Program relaunch

The program name was updated to reflect Ontario’s role in administering the grant. The Ontario Job Grant continues to be delivered by the Government of Ontario and includes training supports funded through federal–provincial labour market agreements.

Overview

The Ontario Job Grant (OJG) provides funding to help businesses train their employees and update their skills. This helps employers ensure their workforce has the right skills to adapt to a changing economy.

Funding for the Ontario Job Grant is provided in part by the Government of Canada through the Canada–Ontario Labour Market Development Agreement

The grant lets employers choose who to train, and what skills to focus on to address their needs. Employers can use the grant to train:

  • existing employees to upgrade their skills
  • new hires, whether currently employed elsewhere or previously unemployed (a new hire is a trainee with an identified job opportunity within the employer’s workforce that has been provided with an offer of employment prior to training)

An approved third-party training provider must deliver the training.

Grant details

The Ontario Job Grant supports eligible training costs up to a maximum of $10,000 per trainee, with additional flexibility for small employers.

Employers with 100 or more employees

For employers with 100 or more employees, the government will cover half of the training costs, and the employer needs to contribute the other half, regardless of whether employees were previously unemployed.

Employers with fewer than 100 employees

Employers with under 100 employees are required to pay at least one-sixth of the training costs of each trainee. If the employer is training new hires who were previously unemployed, they are eligible for up to $15,000 per trainee and not required to make a minimum contribution to training costs funded through the program. This means an employer may be eligible for 100% funding.

Employers must not use trainees to displace existing staff or replace staff who are on lay-off

Accepting applications

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development is currently accepting applications from individual employers if they involve training 25 or fewer participants.

Eligibility

Before you apply, make sure you meet all eligibility requirements in these areas:

Employer eligibility requirements

Eligible employers

The Ontario Job Grant (OJG) is open to:

Individual private and non‑profit sector employers that meet the eligibility requirements set out in the OJG Application Guidelines.

Ineligible organizations

The following organizations are not eligible for OJG funding:

An employer will be deemed ineligible for future funding, if they did not meet their obligations associated with the previously approved application or have been found to have provided false information to the ministry, including providing information to circumvent the application guidelines.

Location

Employers must have a physical location in Ontario and have been carrying out business at that location for at least one year. The training they’re seeking funding for must be:

  • delivered in Ontario
  • delivered by an eligible training provider
  • provided only to trainees identified by the eligible employer
  • must be completed within 52 weeks of the training start date

Compliance

Employers must comply with all applicable legislation, including, but not limited to:

Insurance

Employers must maintain and declare appropriate Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) or private disability insurance coverage, as applicable, to cover the cost of work-related injuries/occupational diseases, as well as adequate third-party general liability insurance.

Conflict of interest declaration

The employer must declare any actual or perceived conflict of interest between the employer, trainees and/or training provider.

For OJG, a conflict of interest may include any circumstance where any of the following parties has outside commitments, relationships, or financial interests that could, or could be seen to, interfere with the program’s objectives and integrity:

  • employer
  • training provider
  • any person related to, affiliated with, or has the capacity to influence the employer’s or training provider’s decisions, including board members, shareholders, and their immediate family members, such as spouses, common-law partners, adult interdependent partners, children (biological, step, adopted), parents, and siblings

Employers and training providers will be required to complete an attestation form to confirm they meet the requirements.

Eligible trainees

Trainees must be either Canadian citizens, permanent residents or protected persons living in Ontario and meet the following below requirements:

  • resident of Ontario
  • legally authorized to work in Canada
  • employed with and identified by the employer applying to OJG

Employers must provide the ministry with a copy of the permanent or conditional job offer for each newly hired individual, which must include the trainee’s:

  • name
  • job title
  • employment start date
  • trainee’s signature

Ineligible trainees

The following individuals are ineligible as trainees:

  • individuals who are participating in any other government training intervention that offers funding support for the same tuition, books or other training related costs (such as Better Jobs Ontario or the Skills Development Fund)
  • individuals who are participating in privately-funded full-time training or education which may adversely impact participation in OJG funded training
  • the employer (including self-employed individuals)
  • any person related to, affiliated with, or having control or influence over the employer (including board members, shareholders, and their immediate family members, such as spouses, common-law partners, adult interdependent partners, children (biological, step, adopted), parents, and siblings)
  • individuals who are not employed by the employer (such as contractors and volunteers)
  • individuals working in Canada temporarily or who have temporary status, such as temporary foreign workers

Eligible training

Employers can choose the training best suited to address their workforce needs if it meets the eligibility criteria below.

