StrongerBC future skills grant

The StrongerBC future skills grant is for British Columbians 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.

The grant currently applies to eligible Fall 2024 micro-credentials in Creative Technology and Web and Digital Design.

ECU Applications open August 6th 2024.

Student Eligibility

To be eligible for the future skills grant, you:

Must be a Canadian Citizen, a Permanent Resident, or a Protected Person entitled to study in Canada
Must be a B.C. resident currently living in British Columbia
Must be 19 years of age or older or have graduated from grade 12 or equivalent
Must provide consent for ECU to collect and disclose personal information that is relevant to accessing the StrongerBC future skills grant to the provincial government
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 StrongerBC future skills grant

You should also understand that:

The future skills grant benefits may have tax implications. Please consult the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for tax advice
The 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 B.C. Employment Assistance (BCEA), you must seek approval from the appropriate government body before participating in a program
The amount of funding received is subject to review and audit

How to apply to use your future skills grant funding

Review the eligibility criteria to see if you qualify for funding
Choose from the list of eligible Fall 2024 micro-credentials. You can apply for a maximum of 3 eligible courses per term.
Starting August 6: Apply!
STEP 1: fill out the ECU course application at least 7 days before the course start date
STEP 2: apply for the FSG grant online with your BC Services Card Account. If you don't have a BC Services Card Account account yet, set one up here.
Allow up to 5 business days to receive your application approval and registration confirmation from ECU

Click to view the list of eligible Fall 2024 micro-credentials

The full list of Fall 2024 FSG eligible micro-credentials are listed below.

You can apply for a maximum of 3 eligible courses per term. If you are interested in enrolling in more than one course, you will need to submit separate applications for each.

Once your application has been approved, a hold will be placed on your FSG funds for the amount required. If your request for material reimbursement is less than the total hold amount remaining funds will be released for future use.

Principles of Animation October 2 - December 4 6:30-9:30pm On Campus	Tuition: $663.00 Materials (including tax): $1,516.35 FSG Amount Required: $2,179.35
Intro 3D Modeling for Animation (Maya) October 3 - December 5 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $645.15 Materials (including tax): $360.51 FSG Amount Required: $1,005.66
Intro 3D Modeling + Animation (Blender) September 24 - December 10 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $714.00 Materials (including tax): $360.51 FSG Amount Required: $1,074.51
Innovations in Design October 23 - November 27 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $402.90 Materials (including tax): $11.20 FSG Amount Required: $414.10
Industry Intro: Design October 10 - November 7 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $331.50 Materials (including tax): $11.20 FSG Amount Required: $342.70
Designing for Accessibility October 1 - December 3 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $645.15 Materials (including tax): $427.71 Maximum Funds Required: $1,072.86
Video Editing + Effects October 5 - December 8 1:30-4:30pm Online	Tuition: $645.15 Materials (including tax): $360.51 FSG Amount Required: $1,005.66
Introductory Motion Graphics September 25 - December 11 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $714.00 Materials (including tax): $360.51 FSG Amount Required: $1,074.51
Principles of Game Development October 3 - December 5 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $637.50 Materials (including tax): $11.20 FSG Amount Required: $648.70
Innovations in Game Development October 8 - December 10 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $637.50 Materials (including tax): $11.20 FSG Amount Required:$648.70
Industry Intro: Game Development October 19 - November 23 9:30am-12:30pm Online	Tuition: $331.50 Materials (including tax): $11.20 FSG Amount Required: $342.70
Applications: Grants, Residencies + Exhibitions October 8 - November 5 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $357.00 Materials (including tax): $11.20 FSG Amount Required: $368.20
Business Planning for Creative Practitioners October 16 - November 20 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $357.00 Materials (including tax): $11.20 FSG Amount Required: $368.20
Financial Practices for Gig Work and Independent Practitioners October 19 - November 23 9:30am-12:30pm Online	Tuition: $364.15 Materials (including tax): $11.20 FSG Amount Required: $375.35
Creative Writing October 20 - December 15 9:30am-12:30pm Online	Tuition: $535.50 Materials (including tax): $11.20 FSG Amount Required: $546.70
Storyboarding October 2 - December 4 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $645.15 Materials (including tax): $2,354.11 FSG Amount Required: $2,999.26
Character Design + Development September 14 - December 7 1:30-4:30pm Online	Tuition: $714.00 Materials (including tax): $2,107.71 FSG Amount Required: $2,821.71
Introductory Windows for Optimized Workflows November 16 - December 7 1:30-4:30pm On Campus	Tuition: $265.20 Materials (including tax): $11.20 FSG Amount Required: $276.40
Introductory Adobe Premiere Pro October 3 - December 5 6:30-9:30pm On Campus	Tuition: $645.15 Materials (including tax): $360.51 FSG Amount Required: $1,005.66
Introductory Adobe After Effects October 1 - December 3 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $645.15 Materials (including tax): $360.51 FSG Amount Required: $995.58
Introductory Maya October 8 - December 10 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $645.15 Materials (including tax): $2,051.71 FSG Amount Required: $2,696.86
Introductory UI Design September 21 - December 14 9:30am-12:30pm Online	Tuition: $637.50 Materials (including tax): $11.20 FSG Amount Required: $648.70
Intermediate UI Design October 11 - December 13 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $637.50 Materials (including tax): $11.20 FSG Amount Required: $648.70
Introductory Adobe Photoshop October 16 - November 13 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $382.50 Materials (including tax): $360.51 FSG Amount Required: $743.01
Introductory UX Design September 15 - December 8 9:30am-12:30pm Online	Tuition: $637.50 Materials (including tax): $56.00 FSG Amount Required: $693.50
Introductory Javascript October 9 - December 11 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $645.15 Materials (including tax): $11.20 FSG Amount Required: $656.35
Adobe CC Essentials September 7 - December 14 9:30am-12:30pm On Campus	Tuition: $765.00 Materials (including tax): $360.51 FSG Amount Required: $1,125.51
Introductory WordPress October 4 - December 6 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $645.15 Materials (including tax): $360.51 FSG Amount Required: $1,005.66
Intermediate Web Design October 10 - December 12 6:30-9:30pm Online	Tuition: $645.15 Materials (including tax): $360.51 FSG Amount Required: $1,005.66

