The provincial government’s Re-Open Saskatchewan Training Subsidy has a new application deadline after it was moved from December 31, 2020 to March 31, 2021.

The program, which was launched on June 18, works as a temporary training subsidy to assist businesses with financial support to train employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This program has been another important tool to support Saskatchewan businesses as they work through the global COVID-19 pandemic,” said Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison in a statement from the government.

“With significant uptake to this point, we want to extend the deadline to give more businesses the opportunity to access this program as we continue with our economic recovery efforts.”

The training subsidy reimburses eligible private-sector employers 100 per cent of employee training costs up to a maximum of $10,000 per business to help businesses re-open safely. In order to be eligible for the subsidy, approved training must begin within four months of the application date and must be completed within a maximum of four months.

The government shared on Thursday that employer response to the program has been positive so far. From the program’s start to the end of December 2020, it has approved more than 600 applications and committed $2.5 million in support to affected Saskatchewan businesses.