Our Programs

Canada-Ontario Job Grant
Canada-Ontario Job Grant (the Job Grant) provides an opportunity for employers to invest in their workforce, with help from the government. The Job Grant will provide direct financial support to individual employers who wish to purchase training for their employees. It will be available to small, medium and large businesses with a plan to deliver short-term training to existing and new employees, and will:

  • Provide up to $10,000 in government support per person for training costs.
  • Require employers to contribute one-third of the total costs. There will be additional flexibility for small businesses to provide an in-kind contribution towards their share of the costs.
  • Require training to be delivered by an eligible, third-party trainer.

How to apply? The application form is available online here. Our team is prepared to assist you with the application, do not hesitate to contact an Employment Options center near you!Still have questions? Contact us directly or consult these Frequently Asked Questions on the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities website.
Second Career
The objective of the Second Career program is to provide laid-off, unemployed individuals with skills training to help them find employment in occupations with demonstrated labour market prospects in Ontario. The intention of the Second Career program is to return individuals to employment by the most cost effective path.The Second Career program has a $28 000 maximum for costs excluding disability needs, dependent care, living away from home allowance and all costs related to LBS training.

Additional support may be available to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities, dependent care, costs of living away from home and academic upgrading.

There are three distinct and incremental levels of assessment to determine participation in the Second Career program:

  1. Eligibility
  2. Suitability
  3. Financial Need
  1. Eligibility

To be eligible, individuals must:

  • Have been laid off on or after January 1st, 2005;
  • Be unemployed;
  • Be residents of Ontario;
  • Be Canadian citizens or permanent residents legally authorized to work in Canada;
  • Demonstrate occupational demand for the skills training request with evidence of good employment prospects locally or within Ontario

For the purposes of Second Career, “laid-off” individuals also includes those:

  • Whose employment contract has ended;
  • Who have received EI Part 1 maternity or parental benefits and are seeking to re-enter the labour force;
  • Who have left work due to medical reasons.
  1. Suitability
  • Active job search
  • Duration of Unemployment
  • Educational Attainment
  • Work History
  • Labour Market Prospects
  • Type of Skills Training
  • Experience and occupational Skills
  1. What will be my contribution?

Your contribution to retraining will depend on your financial situation and the cost of training.

Eligible costs include:

  • Basic living allowance including rent\mortgage, food and utilities (i.e. hydro, heat, water, phone and Internet);
  • Skills training and incremental costs including tuition costs, other instructional costs, other personal support and transportation costs and dependent care costs;
  • Disability needs.

Participants may be required to contribute towards the cost of training. Your actual contribution to retraining will be determined by the ministry. There are limits to the amount the ministry will provide for dependent care, accommodation and other factors, such as tuition. Staff at an Employment Options office can help.

Still have questions? Contact us directly or consult these Frequently Asked Questions on the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities website.
Youth Job Connection
The Youth Job Connection program serves youth aged 15 to 29 who experience multiple and/or complex barriers to employment by providing more intensive supports beyond traditional job search and placement opportunities.Supports include:

  • Paid pre-employment training to promote job-readiness;
  • Job matching and paid job placements, with placement supports for participants and hiring incentives for employers;
  • Mentorship services; and
  • Education and work transitions supports.

Youth Job Connection consists of two components:

  • A year-round component, which provides intensive employment supports for youth aged 15 to 29 who are not in employment, education or training and who experience multiple barriers to employment.
  • A summer component – Youth Job Connection: Summer – which provides summer, part-time and after-school job opportunities to high school students, aged 15 to 18, who are facing challenging life circumstances and may need support transitioning between school and work.

Still have questions? Contact us directly.
Skills Link 
 The Skills Link program is a component of the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy (YES). Through funding of organizations, the Skills Link program helps youth overcome barriers to employment, develop a broad range of skills and knowledge in order to participate in the current and future labour market and to promote education and skills as being key to labour market participation. These barriers include, but are not limited to, challenges faced by recent immigrant youth, youth with disabilities, single parent youth, youth who have not completed high school, Indigenous youth, and youth living in rural or remote areas.