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Important Application + Registration Policies

You can apply for a maximum of 3 eligible courses per term.
You must have adequate funds available to cover the full cost of tuition plus the maximum reimbursement for course materials. A hold will be placed on your FSG funds for the maximum cost of the course. If your material reimbursement request is less than the total hold placed on your FSG account, remaining funds will be released for future use.
Complete both the ECU course application and the StrongerBC future skills grant online at least 7 days before the course start date. Applications that are submitted after this time frame will not be processed.
This grant cannot be applied retroactively. We are unable to issue refunds to individuals who have already registered for courses eligible for grant funding.

Waitlist
For courses that have already reached a maximum number of registered seats, you can choose to be placed on a waitlist. If a seat becomes available, CS staff will contact you with further information.

Course cancellations
In the event that a course is cancelled, CS staff will contact you with further information.

Course withdrawals
General Continuing Studies registration policies apply.

Purchasing course materials

Our Materials Guides provide information about what is required and/or recommended to purchase in order to fully participate in the course. Only materials listed in the guide are eligible for reimbursement from your $3500 lifetime limit of FSG funds.

Find the Materials Guide for your course.
Look for the approved reimbursement amount for materials listed for your course.
The hold placed on your FSG funds includes the tuition fee and material costs, plus tax.
Track your expenses per course, and keep all your original receipts.*

*Note: expenses that exceed the maximum amount for the course will not be reimbursed. Additionally, expenses that exceed your $3500 lifetime limit will not be reimbursed.

Applying for material reimbursement

What to expect for the reimbursement process:

The reimbursement claims form will be available starting October 2024. Exact date to be announced.
Reimbursement will be issued by electronic funds transfer (direct deposit) to a Canadian institution, or by cheque.
Please allow up to 4 weeks for payment processing after your claim has been approved for reimbursement.

Start preparing for your reimbursement claim now:

Gather all receipts for materials you purchased and sort them by course. We can only reimburse you for items and amounts you have receipts for.
Review the course material guide to make sure all materials you are claiming are listed as required and/or recommended. Only materials listed in the guide are eligible for reimbursement
Use your ECU account to login to the claim form. View more information about your ECU email account.
You will need to fill out a separate claim per course.

Receipt Requirements:

Make sure you are submitting an acceptable receipt. This means:
- It clearly shows an itemized list of materials purchased after August 6th 2024.
- It clearly shows the vendor name, date, subtotal, taxes, total and payment method. Payments made by debit or credit card should include debit/credit card receipts as well as itemized receipts.
- If the receipt is in a foreign currency, include a copy of the credit card statement showing the currency exchange rate and the Canadian dollar amount charged.
- Click to view examples of acceptable receipts.
If your receipt includes ineligible items, identify the eligible items on the receipt by circling them.
Tally the eligible items, including tax, and confirm the total does not exceed the maximum approved reimbursement amount for your course.
Take a photo or digitally scan paper receipts into jpg, png, or PDF formats.
If you have multiple receipts, you can upload multiple files per claim submission, but they must all be contained within a single folder or file.