The ministry may ask for additional information from training providers to:

  • support their assessment of OJG applications
  • support the administration of the OJG program
  • inform funding decisions

Eligible training providers

Training must be provided by a third-party training provider that maintains a physical presence in Ontario throughout the training term and that has been in the business of providing the applicable training for at least two years. The applicant is responsible for finding a training provider that meets eligibility criteria.

Training providers must also be one of the following types of third-party providers:

  • publicly assisted college, university or Indigenous Institute in Ontario
  • District School Board
  • career college and vocational program provider registered under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005 (formerly known as the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005) and in compliance with the Act, or career college and vocational program provider that is exempt from registration in accordance with that Act
  • union-based training centre
  • sector council
  • industry association

Trainer requirements: education and experience

All instructors delivering OJG training must have relevant education and experience.

Where training will not be provided by a publicly assisted college, university, or Indigenous Institute or District School Board, the instructors providing the training must meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • 48 months of experience, within the last 10 years, working in a profession or trade relevant to the training being provided, or teaching a program to prepare a student for the field (or a combination of the two)
  • At least 24 months of experience, within the last 10 years, working or teaching in the profession/trade relevant to the training being provided, plus one of the following qualifications:
    • a Canadian bachelor's degree (or equivalent foreign degree)
    • a certificate of qualification issued under the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021
    • status as a graduate of a publicly assisted college, university or Indigenous Institute or registered Ontario career college (or equivalent institution outside Ontario)

Training instructors subject to professional requirements prescribed by regulation must also meet those requirements to be eligible under OJG.

Ineligible training

The OJG will not fund:

  • training that employers are legally required to provide
  • training by a vendor on how to use their own product or service
  • executive or preparatory courses, such as MBA, CFA, LSAT, MCAT, GMAT
  • business consulting services
  • attending conferences
  • curriculum development
  • lobbyists or consultants to assist an employer with a OJG application
  • training an apprentice
  • training over one year in length
  • membership, subscription or association fees
  • training for business owners, including individuals that are a controlling party in corporations

The ministry may refuse to fund training if the training provider, or one of its controlling parties, have previously been found to have provided inaccurate, misleading or incorrect information to circumvent the OJG Application Guidelines and receive funding.

Restrictions

Displacement of workers

The OJG cannot be used to displace existing staff or substitute laid-off employees.

Misuse of funds

Employers may be restricted from future funding if they:

  • supply inaccurate information
  • do not meet program requirements
  • misuse OJG funds

How to apply

Ontario Job Grant accepts application year-round. Applications will be assessed on an ongoing basis.

To apply for funding, fill out and submit the application online.

Please note that employers may only submit one OJG application at a time. Concurrent applications from an employer will be flagged by the ministry and could impact the ministry’s assessment of those applications.

How the ministry assesses applications

Applications must meet all OJG eligibility requirements to be considered. Eligible applications will be evaluated using transparent, consistent and measurable criteria outlined in the Application Guidelines.

Program criteria and oversight are aligned with the Canada–Ontario Labour Market Development Agreement. Meeting the requirements does not guarantee funding due to a fixed total program budget.

The ministry will assess:

  • validity of the application and proposed training
  • whether the application offers value for money
  • alignment with ministry priorities

The ministry will make all decisions regarding approval of eligible applications for funding and the amount of reimbursable costs. The ministry will also consider past applications, including any misuse of funds, or submission of misleading and incorrect information.

Priorities

Highest priority goes to:

  • training that helps support trainees in a new or better job, including retaining employees who have received a formal notice of layoff
  • employers who have not received OJG funding in the past 6 months

The ministry has the sole and absolute discretion to make decisions regarding approvals of eligible applications. Funding decisions also depend on current program demand and the number of applications in your area.

After you apply

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application, whether successful or unsuccessful.

If you have any questions or concerns after submitting your application, please contact your assigned Employment and Training Consultant (ETC). You will be assigned an ETC after we confirm we received your application. They are your primary point of contact with the ministry.

Contact us

For general assistance, understanding OJG eligibility or requirements before applying, please email OntarioJobGrant@ontario.ca.

For specific guidance or concerns after you have applied, please connect with your assigned Employment and Training Consultant.

For technical assistance, please contact the Employment Ontario Contact Centre by either:

Funding provided by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario