Program Overview
Year two of the Pathways to Careers in Foodservice program provides foodservice operators with access to Training Subsidies that support the training and retention of new hires or promotions of individuals from under-represented groups. Restaurants Canada can also sponsor Kibbi subscriptions for 25 restaurants to enhance your youth recruitment strategy. We also support participating foodservice operators with accessing talent supply management solutions, as well as additional incentives outside of the Pathways program. If you wish to access recruitment supports, training resources, or inquire about hiring incentives, or would like more information about the Pathways program, please contact DSalah@restaurantscanada.org
For details on the Pathways program, including the Subsidies available and eligibility, please scroll down and review the appropriate section or review our Full Info Package
The Training Subsidy is available to cover the cost of hiring and in-house training for the following foodservice operations:
- Front of house (point of sale employees, wait staff, hostess/host, bartenders, supervisors, management)
- Back of house (cooks, chefs, line-staff, dishwashers/prep-cooks)
The Subsidy is also available for existing employees to support upskilling to other positions (i.e., into supervisor or management positions).
How it works:
- $1,500 for each staff hired from the specified under-represented groups (see below for list), that has been retained for a period of three-months; $2,000 for each staff that is a youth under 25 or a worker displaced by tariffs.
- Restaurants must submit a Training Agreement form along with a Participant Registration Form (PRF) for each employee you wish to claim a Subsidy for within the first month of employment. Subsidies cannot be claimed for employees hired more than 31 days from the time of submitting the PRF and Training Agreement. For example, if an employee is hired on Nov 12, 2026, the employer must submit the PRF and Training Agreement for that employee no later than Dec 13, 2026, in order to be eligible to claim the Subsidy for that employee.
- Forms can be found under the Quick Links side bar or the Forms and Claims section at the bottom of your account dashboard upon logging in.
Eligible under-represented groups are defined as:
- People with disabilities (including learning disabilities and those experiencing mental health)
- Youth under 25
- Workers displaced by tariffs
- Women
- Newcomers
- Indigenous
- Racialized
- Justice involved and at risk
- 2SLGBTQI+
Upon request, Restaurants Canada’s Program Director and Program Coordinator will both work with participating foodservice operators to support recruitment needs through digital talent solutions and employment service providers supporting local job seekers. Recruiting from our partners is a good way to find candidates eligible for the Subsidy. Recruitment options include:
- Free one-year Kibbi subscription to enhance youth recruitment strategies
- Single points of access to groups of talent pools for streamlined recruitment
- Connections to individual service partners to cultivate talent pipelines
- Access to sector specific training programs for job seekers (where available)
- Provincial networks of service providers
These supports are available to all participating restaurants and foodservice operators that register for the program, whether accessing Restaurants Canada’s grants and subsidies or not.