Better Jobs Ontario (formerly Second Career)

What you will need

• ✓ Intake interview with an Employment Ontario service-delivery partner (search 'Employment Ontario near me')
• ✓ Documentation of unemployment / underemployment (layoff letter, EI claim documentation, recent tax slips)
• ✓ Proof of Ontario residency
• ✓ Eligible immigration status documentation (citizenship, PR card, or protected-person status)
• ✓ Training plan: target occupation, training provider, course schedule, total cost
• ✓ Labour-market evidence that the target occupation is in-demand in your region (the service provider helps assemble this)

About this award

Better Jobs Ontario is the Province of Ontario's flagship retraining grant for unemployed and underemployed workers — the successor to the prior Second Career program with broader eligibility and higher funding. The program funds skills training for in-demand jobs and provides financial support during training: up to $28,000 for programs of 1 year or less in duration, and up to $35,000 for programs that are more than 1 year and up to 2 years. Better Jobs Ontario explicitly funds two distinct training durations: short-term programs of 52 weeks or less (including micro-credential programs — making this a key bridge for IT certifications, healthcare bridging programs, and other rapid-deploy training) AND longer-duration programs of up to 2 years (including college diplomas and applied-degree programs). The funding can cover tuition, mandatory fees, books and supplies, transportation, dependent care during training, and a basic living allowance for the duration of the program. Better Jobs Ontario operates through Employment Ontario service-delivery partners — applicants don't apply directly to the province; they go through a network of community-based agencies, colleges, and employment counsellors who do the intake assessment, build the training plan, and submit it to Better Jobs Ontario for approval.

Who qualifies

You qualify for Better Jobs Ontario if you (1) are an Ontario resident with eligible immigration status (Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or protected person); (2) are unemployed or underemployed (specific definitions are assessed at intake by your Employment Ontario service provider — historically the program prioritised laid-off workers but eligibility has broadened); (3) have a viable training plan targeting an in-demand occupation that aligns with current Ontario labour-market data; (4) commit to completing the training and re-entering the workforce. Final eligibility is determined by your Employment Ontario service-delivery partner, not by self-assessment — even if you think you don't qualify, going through the intake interview is worth doing because the rules at intake are more flexible than the public-facing summary suggests.

This is what the award's own page said when we last checked. Rules change, so confirm with the provider before you apply.

• ✓ Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person
• ✓ Open to certificate students
• ✓ Resident of Ontario

How to apply

1. 1

   Read the award's own page

   Check you meet every requirement, and note each document they ask for.

2. 2

   Ask for reference letters2 weeks

   Give your referees at least two weeks' notice, and send them your résumé.

3. 3

   Check this year's deadline

   We don't have a confirmed date for this round. The award's own page will have it.

More details