Employment Centre

Better Jobs Ontario

Skills training for in-demand jobs.

The Better Jobs Ontario program, previously known as Second Career, supports individuals who have been laid off and are struggling to find employment through training and financial support. The program provides eligible applicants with:

Skills training for in-demand jobs
Financial support

Financial Support

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

Tuition
Books
Other instructional costs, including student fees, supplies, and electronic devices
Transportation
A 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 language training

Duration

Better Jobs Ontario aims to help participants rejoin the workforce quickly and focuses on training programs that take 52 weeks or less to complete, including micro-credential programs.

Eligibility

You 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 either:

Employment Insurance (EI)
Ontario Works (OW)
Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)

COVID-19 Lay-offs

While the Better Jobs Ontario program is open to unemployed jobseekers, a fast-track stream is available for individuals who were laid off because of COVID-19 and want to retrain for jobs in sectors that have potential for future employment.

Applying

Applications that meet all the following criteria will go through a faster approval process, receiving priority training access:

Laid off on or after March 1, 2020
High school education or less, was 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 salespeople
Laid off from an industry hit hard by the pandemic, such as hospitality, food services, transportation, warehousing, wholesale, and retail trade
The applicant wants to train for a career in-demand in a local community or provincial priority area

Let’s Talk

If you are interested in participating in the Better Jobs Ontario program, please complete the form on this page. Once you have submitted the request form it will be reviewed, and a member of our staff will connect with you to confirm a day and time for your appointment.