Better Jobs Ontario

Better Jobs Ontario Objective

Better Jobs Ontario aims to help you rejoin the workforce quickly. The objective of Better Jobs Ontario has been expanded to better help people who may face challenges finding stable jobs such as gig workers, youth and people on social assistance as well as to support laid off, unemployed individuals who require skills training to assist them to find employment in occupations with demonstrated labour market prospects in Ontario.

Qualified candidates can be eligible to receive financial help to pay for:

  • 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

Employment Needs Assessment

Individuals interested in skills training must meet with staff at Community Employment Choices and complete a thorough employment needs assessment.  For consideration under the Better Jobs Ontario program, individuals must also be assessed on the Better Jobs Ontario eligibility requirements listed below.

Eligibility

You quality 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)

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.

For more information, please call and book a personalized one-on-one appointment.