Better Jobs Ontario
Looking for a new career?
Program Overview
If you qualify, you can apply for up to $28,000 for costs, including:
-
Tuition
-
Books
-
Other instructional costs, including student fees, supplies and electronic devices
-
Transportation
-
Basic living allowance (up to $500 per week)
Additional funding may be available for:
-
Childcare
-
Disability-related supports
-
Living away from home
-
Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) and/or language training
Who Qualifies?
You qualify for Better Jobs Ontario if you either:
-
have been laid-off and have not been working or are working a temporary job 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 either:
-
Employment Insurance (EI)
-
Ontario Works (OW)
-
Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)
Laid-off due to COVID-19
While the Better Jobs Ontario program is open to unemployed jobseekers, 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 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.
To register
To verify your eligibility and learn more about the program, please contact an Employment Consultant at our Employment Resource Center.
