Canada-Ontario Job Grant

Support for an individual's training costs under the Canada-Ontario Job Grant depends on whether the trainee is unemployed or an incumbent and on the size of the employer.

• Employers with fewer than 100 employees who are training and hiring unemployed individuals are eligible for up to $15,000 per trainee and are not required to make a minimum contribution to training costs
• Employers with fewer than 100 employees who are training incumbent workers are required to contribute a minimum of one-sixth cash towards the training costs of each individual participating in training
• Employers with 100 or more employees are required to make a minimum of one-half cash contributions towards eligible training costs

Individual employers and organizations acting on behalf of employers, (i.e., industry associations, training coordinators, employer consortia, union halls) in the private and not-for-profit sectors are eligible to apply for the Canada-Ontario Job Grant.

Employers applying for the Canada-Ontario Job Grant must:

• contribute a minimum of one-half of eligible training costs in cash, if the employer has more than 100 employees
• contribute a minimum of one-sixth of eligible training costs in cash, if the employer has less than 100 employees
• employ the individual selected for training
  • If the employer has hired a jobseeker to fill a vacancy, the job offer can be conditional upon the completion of training and
  • If the employer has less than 100 employees can have cost of the training covered (up to $15,000)
• be licensed to operate in Ontario
• be applying for training that is delivered in Ontario (for a job that is also located in Ontario)
• maintain appropriate workplace insurance and comply with all applicable federal and provincial labour and human rights legislation

An employer must not be:

• a Canada-Ontario Job Grant service provider or an Employment Service provider
• receiving other government funds related to training the same individual (e.g., Youth Employment Fund)
• a broader public sector organization, as defined by the Broader Public Sector Accountability Act.

Individuals trained under the grant must:

• be a resident of Ontario, and a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person
• not already be participating in full-time education or training, including participation in any other government training program (e.g., apprenticeship) that offers similar training supports
• be sponsored by an employer.

Individual jobseekers can contact their Canada-Ontario Job Grant local service providers for the opportunity to be matched with an employer interested in training jobseekers under the grant.

The length of the application process will vary depending on the number of applications received by the same ministry office or service provider. Applications will be reviewed on a continual basis and employers will be notified as soon as a decision has made.