Better Jobs Ontario

Better Jobs Ontario offers up to $28,000 to help job seekers get the skills they need for in-demand careers (formerly Second Career)

Job seekers looking to train for in-demand work, including those on social assistance, who are self-employed, gig workers, youth, and newcomers to Lanark County, can contact us to apply for Better Jobs Ontario (BJO) funding. Alternatively, if you have been laid-off, unemployed for six months or longer, and/or are part of a low-income household, you also may benefit from Better Jobs Ontario. Start learning the skills you need, BJO can pay up to $28,000 in tuition and other costs for short-duration training programs that allow job seekers to match skills with the needs of local employers who are hiring. Expanded from the former Second Career program, more applicants are now eligible for financial support.

Job seekers can apply for up to $28,000 for costs, including:

Attend our free information session on January 22nd at 10:00am.

• tuition
• books
• other instructional costs, including student fees, supplies and electronic devices
• transportation
• basic living allowance (up to $500 per week)

Length of educational training
Additional funding may be available for:

• childcare
• disability-related supports
• living away from home
• Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) and/or language training

Better Jobs Ontario aims to help you rejoin the workforce quickly. That’s why BJO focuses on funding educational training programs that take 52 weeks or less to complete, including micro-credential programs. If you want to attend training longer than one year, you can apply to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) for a mix of grants and loans to help you pay for your postsecondary education.

Eligibility

Job seekers qualify for Better Jobs Ontario if you either:

• have been laid-off and have not been working or are working a temporary job just to cover costs
• have not been laid-off but have been unemployed for six months or longer and are part of a low-income household

You can still apply if you receive Employment Insurance (EI), Ontario Works (OW) and/or Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).

Laid-off due to COVID-19
While the Better Jobs Ontario program is open to unemployed job seekers, a fast-track stream is available if you were laid-off because of COVID-19 and want to retrain for jobs in sectors that have potential for future employment. If your application meets all the following criteria, you will go through a faster approval process, giving you access to training sooner:

• You were laid-off on or after March 1, 2020.
• You have a high school education or less, you were laid-off from an occupation requiring no more than a high school education and job-specific training, such as food and beverage servers, flight attendants and retail salespersons.
• You were laid-off from an industry hit hard by the pandemic, such as hospitality and food services, transportation and warehousing or wholesale and retail trade.
• You want to train for a career in demand in a local community or provincial priority area.

How to apply to Better Jobs Ontario funding

To apply to BJO, make an appointment with Community Employment Services (CES) Algonquin College staff to help you decide if this program is right for you and help you to complete your application. Our CES staff will help you gather the information needed to support your BJO application. To get started, call 613-267-1381 ext 0 or complete the online request webform below.

Preparing your application with CES
The amount of support you will receive is based on individual needs and available funding. When preparing your application with Community Employment Services, you will have to show:

• how long you have been unemployed, or working your temporary job, and looking for work
• places you have applied and positions you have applied for (for example, cover letters, CVs or resumes, and responses from potential employers)
• level of education obtained
• previous employment, how long you worked there, and skills that were required
• what skills you want to obtain and where you can get trained in them

When you apply to Better Jobs Ontario, you must provide information to support a financial needs assessment, such as some of the costs to be covered during training and your gross (before tax) household income. You must also provide information about your household income (including the income of your spouse/partner).

Researching potential schools
You must research at least three training institutions to make sure they offer the training you need. Make sure to include at least one college of applied arts & technology and one private career college. You are only required to research one training institution if you either; pay for your tuition and training costs on your own, or apply through the fast-track process.

Do you have questions or ready to get started?

Request an appointment with an employment counsellor to answer any questions you may have about Better Jobs Ontario. Call 613-267-1381 ext 0 or complete the online request webform below.

Updated: May 4, 2022