Feature Film & TV Production Grant Guidelines - Apprenticeship Stream

The Apprenticeship Stream was established to encourage further training of Saskatchewan residents on local productions and grow the local workforce. The Program and outcomes will be reviewed as of March 31, 2028, to determine success and impacts.

The guidelines were approved on April 1, 2026 for the 2026-27 Fiscal Year. Any amendments made after the fact will be posted here:

• No amendments to date.

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This stream is a source of additional project funding and is only available to successful Feature Film & Television Production Grant (FFTV) applicants.

Overview

If a technical position is unable to be filled by a willing, available, and qualified Saskatchewan resident, Creative Saskatchewan will encourage mentorship and training by allowing the salary of an eligible non-resident individual (mentor) to qualify as eligible Saskatchewan spend for the work they perform in Saskatchewan, provided that during the time they are working on the production, there is at least one Saskatchewan resident (apprentice) receiving mentorship and training in Saskatchewan on the production. There must be at least one Saskatchewan apprentice per eligible non-resident individual being claimed. The Apprenticeship Stream does not apply to producers, directors,​​ writers, on-screen performers or any above-the-line positions unless explicitly approved by the governing bodies detailed below. Positions that may be classified as below-the-line in certain projects, such as writers, may be allowed upon review and approval of the request by the relevant governing bodies.

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Financial Commitment

Creative Saskatchewan’s financial contribution is up to 40% of eligible non-resident salaries, paid upon the completion of training activities. The contribution percentage is equal to the percentage received in the Feature Film & Television Production Grant (FFTV) for the project.

Eligible non-resident individual salaries are awarded a grant provided that each eligible non-resident individual (the ‘mentor’) is matched with a qualified Saskatchewan resident apprentice. Non-resident salaries are only eligible during the training phase. For example, if a non-resident crew member is hired for a project for 20 weeks and is training a Saskatchewan resident (or several) for 10 weeks, only 10 weeks of non-resident salary is eligible to the program.

There is no cap on the total salaries eligible for the grant, however, the financial investment received through the Apprenticeship Stream is counted towards the total Feature Film & Television Production Grant maximum of $5 million per project.

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Mentor & Apprentice Requirements

• Claimed positions and matched Saskatchewan apprentices must be approved by ScreenSask in partnership with the Business Agent from the appropriate and relevant Union or Guild for the stated position.
• Applicants may apply to bring in an out-of-province Mentor provided that they also train at least one Saskatchewan-based Apprentice in the same production.
• Mentors must have at least three professional screen credits in the role they are being hired for, in the same genre, and at the same budget level.
• Applicants must demonstrate that no Saskatchewan resident is both qualified and available to do the job the Mentor is being brought in to do. A qualified local is defined as someone who has at least three professional screen credits in that role, in that genre, at that budget level.
• Apprentices must have fewer than three professional screen credits in the role, in the same genre, at the same budget level. Apprentices who reach three or more credits in a role are no longer eligible to apprentice in that role, but may apprentice in other roles, genres, or higher budget levels.
• The program does not apply to ​p​roducers, directors, writers, on-screen performers, or other above-the-line positions, except in exceptional circumstances as approved by ScreenSask and the relevant union or guild. Positions that may be classified as below-the-line in certain projects, such as writers, may be allowed upon review and approval of the request by the relevant governing bodies.
• Apprentices must train in the same department as the Mentor they are paired with, except in exceptional circumstances which must be agreed to by ScreenSask and the relevant unions​ and guilds​.

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Applicant & Project Requirements

• Applicants must be in good standing in all respects with Creative Saskatchewan.
• Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria defined in the General Guidelines.
• Applicants may be an individual or a corporation – see the General Guidelines for definitions.
• Eligible projects must have been approved for a Feature Film & Television Production Grant (FFTV) prior to applying for the Apprenticeship Stream.
• The applicant must agree to sign on and adhere to the training policies and practices defined by ScreenSask and its partner labour organizations and complete its required final reports.
• Required submissions, timelines & processes are detailed below in Addendum 1.

Eligible apprentices must be paid in accordance with the following table:

Note: The applicant corporation is required to provide eligible apprentices with access to all benefits offered by production to the general crew (ie, craft service, catering, specialized safety gear, etc). Apprentices and trainers must receive a credit commiserate with their role on the production.

If the Apprentice is employed by a loan-out corporation for the purpose of this employment, the applicant may omit the fringe benefit remittances such as Workers Compensation, Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance if the loan-out corporation has previously paid all required remittances in accordance with the labour laws of the Province of Saskatchewan.

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Addendum 1 – Application Process & Requirements

The financial incentive is administered by Creative Saskatchewan through the Grant Management System (GMS), and training related documents are uploaded concurrently to​ ​ScreenSask’s Training Portal. Applications can be made no sooner than eight weeks prior to the commencement of pre-production. Applications must be received at least two weeks prior to the commencement of principal photography to allow Creative Saskatchewan, ScreenSask and the relevant Union & Guilds to review the submission.

At the time of the GMS application, the applicant company will identify the proposed number of mentor and apprentice positions, rationale, and the anticipated cost of resident and non-resident salaries. Upon approval, Creative Saskatchewan will issue a Letter of Commitment (LOC) outlining the maximum allowable financial incentive and number of approved mentor and apprentice positions for the project. The program is geared towards below-the-line positions. However, in certain instances, an above-the-line position may be approved if strong economic and training outcomes are illustrated by the applicant. In these scenarios, the applicant may need to provide additional shadowing opportunities to supplement the training, and the eligible labour expense may be capped at Creative Saskatchewan’s discretion.

The LOC and payment terms will be administered separately from the FFTV agreement for the project.

Upon submission of the grant application to GMS, the applicant will enter the details of the training plan into ScreenSask’s Training Portal, which will prompt the applicant to provide detailed information on the proposed apprentices, mentors, and nature of the apprenticeship. The Training Portal is a secure web and mobile platform that allows applicants to upload resumes for apprentices and mentors for approval.

Within two weeks, ScreenSask alongside the relevant unions and guilds, will review the submission, and ScreenSask will initiate a consultation meeting between the applicant and relevant business agents to review the request. Together, ScreenSask, the production team, business agents and the mentors create tailored training plans through the Training Portal. These plans will set clear goals, skills to be developed, and timelines for each apprentice. Upon approval, ScreenSask’s Training Portal will issue an automated certificate (PART A) confirming that the training plan has been approved by all relevant parties for each apprentice. If agreement cannot be reached by all, the parties may initiate ScreenSask’s dispute resolution process to come ​​to a solution​​​​ ​​.

Throughout production, the training activities and milestones will occur, with ScreenSask’s Training Manager auditing the training process and conducting regular check-ins. Upon completion of the training activities, the applicant will upload final training reports, proof of employment, and proof of payment for each claimed apprentice. The submission is reviewed by ScreenSask, and upon approval, Certificates of Training are issued through the Portal for each apprentice. A summary Certification (PART B) is issued signifying all training has been completed, paid for by the applicant, and approved.

Once the PART B Certification is issued, the applicant will submit the document to GMS, alongside an invoice, and the grant payment will be issued.

A summary of the timelines and requirements are illustrated below:

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Addendum 2 – Apprentice & Mentor Approval Bodies