant (FSG), is open to most British Columbian residents aged 19 years or older – regardless of financial need – and covers up to $3,500 in eligible short-term skills training at public post-secondary institutions.
Student Eligibility
- To be eligible for the StrongerBC future skills grant, you:
- must be a Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident, or Protected Person entitled to study in Canada
- must be B.C. residents and currently live in BC
- must be 19 years or older or have graduated high school by the start of your course/program
- must provide consent for UBC to disclose your information to the Province of British Columbia
- should not be receiving duplicative and/or overlapping funding to cover eligible costs (i.e. grants, loans, scholarships, or other funding that covers the same program costs as the StongerBC future skills grant).
You should also understand that:
- future skills grant benefits may have tax implications
- the future skills grant is subject to a lifetime maximum of $3,500
- if you are receiving any federal or provincial benefit, such as Employment Insurance (EI) or BC Employment Assistance (BCEA), you must seek approval from the appropriate government body before participating in a program
- the amount of future skills grant funding you receive is subject to review and audit.